Detailed Guide to Cherry Tree Planting, Management and Pruning Techniques

Cherries are a relatively common fruit in our daily life, and every year when the cherry season arrives, they attract many people to buy them. Nowadays, many people also want to grow cherry trees to increase their economic income, so before planting, surely everyone wants to have a comprehensive understanding of the methods for growing and managing them.

Cherry Tree Planting and Management Techniques

I. Planting:

1. Growth habits: According to relevant information, cherry trees have relatively strong adaptability. They should be planted in a sheltered, sunny spot with fertile soil, no repeated cropping, no waterlogging, good drainage, and irrigation available, in neutral loam or sandy loam, which is more conducive to the growth and development of cherry trees.

2. Planting time: Generally, the best time to plant cherry trees is from November to early March of the following year. Planting during this period is more conducive to the growth and development of cherry trees and can effectively increase the yield, which also facilitates winter pruning and orchard cleanup.

3. Once the water in the planting ditch has seeped down and the soil is no longer sticky, planting can begin. Use the marked points as planting holes. After digging the planting holes, hold the main trunk of the sapling by hand, stand the sapling in the exact center of the hole, fill soil up to the root crown, gently lift the sapling upward by hand so that the roots spread out, then firm it with your foot, and cover with soil again until the pit is level. After planting, the graft union should be level with the ground or 5-10 cm above the ground.

II. Management techniques:

1. Before planting cherry trees, autumn base fertilizer should be applied, and it should not be later than November. Barnyard manure, human and livestock urine, and farmyard manure can all be applied. Generally, for young cherry trees and trees in the first fruiting stage, apply 30-60 kg of human and livestock manure or 100 kg of barnyard manure per tree; for mature trees, apply 60-80 kg of human and livestock manure or 200 kg of barnyard manure per tree.

2. The topdressing time for cherry trees is before flowering or during the first rapid growth period of the fruit, mainly with quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer, which can increase the fruit-setting rate, promote shoot growth and leaf expansion, and lay a good foundation for flower bud differentiation. If 0.5% urea plus 0.5% boron fertilizer or 600 times monopotassium phosphate is sprayed on the leaves 1-2 times in the early full-bloom stage, the fruit-setting rate can be further increased.

Pruning Methods for Cherry Trees

1. Thinning branches: After harvest, promptly remove excessively tall and dense upper branches and some overly dense fruiting branch groups, and open up the inner canopy (pay attention to cultivating small inner-canopy branches and preventing the inner canopy from becoming bare). Remove temporary fruiting branches, drooping branches, thin and weak branches, and overly dense outer branches. On whorled branches, keep 2-3 branches and remove the rest, open up the outer part, so that the branches are sparse outside and dense inside, evenly distributed, with good ventilation and light penetration.

2. Heading back: Fruiting branches that have become bare should all be cut back to a leaf bud to control the outward movement of the fruiting position.

3. Pinching: Continue pinching the inner-canopy branches retained earlier. For new shoots that sprout after heading back, if there is space, leave 5-15 cm and pinch repeatedly to cultivate small fruiting branch groups. When outer new shoots grow to about 40 cm, leave 25 cm and cut back.

4. Bud removal: Promptly remove new buds that sprout after branch thinning, heading back, and pinching where there is no space.

How to Water Cherry Trees

1. Pre-flowering water: Carry out after sprouting and before flowering (mid-March) to meet the water needs of sprouting, leaf expansion, and flowering.

2. Pit-hardening water: From early May to mid-May. This period is the pit-hardening stage, the stage of most vigorous fruit growth and development. Insufficient water supply will affect young fruit development and easily cause flower and fruit drop, so irrigation during this period should be sufficient, preferably soaking through 50 cm of soil.

3. Pre-harvest water: From mid-May to the end of May, this is the rapid fruit enlargement period. Water has a great impact on fruit yield and quality. For this watering, adopt the principle of small amounts and multiple applications, and control watering 10 days before harvest.

4. Post-harvest water: After the fruit is harvested, full irrigation can be carried out in combination with fertilization to promote tree recovery and flower bud differentiation.

How to Fertilize Cherry Trees

1. The first fertilization of the year should be completed within 10 days after the fruit is harvested to support tree growth. The amount should not be too large. For each tree (about 10 years old), use 2 kg of Nuobang Dilong biological organic fertilizer plus 1 kg of balanced compound fertilizer, and spray the leaves with 2000 times Cuikang Huaguoling liquid fertilizer.

2. Apply the second fertilization in September-October. During this period, the tree's life activities are vigorous and its ability to absorb nutrients is strong, which helps delay tree aging, enhance photosynthetic capacity, and store nutrients to lay the foundation for a bumper harvest the following year. The fertilization amount should account for 50%-60% of the annual total. Each tree can be given 3 kg of Nuobang Dilong biological organic fertilizer, 2 kg of nitro-sulfur-based compound fertilizer, and 1 kg of Huaguoduo. This fertilization should be applied in trenches at a depth of about 15-20 cm.

3. In the spring of the following year, apply the third fertilization before cherry flowering, mainly to supplement nitrogen fertilizer. During this period, the cherry tree carries out a series of activities, namely flowering, leaf growth, and shoot emergence, which consume nutrients quickly, so a certain amount of nutrition should be supplemented in appropriate amounts. Use Guocai No. 1 for trunk painting, and spray the leaves with 2000 times Cuikang Huaguoling liquid.

When planting cherries, you must first understand their growth habits and then choose an appropriate time for planting. After planting, management needs to be strengthened, and timely pruning and proper fertilization and watering are all very important. Only by doing these well can you ensure better growth.