How to achieve a high yield of cherries
Content:
Many summer residents are engaged in growing cherries in their own garden, but does everyone know about small, but extremely useful tricks and secrets of its fruiting? Let's try to analyze some of them.
What gardeners need to know about cherries
Everyone wants to get a quick and high harvest, no matter what plant it is. In this case, consider a cherry - if you observe that your tree deprives you of the number of fruits for the harvest season, then this information is definitely for you.
First of all, you need to know that cherries have a fairly high level of kidney awakening, as well as their early maturity. Each bud separately gives its own shoot, through which, during the growing season, a branch is formed - fully developed and structural.
Thus, the so-called thickening of the crown occurs, which cannot be avoided in any way. The fact is that this, to some extent, prevents the penetration of sunlight, it is necessary for the development and growth of energy, therefore, excessive darkening of the inner part of the crown should not be allowed.
Cherries: when to prune?
The formation of unnecessary branches, especially in large quantities, negatively affects the dynamics of fruit ripening, therefore, it is necessary to regularly apply the pruning method - already known to us in the processing of other crops and fruit trees.
Bouquet branches and foliage will be much more durable and healthier in those crowns that are well lit by the sun and moderately blown. Do not forget that pruning must be done even when the shoots are starting to grow weaker.
How many years does the peak fruiting of cherries occur?
Cherry, which bears fruit on the branches of annuals, is characterized by the dependence of the number of flower buds on the length of the shoots, in fact, as well as the quality / quantity of the crop. This is due to the fact that the fruiting period of bouquet branches reaches at best 5 years, then they inevitably die off.
They must be replaced without fail, otherwise such a gap may result in extremely low yields in the end.
Best crown shape for cherry
As for the most optimal crown shape for cherries, only one stands out here - a thin-tiered one. The formation of the tree must be started by analyzing the height of the trunk, which can be from 30 to 40 centimeters in height.
Make sure that the presence of any growth is not noted on the trunk, a little higher should be chosen from 6 to 8 sufficiently strong, strong skeletal branches - it is they who subsequently form the skeleton of the crown. Those branches that turn out to be superfluous in addition to those left behind must be subjected to the process of cutting into a ring.
Pruning cherry branches
You should also cut out the vast majority of branches that grow towards the inside of the crown itself. Again, make sure that the crown of the tree does not thicken too much at a young age, as cherries have a high level of branching and the formation of long shoots at the initial stage.
If their length reaches from 40 to 50 centimeters, do not start the process and be sure to shorten them. This process is a kind of stimulation for the formation of both new shoots and bouquet branches. Pruning will also help protect the tree from exposing the branches later after the bouquet branches begin to die off.
How to form a crown in a cherry
The crown formation process should be started from the moment of pruning immediately after planting. It is necessary to leave at least 6 skeletal branches, from which the skeleton of the crown will be formed. Three branches should be located on the lower tier, and three in the second.
Slightly above the second tier, as a rule, a single branch is laid, above which the central conductor should be subjected to the cutting process. Those branches that turned out to be superfluous must also be cut into a ring. Later, it is allowed to add skeletal branches up to 10, depending on the rate and dynamics of the tree's development.
Viable and fruitful cherry varieties
Finally, a few examples of particularly viable and fruitful cherry varieties should be noted, which are suitable for the most varied climatic conditions that are characteristic of your garden. By the time of flowering, it is customary to distinguish varieties into groups of early flowering, flowering in the middle-early period, late flowering and flowering in the middle-late period.
As we already remember, varieties are also divided into cross-pollinating and self-pollinating, so do not forget about the variety of varieties in close proximity to each other to improve the quality of the harvest and flowering.
Fertile Michurina - a variety of cherries, the fruiting of which is already 3 or 4 years old, some can bear fruit even for 2 years. The variety is distinguished by trees of low growth, which in turn are characterized by a spreading crown. Fruits are large enough, hold well and do not fall off.
Vole - a variety that grows in the form of small bushes, rarely reaching a height of more than 2 meters. The fruits are not too large, medium in size, juicy, red in color, sour taste. This variety is ideal for processed products.
Consumer goods - a variety, the main advantage of which lies in large fruits, the color of which is quite original and varies from reddish to dark. The pulp is quite juicy, fleshy, gives off a sour taste. Fruiting of this variety occurs on average at 4 or 5 years.
Knowing exactly how to grow a cherry, how to shape its crown and prune it, as well as correctly choosing a variety for your taste preferences and purposes of use, you can always have tasty and nutritious fruits of this stone fruit in your garden!