Many gardeners in Russia have a choice when to plant cherry seedlings - in spring or autumn. But in some regions, there is no alternative to spring planting. We will find out when and why gardeners choose spring planting, how to carry it out, and what are its advantages.
Terms and conditions for planting cherries in spring
The optimal time for planting seedlings in each region is different. In general, the range of landing dates is limited to the end of March and mid-April. If you hurry, the tree will freeze out during recurrent frosts, if you are late - it will be weakened, with poor immunity.
Spring planting begins when the following requirements are met:
- The temperature at any time of the day does not fall below 0 ° C.
- The seedling vegetation has not started. If the buds begin to bloom on the tree, then when planting it will receive stress - this will negatively affect the survival rate and the entire future life of the plant.
The optimum temperature for planting seedlings in spring: + 5 ° C.
To determine if it is time to plant fruit seedlings, they immerse the shovel in the soil - if it enters into it without resistance, the time for spring planting has come.
Pros and cons of spring planting
Autumn planting of seedlings is popular only in regions with moderately cold winters. It is extremely difficult for young trees planted in the fall, and even managed to take root before the frost, to survive the harsh winters characteristic of the middle zone and northern regions.
In order to finally determine the planting time, it is worth finding out what are the advantages of a spring event:
- Spring planting allows the seedlings to harden well before winter - they have a whole six months in stock.
- During the first half of the year after planting, gardeners can observe the development of the tree, responding in a timely manner to challenges - pests, diseases, lack of moisture, etc. By taking timely measures, the gardener prevents the weakening of the seedling, which can be fatal for a young plant.
- Due to the high humidity typical of spring soils, the root system of seedlings quickly takes root, starting to grow actively.
- The site and the landing pit are being prepared in the fall. The soil subsides by spring, so it is easier to avoid the main mistake of novice gardeners - deepening the root collar.
The disadvantages of spring planting include the large expenditure of forces on the part of the seedling for active development. Trees planted in spring have to spend energy not only on the root system, but also on the development of their aboveground part.
Preparatory Activities
The success of the event depends on the quality of planting and the accuracy of fulfilling all agrotechnical requirements. Violation of the terms and conditions of planting leads to problems in the future - the tree is weak, and yields are scarce.
Seat selection
Landing requirements:
- Illumination. Cherry is thermophilic and loves the sun; she prefers open, well-lit areas. Lack of sunlight negatively affects fruiting, so cherries are not planted near spreading trees.
- Attitude towards the wind. Cherry does not like wind and drafts, therefore it is better to plant it near the fences. This solution has another advantage - the fence not only protects the tree from the wind, but also retains snow in the winter, protecting the roots from freezing. Cherries grow well on slopes and hills - subject to the absence of strong winds.
- The soil. Light fertile soils with a neutral reaction are preferred.
- Humidity. The site is chosen with moderate humidity - wetlands are not suitable. The occurrence of groundwater is no closer than 2 m from the earth's surface.
Sapling selection
Cherry is a fairly frost-resistant culture, but when choosing seedlings, preference is given to varieties zoned in a specific region. You should also pay attention to external signs:
- there should be no damage to the cortex;
- seedling age - no more than two years;
- height - up to 130-150 cm;
- the diameter of the main conductor is about 1 cm;
- in the root system there should be 3-4 well developed roots;
- There should not be swollen or blooming buds and other signs of vegetation.
If peeling of the bark on the trunk is observed, but there is no damage - the seedling was stored incorrectly in winter - it froze. You can’t buy such planting material.
Soil preparation
The procedure for preparing the soil for spring planting:
- The site at the proposed landing site is dug up, choosing plant rhizomes from the soil. This must be done in the fall or at least half a month before planting the seedling.
- If the soil has high acidity, it is neutralized by applying lime - 500 g per 1 sq. Km. m
- Dig a hole - it is also desirable to prepare it in the fall. The dimensions of the pit are approximately 70x70x70 cm. They are increased with a highly branched root system of the seedling.
Specialists advise soil preparation in the fall - the soil, having absorbed fertilizers, will acquire the necessary fertility by spring. In the spring, the earth is loosened so that it is saturated with oxygen.
If several seedlings are planted, then they are placed according to the scheme - 3x4 m and 2.5x3 m, respectively, for tall and low-growing bushy species.
Fertilizer application
The earth extracted from the pit is divided into upper and lower layers. The fertile layer is mixed with humus - 2 buckets per tree. They also bring there:
- superphosphate - 100 g;
- potassium salt - 50 g;
- ash - 1 l.
Sand is added to the clay soil - a bucket of 1 square. m. Peat is added to sandy soils, increasing the amount of organic matter introduced to 30 kg.
Planting depth
When planting a seedling, it is important to deepen it correctly. Deep planting is contraindicated in cherry. The root neck should remain on the surface, rising 5 cm above it. Leaving this distance, the gardener takes into account the subsidence of the soil and prevents the seedling from decaying.
After the subsidence of the earth, the root neck will be on one straight line with the ground level. Having deepened the seedling, inexperienced gardeners doom it to slow development and root collar heating. If the seedling is planted too high, its roots will dry out during the summer heat or freeze in the winter.
The root collar is the border of the transition of the trunk to the root system. It is located 3-4 cm from the uppermost root branch.
