How to care for a cherry tree in NWO

By Melanie Mathieson
Gardening Guru

In review of the requirements for cherry trees there is good news. Finally a species of trees that is well suited to our growing zone both from a climate and a soil perspective. Of the trees I suggested in the previous column pick the species that you feel will meet your needs and following the suggestions for planting. It will only be a matter of time before you are reaping in a harvest.
The soils across the District are commonly clay predominant in most areas with a few intersperses of sandy or loamy soils. All of these are perfect conditions for a cherry tree. Cherry trees also tolerate drier conditions – great for our area during those hot and dry summers.
These new Hybrid cherry tree species are prefer heavy clay-like or sandy soils but if you are growing them in rich loamy soil, underseed the area around the base with grass. The grass draws down the moisture levels and ties up some of the ample nitrogen.
Tough love is a key to great success with a cherry tree. Many gardeners kill cherries and many other fruit trees with kindness – overwatering and overfertilizing will kill your tree. Unlike other trees native to the area, like Saskatoons and apple trees, these types of cherry trees do not get the photoperiodic message (reduction in sunlight hours in the fall) to shut down like other native fruit trees. If you water cherries into August and September, they will grow lush and look great but at this point in the season (August and September) if they are growing too lushly there is a good chance they will winter injure. Let Mother Nature do the watering and try to keep the soil around them as dry as possible as fall approaches. This will force the tree to harden off and prepare itself for winter. It also is imperative to stop fertilizing the cherry tree by mid summer as well.
When at the nursery you want to select a tree with a healthy appearance and a symmetrical growth form, so take the time to pull the pot out from the other plants and view it from all sides. Once you have brought your plant home, give it very thorough watering while still in the pot. Continue to water until you see water coming out of the holes of the pot. Now you can begin to prepare your planting hole. The saying “a million dollar hole for a hundred dollar tree”, emphasizes the importance of a good sized hole with the proper soil to ensure the growth of your tree or shrub. Always dig the hole at least twice as wide and one and a half times as deep as the size of the pot or root ball. Once the hole is dug, place the tree in the hole in the pot just to make sure the depth and position looks good. Remove the plant and add compost or manure to fill the hole two-thirds. At this time you can mix in a powdered or granular transplant fertilizer (fertilizer with a high middle number) and then dig a new hole to accommodate the tree in this new soil by pushing the soil around within the hole. Gently remove the plant from the pot being very careful not to damage the roots and once free from the pot, gently tease the young roots outwards from the root ball in order to encourage them to grow into their new surroundings. The tender hairy and white roots are the young roots of the tree, responsible for the absorption or water and nutrients, so be extremely careful not to damage these in the transplanting process. Place the tree in the hole making sure that the root collar is level with the top of where the soil will be in the hole once it is filled in. The root collar can be identified as a small bulge around the stem where the roots and the stem of the tree meet. Usually it is the top of the soil in the pot but sometimes a pot can loose some of its soil or the plant was planted too deeply in its pot. It is up to you to adjust the soil so the root collar is even with the soil level in its new home. Once the tree is positioned in its hole I like to fill the hole with water, before back-filling. If you have not already mixed a fertilizer into the soil then you should use a water soluble transplant fertilizer in the water you add to the hole. Let the water drain out of the hole and then begin backfilling around the tree with the original soil that you removed from the hole. Pack the soil around the tree firmly but not too tightly that you compact it, while insuring that the tree is planted straight and even. Water the tree again. Once the water has drained away you may have to top up the soil to make sure that it is even with the root collar. You will have some soil left over because you added the compost to the hole. Do not try to make this soil “fit” back into the hole, use it someplace else.
Remember that most of these new hybrids are self-fertile which means you do not have to pair them with a companion for cross fertilization. This is an excellent feature if you are short on space or want to plant a variety of other fruit trees too. As a rule, a mature sour cherry tree is smaller than a sweet cherry tree which is beneficial when you are tight for space. Also some of these new hybrids are available in a compact or shrub form which is even more space saving.
Early in the spring, the reddish branches are covered with snowy white blooms, all abuzz with pollinators. This is when you will see northern (Baltimore) orioles fluttering around your tree. Just sit back and enjoy these birds while they do their pollinating work. It isn’t until the cherries are ripe that you will want to chase the other birds away.
Many birds such as American robins, European starlings, cedar waxwings, grackles, northern cardinals and blue jays are fond of the fruits and will strip all the ripe fruit from the tree in a matter of minutes. When the tree is young it is possible to place a net over the entire tree to discourage the birds. Once the tree is larger you will have to plan to harvest the cherries the moment they are ripe before the birds get them. Once the tree, is more mature (over 10 years old) there hopefully will be enough cherries for both people and feathered creatures.
Take some time this spring to visit your local nursery and look for one of these new cherry hybrids. Whether you plan to grow one to eat the fruit out of hand, for baking or making jam you will not be disappointed. A cherry tree in our region appears to be easy to take care of, has lovely spring flowers that attracts northern orioles, produces a lovely fruit in late summer and the new hybrids tend to be very disease resistant. You can’t go wrong?