Tips for Growing Fruitful Cherry Trees

Do you want to grow a cherry tree? And why wouldn’t you? They are a delicious fruit worthy of your effort.

But before you start, there are a few things you need to know if you are going to harvest a successful crop.

Tips for Growing Fruitful Cherry Trees

1. Soil PH should be between 6 – 6.5 for healthy trees and good-tasting fruit. Trees should be regularly fertilised, and any soil deficiencies corrected.
2. Drainage: cherries don’t like to be waterlogged, so make sure the area in which you’re planning to grow them has good drainage, keeping water from pooling around the tree’s root system. They do, however, require regular watering throughout the growing season and in those first formative years of growing.
3. Rootstocks (dwarf): these days, dwarf rootstocks are becoming more readily available, and this will reduce the need for a lot of heavy pruning once required. Formative pruning to build a low canopy in the first 3-4 years is essential to keep the canopy of the tree low and manageable.
4. How long before it fruits? It can take 5-6 years before you see a viable crop. Care should be taken not to damage fruit buds when picking the fruit, as cherries will grow fruit on the same fruit bud next year. The stem of the cherry should be lifted and clicked off the bud rather than pulled down, tearing the bud off the tree.
5. Climate: annual chill units are an important factor to consider. This is hours of temperature below 7 degrees Celsius—every hour of temperature under 7 degrees is one chill unit. The better the chill factor, the more hormone produced in the tree, which gives more blossom and healthier bud development, and if pollinated, produces more fruit.
6. Pruning: aim to keep the vigorous and strong leaders coming from the main trunk and remove the spindly growth. Pruning should be avoided in winter or in wet conditions as cherries are very susceptible to wood rotting diseases.
7. Tie limbs down: as the cherry tree leaders start to grow and get long, while they are still flexible, tie them down horizontally, parallel to the ground. This will direct the hormone in the tree to produce more fruit rather than building more wood in the tree.
8. Compatible pollinators or self-pollinating? It is important to know your tree variety, as some trees need a specific pollinator to produce cherries. There are, however, quite a few self-pollinating cherry varieties these days: Stella, Lapin and other new varieties.
9. Pest and disease control.

Birds are the worst pest and bird control needs to be implemented once the fruit has set on the tree after blossom. Once it starts to develop, it’s time to net. Birds will take all the cherries well before they are ripe. Cherry growers should also watch for birds in winter, as they feed on the cherry buds when the sap starts to flow and bud swell occurs in the tree.

Cherry slug would be the next one skeletonizing the leaves and robbing the energy from the tree. It also marks the fruit which can cause fungal problems.

The cherry aphid normally, occurring at the top of branches, turns the leaves curly and crinkled, and black insects produce a sticky excrement that attracts ant activity. If left uncontrolled, it causes the tree to become infested with insects leading to fungal issues and sticky fruit hard to manage.

Shot hole, brown rot, and other fungal problems need to be managed to ensure your crop is successful.

Obviously, pests need to be sprayed when identified on the tree. Fungicides are required to keep the tree free of fungal problems, particularly when the fruit is ripening.

And there you have it! Happy gardening!