The
two main types of cherry trees that are cultivated for their fruit are
the sweet or dessert cherry and the acid or sour cherry. The sweet is
eaten as a raw dessert and the acid is usually cooked. Named varieties
are propagated on to rootstocks by budding in mid or late summer or by
grafting in early spring. A mature cherry tree may grow up to 10m
(33ft), but the Bush Morello An (acid) tree rarely reaches 5m (16ft).
The cherry tree will need to be grown in a deep, very fertile, well
drained loam with a pH of 6.0-7.0. Sweet cherries need full sun, but
acid cherries prefer light shade.
You can plant
cherry trees at any time between mid-autumn to early spring, add mulch
annually with manure or compost. Standard and bush trees need very
little pruning. Maintain an open, balanced habit and remove
dead,crossing and rubbing branches. Sour cherries fruit shoots formed
the previous season. Let the cherries ripen on the trees for as long as
possible. Sweet cherries are best eaten at once, but acid cherries can
be stored for a few days. Freeze or preserve the cherries if you want
to store them longer.
Sweet
cherries will fruit best if grown near to another variety from
the same group that flowers at the same time. You do not have to do
this for the self-pollinating types like the Morello or Stella.
Flowering times are as such early- season, mid-season, late-season. So
for an example Early rivers and the Bedford Prolific which are from the
same group and are early flowers would grow best together.
Some diseases to
watch out for are bacterial canker and silver leaf, both which are
spread by pruning. That is why the only reason to prune the cherry tree
is to keep the fan shape and to ensure that there is a constant supply
of new wood. Avoid making large cuts, as this is most likely to allow
canker to infect the tree. The main pests are birds, blackfly
(aphids) and winter moths.
