A guide on how to plant cherries correctly in the fall and avoid mistakes

Planting cherries in the fall will allow you to harvest sweet and aromatic berries with excellent varietal characteristics in the future. In addition, such seedlings will be hardened and more resistant to sudden spring frosts. How to properly plant cherries in the fall? What features of garden culture should be taken into account? Should you postpone planting cherries until spring?

Choosing a cherry variety for autumn planting

Like any rosaceous plant, cherry does not tolerate severe frosts. To prevent the young seedling from dying during the first frost, select varieties that have been regionalized in a particular region.

The following varieties are optimal for regional planting:

1. Central - Valery Chkalov, Iput, Pink Sunset, Bryanochka.
2. Northwestern - Leningradskaya black, Zorka, Teremoshka, Rechitsa.
3. Siberia - Northern, Michurina, In Memory of Astakhov, Fatezh.
4. Far East - Sakhalinskaya, Ordynka, Francis, Ariadna.

Selection and preparation of seedlings

The sweetest, juiciest and largest berries are produced by a tree grown by grafting a scion onto the main trunk. It is this planting material that is guaranteed to meet the declared varietal characteristics.

The best are considered to be one- and two-year-old cherry seedlings grown in special nurseries. When purchasing cherries for planting, pay attention to:

1. Root system. The roots should be well developed, moderately moist, flexible, without visible mechanical damage. When cut, any of the processes has a cream color.
2. Presence of a dominant conductor. If it is not there and the tree consists of a large number of branches of the same thickness, the cherry will grow poorly, bear fruit and quickly go wild.
3. Crown density. The presence of a large number of strong branches on the main conductor will form a regular cup-shaped crown in the future. This will increase the quality and quantity of the harvest.
4. Plant height. One-year-olds reach 60-70 cm, two-year-olds - 95-110 cm.

Before planting, the root system is inspected and soaked, dry, damaged shoots are removed. The cleaned tree is placed in a bucket with warm water and a growth stimulator such as “Kornevin” for 1.5-2 hours and planted in the ground.

On a note! When transporting the seedling to the planting site, wrap the roots with a wet cloth. The tree is transported carefully to keep the fragile root system intact.

Selecting a location

The choice of growing location largely determines the quality of the future harvest.

The best way to grow cherries of any variety is:

• in sunny, illuminated areas with loamy and sandy loam soils;
• on the southern and southwestern parts of the dacha plot;
• in places with groundwater levels no higher than 1.5 m;
• in the vicinity of cherries, plums, cherries;
• away from walnut, black currant, rowan.

In an acidic peat environment, in heavy clay and sandy soils, cherries grow poorly and often die.

Landing dates

Autumn planting of young cherry seedlings is carried out no later than a month before the expected onset of frost. The soil in the hole will have time to subside before freezing, and the tree will remain dormant until spring.

When is it better to plant - in spring or autumn?

In the northern regions of the Russian Federation, cherries are planted exclusively in the spring. The advantages of autumn planting fruit and berry trees in the southern and central regions include:

• the relative cheapness of planting material, since sellers need to sell the goods before the “low season”;
• heavy rainfall, which relieves the gardener of the need for additional watering of trees;
• rapid adaptation of the tree to cold weather and no risk of death from sudden summer drought.

In any case, trees that are 1-2 years old take root best.

How to plant cherries in the fall

The technology for planting cherries in the fall does not differ from the traditional spring one. When planting 2-3 seedlings at the same time, it is recommended to plow the area and then dig holes. This will help the tree root system to better adapt to the local soil and grow unhindered in subsequent years.

Attention! Young seedlings are planted at a distance of 4-5 m from each other so that the spreading crown does not put pressure on or clog the tree next door as it matures.

Required materials and tools

To plant cherries in the fall you will need:

1. A varietal seedling from a nursery of excellent quality with a developed root system.
2. Shovel, bucket, nutrient soil mixture.
3. Drainage material made of expanded clay, crushed stone, broken brick.
4. Support 80 cm long, twine or strip of fabric 2-3 m long.

