The purchase has been made, the sour cherry is in the garden and now it should get to know its new location. But be careful: not every place is suitable for this fruit tree. Below you will find out what you need to consider when planting sour cherries.
How should you plant a sour cherry correctly?
When planting a sour cherry, you should choose a warm, protected location, preferably with gravelly to sandy loam soil. Plant in autumn or spring and ensure a minimum distance of 3 m from other cherry trees as pollinators.
Which location is best?
Compared to the sweet cherry, the sour cherry is more modest in terms of location. It is more robust and copes better with harsh locations such as high altitudes. It prefers to grow in a warm, protected and full sun to partially shaded location.
What should the surface be like?
Since the root system of the sour cherry extends far into the depths, you should keep this in mind when planting. To avoid later disease and rot, the substrate should be well-drained and light to moderately heavy. A gravelly to sandy loam soil with a high humus and nutrient content is ideal.
When is the best time?
The best time for planting is in autumn. You can also plant the sour cherry in spring. Although container plants can be planted year-round on frost-free days, spring or fall are preferable. Then the sour cherry has enough time to root unhindered (do not invest energy in flowers, leaves and fruits).
Which plant neighbors are recommended?
If you want your tart cherry to produce fruit, it should either be self-fertile or located near a pollinator. Other sour cherry varieties or sweet cherries are suitable as pollinators. A minimum distance of 3 m should be maintained from such neighbors.
How to plant it?
- 1. Loosen the soil, dig a planting hole twice as wide and deep as the root ball.
- 2. Dip the root ball into a bucket of lukewarm water.
- 3. Place in the planting block and fill with loose soil (feel free to add some compost).
- 4. Tamp down and pour properly.
- 5. If necessary, attach a post.
- 6. Pruning the newly planted sour cherry tree
Tips & Tricks
It is recommended to only attach a support post if the sour cherry is in a very drafty location. Otherwise, the post would to a certain extent prevent it from developing its own stability and later being dependent on a helping support.
