You are on page 1of 2

How to Grow Cherries

Many sweet cherry trees require a great deal of space, so unless you have a large garden, look for a cherry tree grafted
onto a dwarfing rootstock. Older varieties must be cross-pollinated by another variety; if you have space for only one
tree, choose one of the newer, self-fertile cultivars. You can grow sour Morello! cherries, used mainly for bottling and
"am-making, as a tree or a fan-trained espalier. #elf-fertile, they grow well in cool conditions.
$ipe cherries on a tree
Choosing a cherry tree
%onsiderable progress has been made in the breeding of high-quality tropical cherries suited to warm climates, but
most varieties available commercially require a cool to cold winter. &hey are usually grown as shaped trees. 'warfing
stocks are commonly used to ensure that the trees grow to a manageable height and spread, and are easy to care for and
to harvest. (n cool-climate areas they are sometimes shaped into ornamental espaliers and grown against north-facing
brick walls to receive the reradiated warmth.
Varieties
&he two distinct types of cherry ) sweet and sour *acid+ ) derive from ,ritish -runus avium and -. cerasus and also
forms brought from eastern .urope by the $omans. #elf-fertile varieties include/
0apins - $ed skin and flesh; firm, "uicy; can be very large; e1cellent flavour.
Morello - #our cherry, usually the only one available.
#tella - 2uge, dark red, fleshy fruits; midseason.
#unburst - 0arge, round fruits with red skin and flesh; superb flavour.
#weetheart - #weet, red, firm fruits with good flavour; very late.
Many older varieties, grown for their flavour and te1ture, are still very popular. &hey include ,ing *midseason+ and
$on!s #eedling. More recently bred varieties, which must be grown with a cross-pollinating variety, include/
Merchant 'ark- skin and flesh; large, sweet fruits with e1cellent flavour; early; a universal pollinator.
$ainier- 0arge; white-fleshed; gold skin blushed pink; very sweet; high quality.
#ylvia- 0arge, dark red fruits; good quality and flavour; compact growth.
(n cool-winter areas some superbly flavoured heirlooms are still grown ) %arnation, May 'uke, 3apoleon, Old ,lack
2eart and 4hite 2eart.
Growing tips
5 deep, well-drained soil in sun gives the best results with sweet cherries, but aspect is unimportant for sour cherries.
6ood soil preparation will repay you handsomely, however. 5llow a diameter of 7.8 m for each tree and dig in
generous amounts of compost, rock dusts such as basalt, granite and rock phosphate, and wood ashes. -lant bare-rooted
trees from late winter to spring. -ot-grown trees may be planted at any time of year as long as the weather is suitable.
4hen planting a bush tree, drive a supporting stake into the hole and tie the tree to it. 9nless the tree is secured in this
way, it will have a tendency to be rocked by high winds, and this will lead to the loosening of the roots and a delay in
the tree!s development. 4ater very thoroughly initially. 5pply a pelleted slow-release organic fertiliser each year in
early spring. 4ater the ground under trees thoroughly during summer dry spells.
-runing sweet cherries- 0imit the pruning of standard sweet cherry trees to the removal of dead or diseased branches as
well as branches that rub against one another. 'o this in autumn, after harvesting has finished. -aint the cut ends with a
proprietary sealing compound to keep out silver leaf infection. #weet cherries can also be trained as fan-shaped
espaliers.
-runing sour cherries- :or the first three years, train sour Morello cherry trees in the same way as bush apples.
5lternatively, shape them as fan-trained espaliers. .stablished sour cherry trees fruit only on wood that developed
during the previous summer. Your ob"ective is to stimulate plenty of new growth each year by heavy feeding and by
pruning to produce renewal shoots. 5fter fruiting, cut out some of the less productive branches on bush trees, but leave
those that are more than three years old; if you cut them, the wound would be too severe. #eal all cuts with a wound
healant to prevent disease spores entering the vulnerable, freshly cut surfaces.
Pests and diseases
,irds love cherries ) especially sweet varieties ) so you!ll probably have to net the tree. (f the tree is very large, you
can keep at least some of the fruit safe by netting the lower branches. &rees on dwarfing rootstocks are easier to cover
completely. &he other pests most likely to attack cherries are caterpillars and aphids. &he diseases are bacterial canker,
chlorosis, honey fungus *not in #outh 5frica+, shothole and silver leaf.
Harvesting and storing
2arvest sweet cherries in summer. &hey can be pulled off by hand. &hey do not keep well and should be eaten soon
after picking. #our cherries, such as Morello, mature from summer to mid-autumn. -ulling them off can wound the
spurs and allow the diseases to which the trees are susceptible to enter. 5void this by cutting off the cherry bunches
with sharp scissors.

You might also like