A third of the prepared pit is filled with a nutrient mixture with the following composition:

• 2 buckets of removed soil;
• 2 kg ammonium sulfate;
• 1 bucket of humus;
• 1 kg of potassium chloride;
• 3 kg of superphosphate;
• 500 g wood ash.

Step-by-step instruction

Planting is easy to do on your own, but working in pairs is guaranteed to keep the fragile roots safe and sound.

The algorithm for planting cherries in the fall is simple:

1. Organize a landing hole. The recommended hole size for young cherries is 1 m wide and 80-90 cm deep.
2. Insert the support into the center of the hole for the future tree and secure it well.
3. A 10-30 cm thick drainage made of expanded clay or brick is laid at the bottom. In areas with clay soil, pour 1-2 buckets of fine river sand into the bottom of the hole.
4. Pour the soil mixture into the center of the hole and form a mound.
5. Carefully place the seedling so that the root collar remains above the soil surface at a height of 5-6 cm. Tie it to a support and sprinkle it.
6. Pour out a bucket of warm water. The roots are sprinkled with the remaining soil and lightly compacted.
7. The trunk of the tree is finally fixed to the support.
8. The soil is compacted qualitatively, but carefully.
9. Form a tree trunk circle and mulch it with straw, hay, and peat.

The more fibrous, juicy and elastic shoots the root system of a cherry seedling has, the faster it will take root in a new place.

Further care of the seedling

The delicate plant requires special attention in the first year after planting. In winter, the tree is dormant. All that is required from the gardener during this period is protection from hares and sudden frosts. To do this, the young plant is tied with burlap and sprinkled with snow to a height of 1.5 m.

With the onset of the first spring warmth, agrotechnical measures begin:

1. Weed control. Rosaceae categorically do not tolerate proximity to weeds, so the soil in the tree trunk circle is thoroughly cleaned of unwanted plants. In the first year after planting, the diameter of the free circle is 1 m; each subsequent year it is expanded by 50 cm.
2. Watering. Sweet cherries do not tolerate excessive moisture and sudden drought. In dry years, the plant is watered twice a month. Water consumption for a young seedling is 3-4 buckets. Each subsequent year the norm is doubled.In rainy years, additional watering is avoided; the tree trunk circle is regularly mulched with dry material.
3. Top dressing. Nutrient compositions are applied to the cherry seedling through the circle around the trunk. The plant is watered once a season with a solution of manure at the rate of 1 liter of manure per bucket of water, or 2-3 buckets of humus are added every 3-4 years. In the second year, 110 g of urea is scattered around the tree trunk.
4. Crown molding. In the second year of life, the first molding of the future crown is carried out. To do this, select 3-4 strong branches and shorten them. The optimal length of the hemp is 40-45 cm. Small branches are cut off at the conductor. The central conductor is shortened by 1 m from the lower tier. During shaping, branches growing inward are removed to form a cup-shaped crown. This will provide good lighting and make harvesting easier.

In the immediate vicinity of the tree, honey-bearing plants are planted - calendula, blackcap, mint. This simple activity will attract bees and increase the pollination rate of each tree by 30-40%.

This is interesting:

Why do you need to prune grapes in the fall and how to do it correctly.

How to properly prune an apricot in the fall and why it is needed.

Proven ways to preserve grapes for the winter at home.

How to properly freeze gooseberries for the winter in the freezer: the best ways.

Nuances of planting depending on the region

The further development of the seedling, its immunity and productivity directly depend on the timing of planting. In the northern regions of the Russian Federation, it is recommended to plant cherries in the spring. In a short summer, the tree has time to take root and adapt to a long, frosty winter.

In the southern regions (Rostov region, North Caucasus, Krasnodar region), cherries produced in the autumn planting period produce more juicy, sweet and aromatic fruits.

On a note! Cherry is a cross-pollinated plant. Experienced gardeners advise planting 2-3 cherry trees of different varieties on the site in groups with the same flowering period.

Conclusion

With strict adherence to agricultural technology for planting cherries, the young tree successfully survives the first winter, instantly adapts to unfavorable weather conditions and is capable of bearing fruit for 70-80 years after planting. This means that the delicious, aromatic berry will delight children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for a long time.