How to get rid of cherries
Content:
The overgrowth is a real problem for amateur gardeners and a headache for professionals. In addition, cherry is just the plant that produces an exceptional number of small shoots, especially if the tree is not young. In this article, you will learn why seedlings appear, how they can be good or bad for your plants, and how you can get rid of cherries.
Why does overgrowth appear and how to get rid of cherries?
Many gardeners are faced with the problem of root shoots. Indeed, for cherries, this phenomenon is not uncommon. However, the first step to solving any problem is to understand its causes. So let's find out where the shoots come from.
The most common cause of root shoots is improper planting. If you have poorly covered the roots with soil, and they look out to the surface, this will definitely lead to the appearance of shoots.
Also, one of the possible reasons is the incompatibility of the scion and rootstock. This can lead to very vigorous sprouting.
Also, a huge amount of overgrowth is formed by excessive pruning of branches.
Also, remember to keep an eye on the harvest of the entire cherry tree. Fallen fruits can give life to small shoots.
What is the harm and benefit of overgrowth?
Cherry sprouts may be a problem, however, it is fairly easy to get rid of. However, before doing this, make sure you really want to delete them. After all, shoots are one of the best ways to propagate cherries. Even varietal trees can be propagated with their help, but for this the shoots will have to be grafted.
However, as beneficial as the shoots are when expanding your cherry orchard, growing out of control will not do anything good. Every year there will be more and more small shoots.
They are weak, therefore they will become an excellent home for all types of pests, and their huge number allows them to take the lion's share of moisture and nutrients from the mother tree, despite the small size of individual shoots. Therefore, with a large amount of overgrowth, a significant decrease in yield is observed.
Root-forming varieties
There are several varieties of cherries that form a huge amount of growth. Such varieties are Apukhtina cherry, Shubinka, as well as Vladimirskaya and Krasnopakharskaya cherries.
Shoots of these varieties are best suited for reproduction, since when transplanted, young trees retain all the varietal qualities of the mother. In the spring, these shoots can be cut and prepared for transplantation into their new "home", where they will serve you exclusively for your good.
However, there are varieties that do not have this advantage. From their shoots, an ordinary wild cherry grows, which is not interesting to most gardeners. And when such shoots appear, the question arises of their destruction. So how do you get rid of them?
How to get rid of cherry sprouts: ways to get rid of, their advantages and disadvantages
First of all, a gardener who has noticed the active growth of shoots in his garden wants to get rid of them immediately. There are several ways and each of them should be considered when solving this problem. Every experienced gardener should know them by heart.
The most effective methods are only three:
- regular cutting of shoots;
- the use of herbicides;
- complete digging of the site using technology.
The latter method is unlikely to be liked by anyone because of its enormous cost. After all, at least once a year you will have to dig up the soil. Therefore, many gardeners prefer to remove shoots with their own hands.
How to get rid of cherries. Manual removal
If it came to removing the shoots on your own, then it's not so difficult. You will need the most common tools: a pruner to destroy small, single shoots and an ax for cutting thickets. However, you need to get rid of shoots when they are young and not strong enough. Here are some simple rules to follow:
- Shooting should be done either in early spring or late autumn. To remove the shoot completely, you will have to chop off the root where it departs from the shoot.
- It is recommended to process the place of the root cut with a garden pitch.
- After that, it must be buried to prevent infection.
Pruning is one of the best ways to get rid of shoots, but it must be done very carefully. The roots of the mother tree must not be damaged in any way. However, if you are too afraid of damaging the root, do not use this method, because without pruning, in just a year, at least three new ones will appear at the site of the dug out shoot.
How to get rid of cherries in an area using chemicals
Most often, gardeners are not worried about individual small shoots, but about huge thickets that form next to the mother tree. To the question of how to get rid of them, not everyone can give an answer. But it is, nevertheless, quite simple. One has only to resort to special chemicals: herbicides.
They quite effectively cope with the destruction of thickets. However, there is no guarantee that it will not appear next year. Nevertheless, the best drugs are used quite often. Some of them are: Tornado, Alaz, Zero, Glysol.
Do not forget that all this is chemistry, and therefore, in order not to harm yourself or other plants, you need to carefully read the instructions on the wrapper.
Stump destruction
Even cut cherries can be a problem for your garden, as shoots form on the stumps too. To prevent this, follow these instructions:
- Stumps must be uprooted in a timely manner. No one else, except for extremely lazy gardeners, will not need a stump on the site.
- Also, the roots of stumps can be removed without uprooting. After all, this work is incredibly difficult. And if not everyone can cope with it, then even a beginner can remove the root with the help of chemistry.
The easiest way is to kill the roots with substances such as urea, sodium nitrate, or rock salt. Also, the most common fertilizers can be used to combat roots. Surely every gardener has them.
It is enough to make holes in the desired stump and fill them with substance. After that, fill it with water and cover the stump with foil to protect it from the sun and rain. So the stump will be destined to stand six months (when treated with any saltpeter) or even a year and a half (when treated with salt).
The most suitable time for processing stumps is late summer - early autumn. After the proper amount of time, the stump must be burned. It won't be difficult, considering that he will be dead inside. In addition, nitrate is a chemical that will keep the fire going until there are no chips left from the tree stump.
Caring for a tree after removing overgrowth
Cherry is a rather unpretentious tree, but sensitive. Removing shoots is a real challenge for him. To help the tree survive, you must bury the slate around the perimeter to a depth of one meter. The slate layer will become a kind of wall through which the shoots simply will not break through.
After this restriction, it will be very easy to keep track of new shoots. It is enough only to remove them in a timely manner and take care of the tree.
Experienced gardeners suggest watering overgrown cherry trees not too often, but abundantly.
Prevention measures
Reducing watering is not the only prevention method. It is also worth taking care of mulching the soil under the cherry tree. This will prevent the escape from breaking through to the surface.
Also, to prevent very young cherries from sprouting, make sure you plant them correctly. Not a single root sticks out of the ground and the soil above them does not crack. Also, do not forget to remove fruits and seeds that have fallen from trees from the ground: they can give life to new shoots.
Conclusion
If you decide to take the path of the gardener, then you just have to face the undergrowth. However, you should not be afraid of this. If you know how to cope with this scourge, then you can easily "repel the attack" and protect your crop