Cherry trees have been around for centuries; they are admired by many for their ornamental properties as well as their sweet and tart fruits. The cherry tree can be found painted on elegant tableware, expensive silk cloth and simple cotton table linens all over the world.
The cherry tree makes a nice specimen tree and is a good fruiting tree for first time home orchard growers. Sour cherry trees (Prunus cerasus) are easy to grow and care for with the added bonus of not being bothered by as many pests as sweet cherry trees. Following are a few tips which will help anyone grow cherry trees successfully.
Planting
Cherry trees should be set out in a sunny location in fertile garden soil. They may be planted in late fall in some areas but spring is optimal for planting cherry trees.
Dig the hole large enough to accommodate the root system without crowding. Damaged roots may be trimmed back before setting the tree in the hole. Remove the tree from pot or burlap, set in planting hole at the same height as it was previously planted. Spread roots out carefully in the planting hole. Keep tree upright and straight. Place some topsoil on roots, enough to hold the tree upright, firm by patting gently with hands. Give it some water at this point to settle the dirt around roots. Add remainder of soil to hole and water again. This will aid in removing any remaining air pockets from soil around root system.
Water and Fertilizer
Trees will need regular watering during their first year. It is important for root development that the tree receives plenty of water. After the first year, water as you would other fruit trees. Organic mulch around the base of tree will keep the soil from drying out and also help to control the growth of weeds under the tree.
Fertilize tree with an all purpose fertilizer high in nitrogen, much like many other fruit trees. Fertilizer should be spread in a circle around the tree being careful that it does not settle against trunk of tree. For more exact amounts of fertilizer cherry trees need, contact your local Government County Extension Office for a soil test. Climate, site and soil can change the fertilizer needs of cherry trees. Never apply more than one pound of nitrogen per tree in any given year.
Pests and Diseases
The most destructive pest to attack cherry trees are birds. They can strip every fruit from a cherry tree in record time. Netting should be used to prevent birds from stripping fruits. Other pests that may affect cherry trees are aphids, cherry maggot, and plum curculio.
Two diseases which might be found on cherry trees are brown rot (Sclerotinia fructigena) and cherry leaf spot (Blumeriella jaapii or Coccomyces hiemalis).
Pruning
Pruning cherry trees should be done using a light hand in the spring after all danger of freezing temperatures has past. To allow for air movement through the tree and sunlight to penetrate all parts of the tree, these fruit trees are pruned to an open-center.
Below are some tips to help with achieving this.
- Cut out all broken, dead and diseased branches.
- Trim, sparingly, crossed (these will appear ‘tangled’), weak and parallel branches.
- Cut back to main branch (lateral branch) to promote strong growth of side branches.
Cherry trees do not need pruning as often as other fruit trees. Sour cherry trees have a natural open habit. Sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium) tend to grow more upright and may need a bit more pruning than the sour ones. However, cherry trees need very little pruning when mature.
Harvesting
Sweet cherries bud out early in spring while sour cherries bud out later. Trees will begin to bear fruit between three and five years from planting, depending on cultivar and whether they were grown from seed or a grafted specimen. Harvest time for cherries is approximately mid-summer.
Sweet cherry trees need a pollinator while sour cherry trees are self-fertile and do not need a pollinator.
A list of cultivars appears below. This is not a complete list, please check with your local nursery for cultivars suited to your region.
Sour/Tart Cherries (Prunus cerasus)
- Balaton
- Early Richmond
- English Morello
- Meteor
- Montmorency
- North Star
Sweet Cherries (Prunus avium)
- Emperor Francis
- Hedelfingen
- Lapins
- Napoleon
- Rainier
- Windsor
More about cherry trees; Choosing Tart Cherry Trees and other fruit trees; How to Grow a Mango Tree, and How to Grow Nectarines and Peaches.
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