Landing requirements
Before planting a seedling, the gardener should think carefully about choosing a place for planting - so as not to replant the tree in the future.
If the cherry variety is self-fertile, the tree will need pollinators, this must be taken into account when choosing a place for the site. If there is no suitable pollinator in the garden, you will have to plant at least one more seedling along with the planted seedling - for pollination. Varieties that don't need pollinators are called self-fertile.
Good and Bad Neighbor Plants
The development of the tree, its yield and the quality of the fruit depends largely on the trees growing in the immediate vicinity.
It is not recommended to plant cherries next to:
- cherry plum;
- plum;
- walnuts;
- peach;
- apricot;
- pear.
Favorable neighbors:
- sweet cherry;
- grapes;
- Rowan;
- hawthorn.
These plants do not interfere with the growth of cherries, and cherries, in addition, are an effective pollinator. The proximity of cherry with sweet cherry increases the yield of both crops.
We recommend reading the article with an overview of the best cherry varieties.
Features of planting cherries in the spring in the regions
Each region has its own characteristics of cherry planting, due to the climatic features of the area:
- Moscow Region and Central Region. There are cold winters with stable snow cover and moderately hot summers. Favorable conditions for planting develop by mid-April. Spring frosts usually end by the 20th of May. The trees are planted in areas protected from northerly winds.
- Leningrad region. This is a risky gardening area. Only zoned varieties are planted here. There are severe frosts, squalls, heat, showers - the weather is unpredictable. There is no alternative to spring planting - seedlings planted in autumn are at risk of freezing out. The soils in this region are not particularly fertile and therefore require good feeding.
- Siberia. Here, in the conditions of severe winters and short summers, only the most frost-resistant and early-growing varieties survive. Here, mostly bushy cherries are planted. Shrub cherries are planted on hills - there the soil warms up faster and is saturated with oxygen.
The snow melts here in mid-April. The earth remains cold, and the air warms up by May - a temperature difference is created between the roots and the trunk - the plant risks dying. In mid-April, seedlings in containers are taken out into the street. The roots begin to develop, by May the kidneys appear. The seedling is removed from the container along with the soil and planted directly on the surface - they do not dig a hole. Fill the roots to the root neck and tie the seedling to the peg. In this way, a comfortable thermal regime is created for the roots.
Additionally, read our article, which will tell you about popular varieties of cherries for growing in the suburbs.
Landing: step by step instructions
The order of planting a cherry seedling:
- Soak the roots of the seedling in water to stimulate biological processes. This event activates and accelerates rooting.
- Inspect the roots of the seedling. If you find damage or defects, cut off the affected areas of the roots.
- Drive a 0.8 m long peg into the bottom of the landing hole.
- Pour the mixture from the fertile layer and fertilizers prepared earlier into the pit. Fill the hole 2/3 full. Form a tubercle and pour on top of fertile soil without fertilizers - a layer of about 7-9 cm. This will prevent the roots from burning with fertilizers.
- Place a tree in the center of the hole - perpendicular to the surface of the earth. Spread the roots on the knoll. If the plant is grown in a container, move it along with the clod.
- Gently attach the seedling to the peg. Use twine, you cannot tie with wire - it can damage the trunk. By tying the seedling, you will prevent it from breaking by the wind.
- Holding the tree by the trunk, fill the hole with earth, periodically shaking the tree so that there are no empty spaces between the roots. Tamp the soil, moving from the edge to the center of the hole. Monitor the location of the root collar and observe the requirements for its location.
- Form a round hole for irrigation, making an earthen roller 10 cm high. Pour the seedling with two buckets of water. Pour water slowly.
- Mulch the soil in the near-trunk circle - use hay or straw. A 10 cm layer of mulch prevents the soil from drying out, prevents weeds from growing and saves the root system from freezing.
- An annual sapling is cut, stepping back 0.8 m from the ground.In a two-three-year-old sapling, the branches are reduced by 1/3, and the main conductor is cut so that it is 15 cm higher than the upper branch.
You can see the order of planting cherries in the video below:
Seedling care
In order for young trees to actively grow and become strong, productive trees in the future, they need care:
- regular loosening of soil in the near-stem circle during the growing season;
- weeding - they pick up moisture and nutrients;
- Autumn digging of the soil in the near-stem circle;
- preventive / curative treatment for diseases and pests;
- removal of damaged and diseased branches, crown formation;
- protection from rodents and insulation for the winter;
- regular watering in the summer.
Cherries are watered carefully - excessive moisture harms the roots, and in an adult tree also the fruits. Due to excess moisture, the root system begins to rot, and the cherries crack.
Landing error types
When planting cherry seedlings, inexperienced gardeners often make typical mistakes:
- Do not prepare the landing pit in advance. Because of this, a deepening of the root neck occurs - the growth of the tree slows down.
- Overdose of fertilizers during planting leads to suppression of the root system.
- Planting a seedling older than 2 years. Such trees adapt for a long time and take root with difficulty, as a result, their immunity decreases.
- Failure to plant dates often leads to the death of the tree.
- Lack of pollinating trees - without them, yield drops.
- Buying seedlings from unverified sellers. The quality of the planting material is not guaranteed, and the result is unpredictable.
In order for a seedling to be well rooted, it is important to comply with all the requirements and rules of planting. It is also necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the area - climate, soil composition, relief and other factors affecting the growth and development of a young tree.
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