Each gardener has to decide independently at what time to plant cherries - in spring or autumn. There is no definite answer - a lot depends on the climate, state and variety of seedlings. In this article you will learn about the intricacies of planting cherries in autumn, what are the advantages and how to implement it so that the seedlings can be wintered safely.
Features of autumn planting
Most gardeners prefer to plant seedlings in the spring, but there are circumstances in which autumn planting is much more efficient and safer. Seedlings planted in the fall have, compared with the spring planting, more time for rooting.
Why it is better to plant cherry seedlings in the fall:
- Lack of risks typical for spring planting. In spring, the seedling undergoes a complex effect of adverse factors - it can be attacked by return frosts, and also suffers from sudden temperature changes.
- Minimal impact of negative factors of a natural nature. If the seedling is planted correctly, then it is waiting for a period with optimal temperature conditions. During the time remaining before the frost, the trees manage to take root.
- High-quality healing of wounds received during planting. Sapling, prune, immediately before planting. During rest, lasting until spring, all wounds will heal.
- The trees planted in the spring are ahead in development. In "autumn" seedlings, the root system manages to develop well, and when spring comes, the tree begins to rapidly grow vegetative mass.
- Planting material is better than in spring. In nurseries, seedlings are dug up in the fall, and those that are not sold immediately are stored until spring. Seedlings bought in the spring are inferior in strength and vitality to the autumn. Although they were stored correctly, they were still subjected to stress, which disrupted their natural development.
- The fresh root system makes it easy to determine the health status of a seedling.
- Autumn planting is easier than spring planting. It’s enough to plant a tree and cover it - you don’t have to do anything else. Watering, weeding, fungicide treatment, top dressing - all these are spring events.
The main condition for autumn planting is that a month and a half should remain before the start of persistent cold weather.
Risks during autumn planting of seedlings:
- The possibility of freezing of the roots and the whole tree during severe winter frosts.
- In winter, the seedlings are threatened by icing, heavy snowfalls and squally winds.
- Damage to the bark by rodents.
Recommended Dates
The planting dates of cherry seedlings are selected taking into account:
- local climate features;
- average temperatures in the region;
- long-term observations of the nature of autumn weather.
Knowing, or rather, assuming a possible date of the onset of frost, they count from it 20, and preferably 30 days - this is the optimal planting time.
Optimal temperatures for the seedling:
- daytime - from +10 to +15 ° C;
- night - from 0 to +2 ° С.
A contraindication to autumn planting is the late date for the acquisition of seedlings - if they do not have time to take root, they will either die or become weakened, low-yielding trees in the future. If it is not possible to meet the deadlines, it is better to plant the seedlings in the ground - until spring.
Landing requirements
Cherries hardly transfer transplant from place to place. They are demanding on soils, lighting and other conditions. Before starting work, the gardener carefully selects a place where the tree will feel comfortable. Under favorable circumstances, cherry bears fruit for 15-25 years.
Landing place
When choosing a site for planting cherries, first of all, light exposure and wind protection are taken into account. Characteristics of a site suitable for planting cherry seedlings:
- Good sunshine. Lack of shadow from neighboring landings. The best option is a gentle south or southwest slope. The sun should illuminate the tree from morning to afternoon - at least, and better - until the evening.
- The presence of a barrier nearby - for example, a fence. The barrier should be located on the north side to protect the tree from cold winds. Otherwise, the risk of freezing flowers increases.
Unsuitable conditions for cherries:
- close occurrence of groundwater - less than 1.5 m;
- waterlogged and swampy lowlands;
- acid peat bogs;
- close proximity of oak, linden, spruce, birch, pine, apple tree, tobacco, raspberry.
The soil
It is not recommended to plant cherries on low-quality, low-nutritional and waste soils. Before planting a seedling, carefully develop the upper fertile soil layer - its thickness should be at least 20 cm.
Cherry grows best and bears fruit on black soil, sandy loam and loam, which have a neutral reaction. But before preparing the soil for planting, they will find out what conditions a particular variety of cherries requires.
Features of soil preparation for planting cherries:
- Acidic peaty soils are definitely not suitable - you have to replace the entire upper fertile layer.
- To neutralize the acidity of the soil, dolomite flour or wood ash is added to it.
- Weeds interfere with the root system of cherries; therefore, before planting, the soil is carefully dug up - more than once, and during the digging, weed roots are selected from the ground.
- Digging a plot, make compost, manure or mineral fertilizers. Manure / compost make 8-10 kg per 1 square. m, superphosphate - 60 g, potassium chloride - 30 g.
Preparatory Activities
When the site is selected and prepared, proceed to the next stage - the preparation of seedlings and pits for planting.
Seedling selection and preparation
Varieties of cherries are often self-infertile, so that at least three seedlings of different varieties acquire trees to fully bear fruit. A combined planting of self-fertile cherries is also recommended - it increases the yield of trees at times.
Before choosing a seedling, you need to familiarize yourself with the best varieties of cherries. You can read about popular varieties here.
Rules for choosing seedlings:
- Seedlings should be healthy, without damage to the bark and root system.
- The best seedlings are annuals 0.7-0.8 m high or two-year-olds 1.1-1.2 m high.
- Developed root system - from 25 cm long.
- A height of more than 1.2 m indicates overfeeding the plant with nitrogen - such seedlings have reduced winter hardiness. It is better not to plant such trees before winter - they will die.
- Root seedlings are considered more winter-hardy. Grafted seedlings are best planted in spring.
