Cherry Tree Care Guide

|Ella Dooly
Cherry Tree Care Guide - Tree2mydoor
Cherry Tree Care

Cherry trees are one of our most popular fruiting and flowering trees. They will produce lovely white blossoms in spring, and after a couple of years, cherries as well.

All of our selection are **self-fertile**, which means you do not have to worry about pollination from bees.

How to Care for Cherry Trees

Cherry Tree Quick Facts

  • **Latin name**: Prunus Avium
  • **Hardiness**: Fully hardy, but susceptible to frost damage in Spring
  • **Pollination**: Self Fertile
  • **Height and spread**: Variable. Dependant on rootstock.
  • **Flowering**: Spring
  • **Harvesting**: July-August
  • **Difficulty**: Moderate

Planting Cherry Trees

On receiving your cherry tree, it is important that you remove it from the outer packaging immediately. Store it in a suitable place until you are ready to plant.

In winter, we advise storing it in a shed or garage to prevent frost damage.

When to Plant

Plant your tree when it has gone into **dormancy** and the roots are not growing. This is typically either **October/November** or late **February/March** as the ground can become frozen solid in intervening months.

Choosing the Location

Choosing where to plant your tree is of vital importance, as cherry trees need plenty of **sun** to ripen fruit. They are also susceptible to frost damage.

A **south-facing wall** would be ideal, as the wall would retain and radiate warmth throughout the year. If that is not possible, any location with at least six solid hours of full sunshine in summer will work.

Your cherry tree will do best if planted into deep, **well-draining, loamy soil** with a pH of **6.5 - 6.7**. You can test this yourself using a kit widely available from garden centres.

The Planting Process

An hour before planting your tree, water the pot thoroughly. Remove the tree from its container and gently tease out the roots. Prune any that are damaged or broken.

Dig a hole roughly **three times the width** of the tree's roots, but **no deeper**. Then plant the tree with the **bud union at ground level**.

Backfill any gaps with a soil and compost mix. Use a supporting **stake** to anchor the tree until the root system is strong enough to support the tree unaided.

Cherry Trees in Pots

**Dwarfing cherry trees** can also be grown in a large pot, which is perfect for smaller gardens or patios.

Move the cherry trees into a larger container in the first 12 months, then **repot every two-three years** until it reaches its full height.

Signs Your Tree Needs Repotting

Look out for the following signs that your tree is ready for a new home:

  • Does the tree look less healthy than it used to?
  • Does it seem to dry out quicker?
  • Are there roots growing out of the holes in the bottom of the pots?
  • Has the cherry tree been in the same pot for three years or more?

Remember to always choose deep pots with **good drainage holes**! Try to repot in the **winter months** to minimise the risk of damaging the roots.

Tips for Repotting

Follow these tips for a smooth repotting process:

  • The soil in the cherry tree pot should be slightly moist; water thoroughly an hour before repotting to achieve this.
  • Loosen the soil around the edge of the pot and pull the tree out by the base of the main stem.
  • If you are moving your cherry tree to a bigger pot, add some extra soil into the bottom of the pot before you insert the plant.
  • Fill in with a mix of soil and compost.
  • Water the plant thoroughly, and keep it well watered for several weeks.

Once the tree is fully grown, it will be too big for repotting. However, you will still need to replace **30-50% of the compost** every other year so the tree does not exhaust its supply of nutrients.

Feeding and Mulching

Feeding Cherry Trees

Feeding your cherry tree will help it to gain all the nutrients it needs to fruit.

**February and March** are ideal times. We advise using a **potassium rich general fertiliser** such as Growmore according to packet instructions.

Mulching

**Mulching** is the term used for the layer of organic material that is placed on top of the soil around your plants every year. It has a whole host of benefits, including keeping the soil moist and nutrient-rich throughout summer and **discouraging weeds**.

The best time to mulch your cherry trees is in **February, before feeding**.

First, prepare the ground by removing debris and weeds and water the surface of the soil if it is dry. Apply a thin layer of **well-rotted manure or good garden compost** all around the tree. We suggest using **John Innes No. 3**.

Watering Cherry Trees

We advise you to water your cherry tree **regularly** until the plant is established.

Your cherry tree is likely to require regular watering after the fruit has set and it is beginning to swell. Making juicy cherries is thirsty work! Make sure you always water the **roots** and avoid getting water on the **leaves** of the plant, as this encourages disease.

Watering Container-Grown Trees

When fruit trees are grown in containers, they will have more restricted access to water than those growing in the garden, so will need watering with greater regularity.

As a rule of thumb, stick your finger into the first inch of topsoil and if it feels medium dry, water immediately.

When to Prune Cherry Trees

As fruit will only form on **year-old wood**, your cherry tree will not need pruning at all in its first year, except to remove dead or damaged branches.

In following years, you can begin training your cherry tree. We prefer a **bush shape** as it is a lovely natural shape but still designed to improve productivity.

In subsequent years, Cherries should be pruned in **late Summer**, as they are susceptible to **bacterial cankers** that infect pruning wounds that don't heal quickly.

Pruning Steps

  • First, remove any branches that are growing towards the centre of the tree instead of pointing outwards, as these will not get enough sunlight to produce fruit.
  • Then remove any branches that are dead, diseased or dying.
  • Lastly, cut back all but the main branches and leave **six or so buds** on each stem.
  • Once your tree has reached its full height or a height you are happy with, you can also cut the main branches back by about a third, which will ensure your tree doesn't grow much taller.
  • After four years, prune away some of the oldest branches to make way for **newer wood**.
  • Rub out any buds or suckers that form on the stem or rootstock of the tree.

Fruit and Flowers

Beautiful Stella Cherry Tree

Protecting Blooms from Frost

In early spring, your cherry tree will burst into bloom. It is important that you **protect these delicate blossoms** with **horticultural fleece** at night if frost is predicted, ensuring that it does not touch the tree blossoms.

Uncover the tree in the daytimes so it gets plenty of light.

Harvesting Cherries

After a couple of years, fruit should appear in summer. At this point, it might be an idea to invest in a **fruit cage or fruit netting** to deter birds.

The fruit should be ripe by **July/August** and ready for picking. Only pick fruit that is fully ripe, and preserve by making into jams and chutneys, or drying.

We supply both the Sunburst Cherry Tree and Stella Cherry Tree which produce delicious dessert cherries that can be picked and eaten straight from the tree.

Cherry Tree Winter Care

Your cherry tree will go into **dormancy** over winter and lose all its leaves - this is normal!

Although cherry trees are hardy, they may need some protection from extreme temperatures and frosts with horticultural fleece.