Preparing for winter and caring for cherries in autumn

Planting and caring for sweet cherries in autumn are included in the year-round complex of works and are an integral part of them. They are no less important than, for example, spraying against pests or pruning. Only the regular implementation of all seasonal work on the care of sweet cherries can guarantee a good harvest.

And autumn work is doubly important, because it depends on them how the plant will overwinter, what reserve of strength it will receive and how early it will enter the growing season next year. It is in autumn that the foundations of the future harvest are laid.

Rules for the care of cherries in the fall, preparation for winter

Autumn for the gardener is not a reason to rest and relax. After harvesting, there are still many warm sunny days, and you need to try to use them as efficiently as possible. And there is really a lot to be done.

The importance of autumn care for cherries

Not only the future harvest, but also the life of the tree itself directly depends on how complete and high-quality the autumn work will be carried out. After all, winter is ahead – the most difficult period for any plant, and even more so for one like a sweet cherry. During fruiting, and especially abundant, the tree spends a lot of energy, so after harvesting it is very depleted. For a short autumn period, he needs to restore his energy supply as much as possible in order to go into hibernation, like a fully charged battery. This will allow the tree to winter well and start the growing season calmly in the spring.

If the plant does not have time to prepare for winter, does not have time to gain strength, winter will deplete it even more or kill it completely. In the spring, such plants start growing late, late in flowering, or do not bloom at all. Therefore, the task of the gardener is to do everything to help the sweet cherry as quickly and fully as possible “charge” before the winter cold.

What work gardeners have to do in the fall

The complex of autumn work on caring for sweet cherries is quite extensive. The following activities must be carried out:

• sanitary pruning;
• I printed more white;
• cleaning, weeding and loosening of the trunk circle;
• water-charging irrigation;
• top dressing.

In addition, some varieties are sheltered for the winter.

It is also worth noting that in the autumn the most important part of the work is carried out – planting young cherry seedlings. This is done mainly in the southern regions – in the more northern regions, seedlings are planted in the spring.

Planting cherries in autumn

In regions with mild winters, autumn planting of young seedlings is considered the main one. This is due to the fact that before the onset of cold weather, the tree manages to take root well and endures winter without problems. Where winter begins early, there is not enough time for the seedling to adapt, and the plant may die.

When is the best time to plant cherries: in autumn or spring

Spring planting has a number of advantages. This is especially true in regions with a cool climate. A plant planted in spring with this planting option has enough time to take root and meet the winter cold without any problems.

In hot regions, on the contrary, high temperatures create problems. In this case, a plant planted in spring will constantly suffer from high temperatures, sunburn and lack of moisture. In autumn, all these harmful factors are absent.

When can you plant cherries in the fall

You need to plant cherries a few weeks before the onset of permanent frosts. The timing will greatly depend on the region, however, on average, this is the period from the last decade of September to the end of the second decade of October. In the Moscow region, Central regions and Southern Siberia, it is better to focus on the end of September; in more southern regions, you can do this later.

Choosing a place for planting cherries

Most cherry varieties are self-fertile. These plants need a pollinator to produce fruit. Therefore, seedlings are planted, as a rule, in a group of several trees. An exception can only be the situation when a young plant is planted with existing adults or pollinators grow in close proximity, for example, behind a fence.

Sweet cherry tolerates frost well (especially its winter-hardy varieties), but does not like the cold wind very much. It is worth avoiding planting it on the north side of the site. It needs sunlight and water to grow well. At the same time, excess moisture is also harmful, so places with periodic flooding or high groundwater levels should be avoided.

This plant grows well on light loamy and sandy soils with neutral acidity. Heavy clay areas are not suitable for planting.

How to choose the right cherry seedling for planting

Cherries are planted with seedlings of the second year of life, less often annuals. When choosing planting material, you need to pay attention to the following:

1. The seedling must have a clearly visible grafting site in the lower part of the trunk. At the junction of the stock and scion, the difference in the thickness of the trunk is necessarily visible. If there are no traces of vaccination, then the plant was grown from a seed (this is a seedling). In this case, there is a high probability that all varietal characteristics will not be preserved and a non-varietal plant (wild) will grow from the seedling.
2. The seedling must have a well-developed main trunk (guide) and side branches. This will allow you to correctly form the crown of the future tree.
3. The root system should be well developed: have 2-3 main roots and many small ones. Among the roots should not be rotten and dry.

