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Have you decided to plant a cherry orchard and delight yourself with fresh berries? In order for the tree to grow well, planting and caring for cherries in the first year of life should be carried out according to the rules, which this article will tell about. From it you will learn how to properly plant a cherry and how to care for it so that the tree does not disappear.
Planting a cherry
Cherry orchards are spread over most of our country. Thanks to long-term selection work, frost-resistant varieties have been obtained that grow in cold climates. However, in each region, the timing of cherry breeding and the methods of caring for them will differ.
Planting time
When to plant cherries? You can plant cherry varieties in spring and autumn. For the process to be successful, you should adhere to certain deadlines, as well as proceed from the climatic region in which you live. In the Moscow region, the optimal time for this is mid-April, until the growing season.
Quite different terms for rooting if you live in the northern regions or Siberia. There, the procedure begins in early May or even later. This is due to the fact that in the northern regions the temperature regime is much lower, the winter is long and the soil warms up only in the last month of spring. If you do not adhere to the deadlines, then this will lead to the fact that the seedlings will take root poorly or their root system will freeze.
Remember that the main guideline for when to plant cherries is weather conditions. Therefore, as soon as winter ends, warm days come and the earth warms up, you can proceed. The whole process should take from 10 to 15 days, no more. In the fall, the acquired seedling is dug in for the winter and stored in a special shelter – spruce branches, until the arrival of spring. The seedling for planting should be at least 2,5 cm in diameter, and the trunk – from 60 cm.
The scheme of digging and planting cherry seedlings
soil
After you have dealt with the question of when it is better to plant cherries, it is worth considering other important points. It is better to plant in sandy, sandy and loamy soils, the pH of which is neutral. If the garden is dominated by clay soil, then add 2 buckets of sand to the dug planting hole. It is desirable that groundwater flow no closer than one and a half meters from the surface of the earth.
In order for the tree to take root successfully and give generous harvests in the future, it is necessary not only to choose the right time, but to choose a good place for planting cherries. It should be protected from the wind and well lit throughout the day. It is desirable that there are no buildings nearby, and if this cannot be avoided, place the trees on the south side. It is not recommended to plant in the lowlands, where a damp and humid climate prevails.
In order to reduce the acidity of the soil, it is desirable to lime it. To do this, mix 400 g of lime with the same amount of compost or manure, scatter it on the soil surface and dig it up.
Planting pit preparation
Prepare the landing pit, its correct dimensions should be 60x60x60. Consider the factor that the worse and poorer the soil, the wider the pit should be. It should be dug out in the fall, while the top layer of the excavated earth must be preserved. Inspect the rhizome of the seedling. If you find damaged roots, they will need to be cut back to healthy roots. All rotten and broken parts of the root system are also subject to pruning. In the event that the roots of the tree are slightly dry, it is recommended to place them in water for 4-5 hours.
Video “Preparing a pit for planting”
This video will show you how to prepare a hole for planting cherries.
It is necessary to drive a wooden peg into the pit so that it is possible to fix (tie) a planted young tree to it. Then mix the set aside part of the topsoil with the same volume of humus and place it on the bottom of the pit. Do not apply nitrogen-containing fertilizers and lime to the pit, this can severely damage the root system.
Landing technique
Next, straighten the roots of the seedling and place it vertically in the prepared hole so that the roots do not bend. Gently cover with earth so that the root neck is 3-4 cm above ground level. When the tree is already planted, make watering holes at a distance of 30 cm from the trunk and pour warm water. One seedling will require 3 buckets of water. After watering, wait until the seedling settles with the ground.
At this time, it is possible to correct the position of the root collar if it has sunk too deep into the soil. If this is not done, the young seedling may die. In the event that the root neck is too high – so that the roots are visible, then they should be sprinkled with soil, and if below the surface of the earth – carefully raise the tree trunk so that there is no more than 3 cm of soil above the surface roots. Soil around the seedling it is necessary to mulch with the help of humus and sawdust. This will prevent premature evaporation of moisture, and also protect the earth from cracking as it dries.
Distance between trees
When planning a cherry orchard, consider the size of the crowns of future trees. Please note that seedlings of tree varieties (Griot, Turgenevka varieties) should not be located closer than 3 meters to each other, and there should be at least 4 m between rows. .2 m between rows. This is done so that in the process of crown growth they do not interfere with the growth of each other, because, depending on the variety, the diameter of the green cone reaches an average of 2,5 m.
Now you know how to properly plant cherries. Next, consider the care of young plants.
Care after landing
A young tree after planting needs proper general care. It must be watered in a timely manner, fertilized, loosened the ground, fertilized. But it is also necessary to take into account the fact that it blooms early, and frosts can return and destroy the flowers along with the future harvest. Therefore, it is necessary to think over measures that will save flowering from frost.
Fighting frosts
You can protect against frost with smoke. This method is very simple and affordable. It is necessary to prepare heaps of dry manure or straw in different places in the garden. Before the start of frost, it is advisable to set fire to these heaps in the morning hours, so that they smolder and give more smoke, which will warm the flowers.
Do not forget to loosen the soil around the trunk circle and remove weeds. It is advisable to carry out in the spring-summer period up to 3 loosenings, not very deep.
Watering and feeding
Although cherries are considered to be drought tolerant, irrigate both during the growing season and when the berries are ripe for high yields. The first watering is carried out immediately after flowering, the second – as soon as the berries begin to grow. For each tree during irrigation, it is necessary to pour from 3 to 6 buckets of water. The volume of water also directly depends on the amount of precipitation and soil moisture.
It is necessary to carry out feeding on time. The first – during the flowering period, and the second – after 2 weeks after the first. To prepare top dressing in 10 liters of water, dilute 10 g of urea, 25 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium chloride. You can also use this option: 10 liters of mullein is diluted in 50 liters of water, 1 kg of ash is added and this mixture is infused for 5 days. Then you can use it for feeding. Under each trunk, pour half a bucket of the prepared solution and immediately pour 2 buckets of water.
Pollination and pruning
If the weather is rainy and cold, the flowers will be poorly pollinated by bees. To fix this, prepare the following solution. In a liter of boiled water, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey Spray the flowers with the resulting solution. Bees will fly to the smell of honey and carry out the necessary pollination.
Pruning is carried out before the young buds begin to bloom. Trim side branches to a quarter of their length. If you did not have time to trim and the kidneys began to wake up, you should not shorten it.
Now you know when to plant cherries and what to do so that it takes root and gives a decent harvest. If planting and caring for cherries were not organized properly, they will grow weakly and not bear fruit. By doing everything right, you will receive a reward in the form of a ripe and sweet harvest.
Video “Pruning cherries”
This video will show you how to properly prune cherries.