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

"Spider" wrote in message
...
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.

Many thanks, spider) All your advice is much appreciated and
saved))