The Latest Black Pearl Cherry Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial

Black Pearl cherry is a bud-sport superior cherry developed from Chinese cherry, with beautiful fruit shape and purplish-red fruit color, very attractive, and the flesh is soft, juicy and delicious. It is a premium fruit on the market, selling at a higher price than ordinary fruits, and has good commercial value. Now let us take a look at the Black Pearl cherry planting techniques!

Growth Habits

Black Pearl cherry generally begins to bear fruit at 3 years, with the full bearing period at about 7 to 8 years. The crown is open, the tree vigor is moderate, the sprouting ability is strong, the branching ability is medium, and the latent buds have a long life, which is favorable for renewal. It mainly bears fruit on medium and short fruit branches and flower-bouquet-like fruit branches; long branches only form flower buds and bear fruit in the upper middle part, and young trees bear more fruit on medium and long fruit branches. It is easy to form flowers, has a large number of flowers, and the self-pollination fruit-setting rate is 64.7%. Black Pearl cherry originated in the high-temperature and high-humidity Chongqing area, and has strong adaptability to high-temperature and high-humidity environments, strong disease resistance, no fruit cracking, and extremely light pre-harvest fruit drop.

Orchard Establishment

1. Orchard site selection: Black Pearl cherry likes light, is not tolerant of waterlogging and not drought-resistant. It is advisable to choose a sloping site with good light, good drainage and relatively deep soil for orchard establishment, with sandy loam soil of pH 6 to 7 being the best. If establishing an orchard on flat land or clay soil, attention should be paid to ditching for drainage and soil improvement. One month before planting, trenches 80 to 100 cm wide and 60 to 80 cm deep can be opened according to the planting rows for soil improvement, with layered filling of weeds, crop straw, phosphate fertilizer, pig and chicken manure water, etc. It is also possible to plant first according to the designed density, and then expand the holes and improve the soil year by year.

2. Seedling planting: Planting can be done from September each year to February of the following year, but planting during the warm spell climate of October to November is the best. Adopt dwarf close planting, with a plant-to-row spacing of 1.5×3.0 m (150 plants per mu). Black Pearl cherry has a high self-pollination fruit-setting rate and does not require pollinator trees. However, in order to obtain more reliable yields, pollinator trees can be planted at a ratio of 1:8, and the main pollinator variety at present is Dahongpao cherry. When planting, the root-setting water should be sufficient and thoroughly watered. After it has all permeated, sprinkle a layer of fine soil on the tree disk, and finally cover the tree disk within a diameter of 1.0 m with weeds (2 to 5 cm thick, to maintain soil moisture).

Shaping and Pruning

1. Shaping: Because it is a light-loving tree species, close-planted orchards are suitable for shaping into a small-crown sparse-layered form, taking shape in 2 to 3 years. The shaping method is as follows: in the year of planting, leave 40 to 60 cm for trunk determination, select one strong, vigorous, upright branch as the central leader, select another 4 branches as the first layer of main branches, and select 2 to 4 branches as auxiliary branches. When the main branches reach 30 cm, pinch the tips to promote branching, and select and retain extension branches. In early July, adjust the angle of the main branches so that they form a 70 to 80 degree angle with the trunk. For auxiliary branches, pinch the tips at 15 to 20 cm to promote branching, and in early May adjust the angle so that they grow horizontally and form flower-bouquet-like short fruit branches. From July to August, combine chemical growth regulation and water control measures to promote flower bud differentiation. During spring pruning in the second year, cut the central leader back leaving 60 cm, cultivate the second layer of side branches, and cultivate 3 main branches and 2 auxiliary branches in the same way. In the third year, cultivate the third layer of main branches in the same way, leaving 2 main branches. The tree takes shape in 3 years, with tree height controlled between 2 and 2.5 m.

2. Pruning: During the young tree period, summer pruning is the main approach. In summer, pinching and bending vigorous branches can be used to promote branching and form medium and short branches. In winter pruning, long pruning is the main approach, to promote more flower-bouquet-like fruiting branches. For high-yielding trees, winter pruning is the main approach, using thinning and renewal pruning to improve light and ventilation conditions in the tree body, achieving sparse outside but not sparse inside, and three-dimensional fruiting. Short-prune weak branches for renewal, and renew old large branches by cutting back. At the same time, cut back branches extending into the rows so as to maintain a ventilation and light-transmitting band of about 80 cm between rows. For internal water sprouts, retain them appropriately according to the situation, and in summer perform twisting and pinching to cultivate renewal branches. In addition, cherry buds are solitary, so when doing heading-back pruning, be sure to select and retain a leaf bud as the cut bud.