Detailed Explanation of Planting Methods and Technical Points for Purple-leaf Sand Cherry

The purple-leaf sand cherry (scientific name: Prunus × cistena N.E.Hansen ex Koehne) is a deciduous shrub or small tree in the Rosaceae family, Prunus genus, a hybrid of purple-leaf plum and sand cherry, reaching a height of about 2.5 m. The young branches are purplish-brown, and the old branches have lenticels. The leaves are long ovate or ovate-oblong, red or purple on the upper surface and even redder on the underside. The flowers are solitary, medium-small, pale pink, slightly fragrant, and bloom from April to May.

Planting Methods

Sunlight: The purple-leaf sand cherry is a light-loving tree species, but it is also cold-tolerant and shade-tolerant. When planted in insufficient light, its leaf color will turn green, so it should be planted in a spot with ample sunlight.

Soil: The purple-leaf sand cherry is not strict about soil, but it grows best in fertile, deep, well-drained neutral or slightly acidic sandy loam; light clay is also acceptable. For pot cultivation, the pot should be somewhat deep and large, and broken tiles or crushed hard plastic foam blocks should be placed at the bottom of the pot to enhance soil aeration and drainage capacity and to prevent root rot.

Site Selection

The purple-leaf sand cherry is not strict about soil and can grow normally in light clay, loam, and plain sandy soil, growing best in sandy loam. Because the purple-leaf sand cherry is a hybrid of purple-leaf plum and sand cherry, it has inherited some advantages of the purple-leaf plum and can tolerate mildly saline-alkaline soil.
The purple-leaf sand cherry loves light; when planted in insufficient light, its leaf color will turn green, so it should be planted in a spot with ample sunlight. The purple-leaf sand cherry likes a moist environment but is not tolerant of waterlogging, so it should be planted in a high, dry place and must never be planted in a low-lying spot. No adverse reactions have been observed when planted in lawns, but it should be noted that lawn irrigation should use sprinkler irrigation.

Water and Fertilizer Management

The purple-leaf sand cherry is drought-tolerant. Each year in early spring and late autumn, the green-up water and freezing water can be given thoroughly and generously; at ordinary times, if it is not particularly dry, it can basically rely on natural rainfall to grow. In spring and autumn, when the wind is strong and it is dry, after the newly planted seedlings have unfolded their leaves, spray the foliage once each morning and afternoon every day to supplement moisture, reduce pressure on the root system, and increase the survival rate of the seedlings. On rainy summer days, accumulated water in the tree pits should also be drained promptly to prevent the water temperature from rising after sunrise and scalding the roots.

The purple-leaf sand cherry likes fertilizer. In addition to applying base fertilizer at planting, newly planted seedlings should be appropriately topdressed during the growing season. Apply a nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer once each in early spring and early summer, and then apply manure or residue fertilizer once more in late autumn. For newly planted seedlings and seedlings that are short of fertilizer and growing poorly, foliar fertilization can be carried out. Choose to spray in the early morning or evening; it is not suitable to do so at midday when the light is strong, or before and after rain. The number of sprays should preferably be 3 times, with an interval of 10~15 days.

Overwintering Management: The purple-leaf sand cherry is cold-tolerant. For mature seedlings, the measure of whitewashing the trunk is sufficient. For newly planted seedlings, the methods of mounding soil around the roots and wrapping the trunk with straw can be used, while young seedlings should be treated with film mulching. After newly planted seedlings are treated by trunk wrapping in the first year, whitewashing for overwintering can be adopted in the second year.

Shaping and Pruning

The purple-leaf sand cherry has strong sprouting ability, grows luxuriantly, and is relatively tolerant of pruning. Its pruning should be handled differently according to the different plant forms. The common plant forms of the purple-leaf sand cherry are the "broom type" and the "natural open-center type." The "broom type" is generally used for block planting or hedges, pruned in late spring and early autumn each year, with the pruning height generally at 0.6~1.2 m. Seedlings of the "natural open-center type" are generally used for opposite planting and row planting. The purple-leaf sand cherry is a shrub mainly grown for its foliage, so when pruning, only remove some downward-facing branches, crossing branches, and competing branches, keep 3~4 inner-canopy branches, and pinch the current-year branches when they are about 40 cm to promote lignification of the branches and produce more side branches. In short, through shaping and pruning, thin and weak branches, crossing branches, and water sprouts are cut off to improve ventilation and light transmission conditions, maintain a beautiful tree shape, and thereby enhance the ornamental value of the purple-leaf sand cherry.