Cherries
Sweet cherries grow and fruit best in a site in full sun, although they are fully hardy. In gardens growing them against walls or fences is by far the best method as this shelters them from cold at flowering time, keeps them small enough to fit into most gardens and also makes it easy to exclude birds, who will quickly take a whole crop, by netting.
Because they flower very early in the year, all cherries are best planted in a sheltered position to encourage pollinating insects.
While cherries will grow in any garden soil they do need good drainage.
Pollination of sweet cherries is complex. For garden use select self-fertile cultivars. Otherwise be sure to seek advice from the nursery on suitable cultivars to achieve cross pollination.
Cherries are grafted on to rootstocks to make composite tree – fruiting cultivar on top and rootstock to control tree growth below. ‘Colt’ rootstock produces large trees that are difficult to accommodate in most gardens or if fan-trained need a very high wall or fence. But ‘Gisela 5’ and ‘Tabel’, can with careful pruning and training limit trees to a size that can be fitted in gardens.
Cherries can be trained as free-standing trees or fans against fences or walls at least 2m high. For fan trained trees allow 5-6m on Colt and 3-4m on Gisela 5 of length of wall or fence. For bush trees allow at least 3-4m.
Protect cherry flowers from frost damage. If possible, cover free-standing trees with horticultural fleece on frosty nights.
Cherries don’t need fruit thinning. Before fruits start to show some colour, put up netting to deter birds.
Cherry growth is quite vigorous and so they benefit from an annual top-dressing of a general-purpose fertiliser in mid-spring and, if fruiting is poor, a top-dressing of a slow-release high potash fertiliser such as sulphate of potash in late winter.
Sweet cherries produce fruit at the base of one-year-old stems and on older wood. Summer pruning is done to restrict growth and encourage fruit buds to form. For fan trained trees surplus shoots are pinched to about six leaves while they are still young and upright or vigorous shoots removed entirely or tied down to the horizontal.
Pick fruits preferably during dry weather, doing so by the stalks, not the body of the fruit, which bruise easily.
For further information please see: www.rhs.org.uk/growyourown/cherry.asp
