Cherries are known as the king of fruits—how are they grown?

Cherries are a fruit we are all familiar with. They not only taste good, but also have high nutritional value and therapeutic benefits. At the same time, they are also an important fruit tree to cultivate. Let us learn about cherry cultivation techniques below.

1. Growing conditions for cherries

1. Temperature

Cherries are deciduous fruit trees that prefer warmth and are not cold-hardy. Chinese cherries originated in the Yangtze River basin of our country and adapt to warm, humid climates, with weak cold resistance, so they are mostly cultivated in the Yangtze River basin and in areas of northern China with a relatively warm microclimate. Sweet cherries and sour cherries originated in West Asia and Europe and other places, and adapt to relatively cool and dry climates, making them more suitable for cultivation in North China, Northwest China, and southern Northeast China. However, high temperatures and dryness in summer are unfavorable for sweet cherry growth. The minimum winter temperature must not fall below -20; excessively low temperatures can cause vertical splitting of large branches and gummosis. In addition, flower buds are prone to frost damage. If the temperature drops below -3°C during the flowering period, the flowers will suffer frost damage, so when developing cherries, overly cold areas are not suitable.

2. Water

Cherries are very sensitive to moisture conditions; they are neither drought-tolerant nor waterlogging-tolerant. In the cultivation areas of Chinese cherries, apart from southern provinces with abundant rainfall, the north mostly chooses hillside and valley areas with a relatively humid microclimate for cultivation. Looking at the distribution areas for sweet cherry cultivation around the world, most are chosen near river systems or coastal areas. At present, the main sweet cherry cultivation areas in our country are mostly distributed in Shandong Yantai and Liaoning Dalian around the Bohai Bay. These two places are close to the sea, with annual rainfall of 600-900 mm, and the air is relatively humid. But this does not limit sweet cherry cultivation in areas with little rainfall. For example, in the sweet cherry production areas of Washington State in the United States, Yakima and Wenatchee, annual rainfall does not exceed 250 mm, and rainfall during the growing season does not exceed 150 mm. Ukraine's sweet cherry production areas are mainly distributed in summer-dry areas along the Black Sea coast, where annual rainfall does not exceed 300 mm and there is very little rain from July to September. However, these areas have suitable temperatures, abundant sunlight, and good irrigation conditions, so sweet cherries grow well and are high-quality and high-yielding. Like other stone fruits, cherries have roots that require relatively high oxygen. If there is too much soil moisture and insufficient oxygen, it will affect normal root respiration, and the tree cannot grow and develop normally, causing root rot and gummosis, and in severe cases leading to tree death. If there is heavy rain and drainage is not timely, and a cherry tree is submerged in water for 2 days, the leaves will wilt but not fall off; the leaf wilting cannot recover and may even cause the whole tree to die.

3. Light

Cherries are light-loving tree species, especially sweet cherries, followed by sour cherries and Nanking cherries, while Chinese cherries are relatively shade-tolerant. When light conditions are good, the tree is robust, fruit branches live long, flower buds are plump, fruit set rate is high, fruit ripens early, coloration is good, sugar content is high, and acidity is low. When light conditions are poor, the tree tends to grow excessively, branches inside the canopy weaken, fruiting branches have short lifespans, the fruiting zone moves outward, flower buds develop poorly, fruit set rate is low, fruit coloration is poor, ripening is late, and quality is poor. Therefore, when establishing an orchard, choose sunny slopes or semi-sunny slopes, planting density should not be too high, branches should be spread at an angle, and light conditions inside the canopy should be ensured to achieve ventilation and light penetration.

4. Soil

Sweet cherries are suitable for cultivation in sandy loam or gravelly loam with deep soil layers, loose texture, good aeration, and relatively strong water retention. When cultivated in heavy clay soil, the root system is shallow, not drought-tolerant, not waterlogging-tolerant, and not wind-resistant. Cherry trees are very sensitive to salinity, and the suitable soil pH is 5.6-7, so saline-alkali areas are not suitable for growing cherries.

Cherries are very prone to crown gall disease. If crown gall bacteria and nematodes are present in the soil, crown gall disease is easily transmitted. In old orchards where cherries, peaches, plums, or apricots have been planted, there are many crown gall bacteria in the soil, so it is not suitable to plant cherry trees, and even less suitable to use as a nursery for cherry development. If seedlings have crown gall disease, it will cause even more serious consequences.

5. Wind

Cherry roots are generally relatively shallow and have poor wind resistance. Strong winds in severe winter and early spring easily cause branch dieback and flower bud frost damage; strong winds during the flowering period easily dry the stigma mucus, affecting insect pollination; typhoons in summer and autumn can cause branch breakage and tree toppling, resulting in even greater losses. Therefore, in areas invaded by strong winds, windbreaks must be established, or areas with a good micro-environment should be chosen for orchard establishment.

2. Cherry cultivation techniques

1. Cultivation and soil use

Large cherries are suitable for cultivation in loose, fertile sandy loam with good permeability.

2. Soil, fertilizer, and water management

Water and fertilizer management: The water content of large cherry plants is about 70%, so they are particularly sensitive to water requirements. Under normal circumstances, when there are many branches and leaves and temperatures are high, water frequently; otherwise, overly dry orchard soil will affect their growth and flowering and fruiting. The principle of applying thin fertilizer frequently should be followed. It is recommended to spray New High-Fat Film to enhance fertilizer efficiency utilization.

For cherry soil management, based on our experimental observations, we believe that the management method of spring irrigation plus mulching, and intertillage and weeding in other seasons, is better. Because mulching reduces the impact of spring drought on the plants, it has a good effect on fruit growth. After cherry harvest, remove or plow under the mulch. According to calculations, generally an adult orchard should be mulched with 2000-2500 kg of wheat straw per mu. Cherry trees should be fertilized 3-4 times a year. That is:

① Fertilization after fruit harvest: mainly to restore tree vigor, promote flower bud differentiation, and increase next year's yield. Immediately after harvest, apply barnyard manure, poultry and livestock manure and urine, and add an appropriate amount of chemical fertilizer. Apply 30-60 kg of poultry and livestock manure per tree depending on the amount of fruit set.

② Fertilization before bud break and flowering: apply topdressing mainly of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer. Apply 15-20 kg of poultry and livestock manure water per tree, or 0.5 kg of urea.

③ Fertilization during rapid fruit growth: after flower fall, the fruit enters development. For large fruiting trees, apply one topdressing of quick-acting chemical fertilizer, together with an appropriate amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer.

④ Apply base fertilizer well: in autumn from September to October (in warm southern areas, from October to November), apply base fertilizer well before leaf fall to rejuvenate tree vigor and increase the stored nutrient content in the plant. Because cherries take only more than 40 days from flowering to fruit maturity, the amount of stored nutrients greatly affects fruit size and quality. Therefore, the application of base fertilizer is very important and needs to account for 50-70% of the annual fertilization amount. It should be mainly organic fertilizer, such as compost, barnyard manure, chicken manure, decomposed soybean cake, etc., and an appropriate amount of superphosphate or calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer, etc. should be added.

In addition to the above soil fertilization, from the initial flowering stage to the full flowering stage, at an interval of 10 days, spray twice continuously with 0.5% urea, or 600 times potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution, or 0.3% borax solution, which helps improve fruit set rate.

The above are cherry cultivation techniques. Cherries have substantial economic value and very good market prospects.