"Ophelia" wrote in message
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Spider wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote in message
...

"Spider" wrote in message
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Suttons sell Cherry 'Regina'. I'm sure they'd be pleased to answer
your questions. I have grown cherries successfully until my cats
got too old to patrol the tree. They're not that difficult, if you
can keep the birds off. 'Regina' is self-fertile, which would help.

Wonderful, thank you

Do you anticipate any particular problems?

Hahaha you don't realise just what I new gardener I am!!

~) Well, we were all newbies once. You'll be an expert in no time.

I don't know in what form Suttons sell their cherries; they can be
fan-trained, standard tree and dwarf tree. My trees were both
standard trees on dwarfing rootstocks (sorry, can't remember which)
growing to about 15ft (4-5mtrs-ish). My current plum tree (same
family, Prunus) is fan-trained and it's a good space-saving way of
growing cherries (or plums) if you've got a wall or fence in good
light. Training them in one plane means all forms of care (pruning,
spraying if you must, netting) are so much easier; as is
harvesting, because you fix the boundaries of growth. Don't be
frightened by the prospect of training; it is so straight-forward. My
plum training tends to be nearer 'espalier' than 'fan', simply
because I grow mine on a ready-made grid of wires (something akin to
norfencing) and it's easier for me that way. You must remember,
though, *never* to prune in wet or frosty weather, as this can let
Silver Leaf disease into the cuts. Silver Leaf can kill trees if not
cut out in time - if it can be cut out. I either prune in 'flaming'
june or a hot, dry day in July. Unless you make a really big cut,
you won't need to use arboreal wound paint. Usually, by the time you
get the tin out, the damage is done anyway, in which case you're just
sealing the pathogen in.
Cherry trees grow very easily and are uncomplicated. However, they
must have pollination, moisture and calcium (to make the stone).
.........Aaarrgh! I've got to dash out! So sorry .... will catch up
later. Why not have a browse on Suttons site in the meantime?

All this information has been stored))) thank you!!


Hi again Ophelia,

Sorry about dashing off; it's been that kind of day.

The main point I was going to make about cultivation and, in particular,
calcium, is that the calcium is usually in the soil but the tree can only
take it up in soluble form. This means watering is important to cherry
production; in two ways, actually: it helps with calcium uptake, but it also
helps to swell the forming fruit. As with other fruit types, irregular
watering can lead to splitting fruit, which may in turn encourage wasps, so
do water in dry weather. It's a good idea to mulch, too, as this keeps
moisture in the soil *and* weeds at bay, which stops them from competing for
moisture.

You will probably buy your tree(s) bare rooted from November onwards, and
it's a good idea to soak the roots for an hour or two when it arrives. In
frost-free conditions, plant it in a large, well-dug-over hole; work in some
bonemeal and good compost (your own or proprietory 'tree & shrub' compost,
and water in well *even if it is raining*. You may need to stake it,
depending on whether you're wall-training it or not, but Suttons should send
you advice about that.

Depending on local weather conditions, apply a general feed in late
Feb/March. When it flowers (or at petal drop) give it a high potash feed
(such as Tomorite) which will ripen the fruiting wood and encourage the
fruit to ripen .. the sun will do the rest.

I hope I haven't made it sound too complicated. It's a very easy tree to
grow. The real difficulty is keeping the birds off :~(. Hope you go ahead
with this and that our beaky friends allow you to enjoy some of the fruit.

Best wishes,
Spider