Cherry planting scheme

Cherry seedlings can be planted in a row, in a checkerboard pattern or in an arbitrary manner. It is important to observe the distance between adjacent plantings, it should be at least 3 m. At the same distance, the trees should be from the walls of houses, outbuildings or blind high fences.

How to plant cherries in autumn

• Planting pits for planting cherries in the fall should be prepared 1,5–2 months before the planned planting date.
• Pits are dug at a depth of about 0,8 m, their diameter is 0,6–0,7 m.
• The excavated earth is mixed with several buckets of humus and 0,2 kg of superphosphate. During the time that will pass until the moment of planting, the soil of the walls and bottom of the pit will have time to be saturated with air, and the excavated soil will turn into a nutrient mixture, with which the young seedling will fall asleep.

  

• Before planting, a stake is driven into the bottom of the pit – a support to which the planted tree will be tied.
• At the bottom of the pit, an earthen mound is poured.
• A seedling is placed on its top, while the root neck should be flush with the ground.
• The roots are covered with nutrient soil, compacting it a little to prevent the formation of voids.
• After falling asleep, an earthen roller is formed around the seedling, limiting the trunk circle. It will not allow water to spread when watering.
• Under each tree, you need to pour 3 buckets of water, and then mulch the soil with sawdust or peat.

What can be planted next to the cherry

Cherry is a fairly strong antagonist and does not tolerate neighborhood with other trees or shrubs if they are very close. Best of all, another cherry or the closest relative, a cherry, will feel nearby. Other trees will simply interfere with cross-pollination.

Of other crops, grapes get along well with it. Black elder also feels good nearby, so many gardeners plant it specifically as protection against aphids. Flowers grow calmly in the root zone: nasturtiums, primrose, tulips. But berry bushes should not be planted, because the powerful root system of sweet cherries will simply suffocate them.

How to prune cherries in autumn

Pruning is an important part of caring for cherries. Proper pruning can prolong the life of a tree, significantly increase the quantity and quality of the crop, and also rid the plant of dry, broken and diseased branches.

The importance of pruning cherries in the fall

Autumn sanitary pruning helps the tree get rid of old, diseased and dry branches. In addition, shoots that do not bear fruit are removed. Therefore, the tree retains more strength for the development of fruit-bearing ones.

When to prune cherries: in autumn or spring

Sanitary pruning is carried out twice per season: in autumn and spring. All other types of pruning – in the spring, before the start of sap flow.

Terms of autumn pruning of cherries

Cherries should be pruned after the leaves have fallen. Usually it is done before the end of September. If it was not possible to carry out it within the specified time frame, it is better to postpone the procedure until spring.

How to cut cherries in autumn: a diagram

Autumn sanitary pruning aims to clear the tree of dry, broken and diseased branches. Therefore, the following branches are cut:

• broken;
• damaged by birds;
• dry;
• having traces of diseases (fungi, swelling, growths).

Cherry autumn care

Autumn is the time to clean up the garden. Many activities at this time avoid big problems in the future, so they should not be postponed or neglected.

How to feed cherries in autumn

Mature cherry trees in autumn are fed 1 time in 3 years. Usually, rotted manure or humus is used for this, introducing it into the soil to the depth of a spade bayonet when digging tree trunks. Organics can be supplemented with superphosphate, which is scattered over the surface in wet weather at the rate of 0,2 kg per 1 sq. m.

Pre-winter watering cherries

The so-called moisture-charging watering makes sense to do if the autumn was warm and dry. About 5 buckets of water are poured under each tree shortly before the onset of frost. Such a measure significantly increases winter hardiness, and the tree suffers less from spring frosts.

Loosening the trunk circle

Keeping the near-trunk circle of a tree clean means significantly reducing the risk of pests appearing on it. Since most of them hibernate right there, under a tree, digging up the ground in autumn greatly reduces their chances of surviving the winter. Digging also contributes to the saturation of the soil with air, and the air cushion is an additional heat-insulating layer for the root system of the plant.

Processing sweet cherries in the fall from diseases and pests

The main preventive spraying of trees is done in early spring and summer. In autumn, the trees are sprayed with a concentrated (5%) solution of urea. This is a fairly effective remedy for diseases and pests, for the destruction of which not only the trees themselves are processed, but also the tree trunks.

Do I need to whiten cherries in the fall

Whitewashing not only looks beautiful. It is also a hygienic, preventive and protective procedure.

