It is not uncommon for the freshly planted cherry tree to look sad after a few weeks: its leaves yellow, turn brown and eventually dry up. Many factors can be to blame. To prevent this from happening, here are some tips for planting.
How to plant a sweet cherry correctly?
To plant a sweet cherry successfully, choose the ideal time in autumn or early spring, ensure a warm, sunny location and a deep, slightly sandy, humus-rich and calcareous soil. Maintain a minimum distance of 5 m from other fruit trees and plant a self-fruitful variety or a sour cherry as a plant neighbor.
When is the best time?
It is best to plant the sweet cherry in your garden outside of its growing season in autumn. Then it will have enough time to root well until spring. Alternatively, you can plant the sweet cherry in early spring on a frost-free day.
Which location is best?
It should be warm and sunny for the sweet cherry. The more sunlight streams towards its crown, the more flowers and more aromatic fruits it produces. A direct and protected south-facing location would be optimal. A partially shaded location is also suitable for this fruit tree.
What requirements does the sweet cherry place on the substrate?
The basic requirement for a sweet cherry to grow happily is deep soil. It should be loosened up and ideally slightly sandy. The sweet cherry also benefits from the following characteristics of the soil when growing:
- humos
- nutrient-rich
- fresh to moist
- medium difficulty
- loamy
- calcareous
- neutral to alkaline pH value
What planting distance is necessary?
The sweet cherry can grow up to 20 m high as a standard tree and also requires a lot of space in width. A minimum distance of 5 m should be maintained from other fruit trees.
Are there any recommended planting neighbors?
Either you plant a self-fruitful sweet cherry such as the varieties 'Burlat', 'Lapins' or 'Sunburst' or you plant a sour cherry or another sweet cherry variety as a neighbor next to it. So you can count on good yields in summer.
How does planting happen?
- Dig planting hole
- Put sweet cherry inside
- Groping point 10 cm above the ground
- Fill planting hole with compost-enriched soil
- tread, water and mulch if necessary
- if not already done: carry out plant pruning
Tips & Tricks
Most sweet cherries are more suited to mild climates. Be sure to plant a hardy variety in a harsh region to prevent both frost damage and disease to the plant.