Before planting a seedling in a pit, its roots are straightened, long pruned and dipped in a dung-clay mash. Leaves break to prevent evaporation of moisture. The survival of the seedlings also increases the soaking in a heteroauxin solution (an organic growth stimulator).
Pit preparation
A cherry pit is prepared taking into account the size of the root system. Usually they dig a recess of 60x60x60 cm. Landing pits are prepared in two weeks. The layout of the pits depends on the type of plant.
Prepare the soil mixture in advance. Digging a hole, the top layer of soil is laid aside - to mix with fertilizers:
- humus - a bucket;
- superphosphate - 200 g;
- potassium sulfate - 30 g.
If the soil is heavy, add a couple of buckets of river sand. Drainage is made at the bottom of the recess - for example, expanded clay can be used. The prepared soil mixture is poured into the pit so that it occupies a third of the space. The sprinkled mixture is slightly tamped.
When planting cherries and other fruit trees, it is forbidden to make nitrogen fertilizers - they worsen rooting. A lot of nitrogen contains chicken droppings.
Landing technology
Step-by-step instructions for planting a cherry seedling:
- Immerse a stake approximately 2 m long in the pit. Position it closer to the north side.
- From the soil mixture form a mound in the pit.
- Lower the seedling into the pit, evenly distributing the roots along the tubercle.
- Fill the roots with soil residues and compact it. Form a near-trunk circle, having drawn a border along its edge.
- Pour the seedling with warm water - 2-3 buckets are enough.
The seedling is deepened to the optimum depth, which is determined by the location of the root neck. The latter should be 3-5 cm from the ground. When the earth settles, the root neck will be at the level of the soil. If the neck is not in place after watering and settling the soil, it is corrected.
If you deepen the root system of the seedling, it will develop poorly. If the roots are too close to the surface - they run the risk of freezing in the winter.
Planting patterns for different varieties of cherries
The planting pattern of cherries depends on the type of plant, its height and the spreading of the crown. Typically, cherries are not planted alone - pollinating cherries are located nearby. The first thing a gardener has to decide is at what distance from each other to plant seedlings.
Recommended planting schemes for cherry seedlings (distance between trees x distance between rows):
- bush cherries - 2x2 m;
- low-growing tree-like cherries - 2x3 m.
- tall tree cherries - 3x3 m or 3.5x3.5 m.
To obtain good yields, it is recommended to plant 2-3 varieties at the same time, blooming at the same time - so that mutual pollination occurs. The optimal arrangement of seedlings is staggered.
After landing care
The process of autumn planting itself is nothing complicated, and you can’t remember leaving until spring. After the autumn planting, gardeners only have to carry out one agricultural measure - warming the seedlings.
In order for the sapling to winter successfully, it is protected from frost, snowstorms and rodents. Procedure:
- Water the tree. Norm - 5 l. When the cold sets in, they fall asleep near the trunk - so that meltwater does not stagnate in it in winter.
- Immediately before the frosts - a month and a half after planting, the sapling is spudded, additionally digging a 30-35 cm layer of soil. It is even better to mulch the soil with sawdust, humus or peat.
- Top cover additionally with spruce branches, reeds or other breathable material. The created protection will save the seedling both from the cold and from drying out. In spring, the protective layer is removed and the soil is leveled near the base of the tree.
All other seedling care arrangements are carried over to spring. With the onset of heat, the tree is cut, watered, treated with fungicides, loosened.
Dates and features of planting cherries in different regions
The timing of the autumn planting of cherries adjusts to the climatic conditions of the regions. Gardeners, first of all, take into account the time of arrival of the first frosts and persistent cold weather.
Approximate timing of planting cherry seedlings depending on the region
Region | Optimal autumn planting dates | Note |
Midland and Moscow Region | from early to mid-October | Seedlings are planted when a favorable temperature is established, which contributes to rapid adaptation and rooting. |
Southern regions | from mid-October to mid-November | The plant, having left during the dormant period, falls into conditions optimal for adaptation. |
Northern regions and the Urals | beginning of September | Frosts come here early, it is important to catch seedlings on time. |
In regions with severe winters - in the north of Russia, in Siberia, in the Urals, it is desirable to plant cherries in the spring.
We recommend reading an article about popular varieties of cherries for growing in the suburbs.
What mistakes are made when planting cherries?
Not a single gardener is safe from mistakes. Given the variety of landing techniques and the abundance of nuances, it is easy to get confused. The most common mistakes:
- Buying large seedlings. Following such aspirations, you run the risk of getting a problem tree. The larger the seedling, the more he is years old and the harder it takes root. You can not buy a seedling older than two years.
- Purchase of planting material for future use. Do not take seedlings in advance. If the tree does not enter the dormant period and does not prepare for the coming wintering, it will not take root well.
- Digging a site shortly before landing. This event is preferably done in advance. Ideally, in the spring. The pit is prepared no later than 2 weeks later - if this rule is violated, the root neck will be buried in the soil due to subsidence of the soil.
- Overdose when fertilizing the planting pit. With an overabundance of mineral elements, bacteria are killed that process fertilizers into forms accessible to plants.
- Using fresh manure. The decomposition of not overripe manure in the soil is accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide and ammonia, which inhibit the root system of plants.
There is nothing complicated in the autumn planting of cherries - the main thing is to study the agricultural technology of the events and correctly determine their timing. If you approach the matter correctly, then the autumn planting will bear fruit - the seedling will take root safely and will quickly grow in the spring.
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