The importance and purpose of whitewashing cherry trunks

Whitewashing is also a way to protect trees from pests that live in bark cracks. Whitewashed trunks are less prone to sunburn, and frost cracks are less likely to appear on them. They are not touched by hares. Garden trees are whitewashed after leaf fall before the onset of frost (late October – early November).

How can you whiten cherries

The easiest way to whitewash is to use a solution of ordinary slaked lime. This is the most budget option, but also the most unstable. After 2-3 rains, the whitewash will simply wash off. You can also buy special whitewash mixtures containing wood glue (PVA) in the store. Such solutions are more durable.

Whitewashing with special acrylic paint gives the best result. It is easy to apply, poorly washed off, has a bright white color. In addition, it is also breathable – it is very important that air does not stop access to the tree bark. Alas, this option is not cheap.

How to whiten cherries in autumn

You can whitewash trees with a spray gun, brush, or just a bunch of grass. The height of the whitewash should be approximately equal to the level of human growth (160–170 cm), since the thickness of the snow cover should also be taken into account. Therefore, not only the trunk is whitened, but also the lower skeletal branches.

garden cleaning

Cleanliness is the key to health, this statement is true for the garden. The cleaner it is in the garden, the less shelter garden pests will have, so they will have much less chance to survive the winter.

Protecting cherries from rodents

For young trees, hares, who like to gnaw bark from branches in winter, are of great danger. For protection, the trunks are wrapped and tied with spruce branches.

How to insulate cherries for the winter

Mature cherry trees do not cover. The large crown size and height simply will not allow this. But sheltered from frost, young seedlings will endure the winter much better.

Mulching the trunk circle

Mulching is done after water-charging irrigation and before the onset of cold weather. Usually, rotted manure or peat is used for this, covering the near-stem circle with a thickness of 5 mm. This measure increases frost resistance, improves tree growth.

How to cover young cherry seedlings for the winter

To do this, you can make a frame structure or simply build a semblance of a bag of covering material. The crown must be collected in a bundle.

The bag must be carefully put on top, fix it and sprinkle it with earth from below.

How to insulate the trunks of cherries from frost

The easiest way is to insulate the trunks with spruce branches. And you can also wrap them with any material that allows air to pass through, for example, agrofibre.

How to protect cherries from winter winds with frame structures

For small trees, frame shelters can also be used. They are assembled from boards or bars, and then covered with covering material.

Such a shelter protects well from cold wind and precipitation.

The nuances of preparing cherries for winter in different regions

Cherry is a southern plant. And the closer to the north it is grown, the more care it will require.

How to prepare cherries for winter in the suburbs

The climate of the Moscow region is quite changeable. In recent years, thirty-degree frosts in this region have become a rarity, however, you need to be prepared for them. For sweet cherries grown in the Moscow region, all agrotechnical work is mandatory. The only exception can be water-charging irrigation, since autumn is rarely dry in this region. In addition, it is worth limiting autumn bait so as not to provoke the growth of young shoots.

It is desirable to cover trees for the winter, young ones completely (or cover them with snow), adults – as far as possible. To rid yourself of this problem, you can try to graft cherries on cherries. This will significantly increase winter hardiness and reduce tree growth.

Preparing sweet cherries for winter in the central regions of Our Country

The central region of Our Country is not too different from the Moscow region, so all activities for preparing cherries for winter are similar. In these regions, you can completely abandon the partial shelter for the winter of adult trees and limit yourself to whitewashing the trunk and lower skeletal branches.

To protect against rodents, the trunk can be additionally wrapped with a breathable inedible material.

 Features of preparing cherries for winter in the Volga region

Winters in the Volga region are more frosty than in the Moscow region. Here, young trees must be covered. Remove cover in early spring.

How to prepare cherries for winter in Siberia and the Urals

In order to keep the sweet cherry intact in winter, in these regions, the sweet cherry is grown at an angle, bending it in a northerly direction. This method allows you to completely bend the tree to the ground for the winter and cover it with straw and spruce branches. In the spring, the plant is returned to its original position.

When to remove shelter from cherries in spring

Too early release of cherries from winter shelter can cause frostbite. But this should not be delayed either, otherwise the tree will simply soak. The best time is when the snow has completely melted. At this time, there are no more severe frosts, and the soil is not yet warmed up by the spring sun.

Conclusion

Planting and caring for cherries in the fall is just one part of the many gardening activities at this time of the year, which are very important for gardeners. Not only the future harvest, but also the health, and in many cases the life of the tree, depends on the quality of the work carried out during this period.