Content
- 1 Is it possible to grow cherries from seeds?
- 2 How to grow cherries from seeds at home
- 2.1 Selection and preparation of cherry seeds for planting
- 2.2 Stratification of cherry pits
- 2.3 When and where to plant cherry pits
- 2.4 Planting cherry seeds
- 2.5 How to germinate cherry pits
- 2.6 Caring for cherry sprouts
- 2.7 Transplanting cherry seedlings into open ground
- 2.8 Rules for growing cherries from pits
- 3 How to grow cherries from seeds in a country house or on a plot
- 4 Is it necessary to graft cherries grown from seed?
- 5 Conclusion
Pitted cherries are a fairly tricky gardening project that require a lot of patience. It will take years before the tree begins to bear fruit.
Is it possible to grow cherries from seeds?
Cherries need cross-pollination, so new trees do not just grow from the seeds. Grafting and budding are the best ways to grow a tree, and a nursery is a good source to find a plant that is already on its way to bearing fruit. However, if you provide the planted seed with proper care, it will grow into a tree.First you need to choose a cherry kernel that was grown naturally, and not from a supermarket.
To choose a cherry variety that is suitable for a particular region, you simply need to find any cherries growing nearby. You can pick a berry from a tree at a friend’s dacha or buy it at the market from people who grow fruit in this area.
Cherries from pits can be grown both in the garden and at home. The main thing is to provide the plant with proper care.
Benefits of growing cherries from pits
Despite the many difficulties and nuances, growing cherries from seeds also has advantages. This method of breeding a plant will make it hardier and, perhaps, even more fruitful. Its advantages include:
- Increased winter hardiness of the tree.
- Good adaptation to local conditions.
- Reduced sensitivity to common stone fruit diseases.
Young trees grown from seeds will bear fruit, but they are much more profitable to use as rootstocks to create hybrids.
Will cherries grown from seeds bear fruit?
Cherries grown from the core will most likely begin to bear fruit.However, it should be remembered that this method of breeding a plant is always a lottery. You can get both a tree with large and tasty fruits, and a wild one on which small sour berries grow.
A tree from a seed is definitely capable of bearing fruit. However, for successful pollination, at least two varieties must be grafted. Thanks to this, the plant will begin to bear fruit after approximately 5-6 years of life.
How to grow cherries from seeds at home
Getting a cherry tree from a seed at home is a very realistic goal. With proper care, the fruit seeds will hatch and turn into small sprouts, which will later grow into large fruit-bearing trees.
Selection and preparation of cherry seeds for planting
To grow cherries, the first step is to select seeds from those berries that are already fully ripe. The fruit of a plant that grows in the area should be used. Imported cherries are plucked before they are fully ripe so that they can be successfully transported.
In order to prepare fruit kernels for planting, you must perform the following steps:
- Pour and wash the seeds with regular running water, thoroughly clean them of the remaining pulp. Since the probability of getting a sprout from a cherry kernel is about 70%, you need to take them with a reserve.
- Pour out the water and blot the seeds with a paper towel. Place them in a room that is well ventilated.
- Place the dried fruit kernels in a paper bag and wrap with polyethylene. The protective film must be strong; if it is damaged, the seeds will dry out and the likelihood of sprouts will decrease.
- Store seeds at +20 °C until winter begins.
- At the beginning of December, the fruit kernels must be placed in water for 3-5 days. Change the fluid every day.
Stratification of cherry pits
The soaked seeds must be mixed with absorbent material, placed in a plastic container and placed in the refrigerator for 3 months.
In addition, an effective method of stratification is freezing cherry berries. In winter, the fruits are used in the cooking process, and their kernels, which are removed before heat treatment, can be washed and stored in the same way as described above.
When and where to plant cherry pits
Planting cherry pits in most cases is carried out in the spring after stratification. The seeds must be placed in flower pots, the volume of which is about 500 ml. You can also use a small plastic container.
If the soil in which the mother plant was located was sufficiently fertile, then it is best to take the soil from there; if not, buy a substrate.
Planting cherry seeds
To plant cherry seeds you need:
- Distribute the drainage material evenly over the bottom of the dish and pour the nutrient substrate onto it.
- Bury the fruit kernels about 2 cm inside the substrate. If you use shared containers, the seeds should be at least 15 cm apart from each other.
- Pour water over the soil, cover the dish with a polyethylene or glass cap and leave it on the windowsill.
How to germinate cherry pits
To quickly notice the sprout, you can mark the places where the seeds are buried using pegs.The first shoots appear in about a month. If the seeds have already hatched, they will germinate a little earlier.
Future cherries do not require special care. All you need to do is water and loosen the soil regularly.
Caring for cherry sprouts
Caring for sprouts also does not present any problems or difficulties. The main thing is to carry out the following activities in a timely manner:
- Regular moistening of the soil.
- Fertilize once every two weeks.
- Spraying the leaves of the sprout (while covering the soil with polyethylene).
- Loosening the soil.
Transplanting cherry seedlings into open ground
Mix 2 buckets of soil, 2 kg of ammonium sulfate, 3 kg of superphosphate, 1 liter of wood ash, 1 kg of potassium and 36 kg of humus and fill the holes by a third with this. If the soil is clayey, then you need to pour two buckets of sand into the holes, if it is sandy, two buckets of clay. And only after that the soil mixture is added to them.
Before planting, you need to strengthen a special support for the seedling. In the middle of the hole you need to make a small hill and place a seedling on it. Then it is attached to a support and soil is added. The root collar of a young tree should be located several centimeters above the soil surface.
After replanting, all that remains is to water the plant well and mulch the soil.
Rules for growing cherries from pits
Since cherry seedlings are most often planted in the fall, the main danger for the tree is low temperatures and future frosts. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare the plant for climate change:
- Wrap the tree trunk in burlap. However, it is necessary to ensure that he does not get stubborn.
- Protect the tree from frost and winds by covering its lower part with snow.
- You should wrap spruce branches on top of the burlap.
- Spread pesticides against rodents around the plant.
The tree needs to be watered approximately once every 30 days through the hole. For the first 3 years, cherries can be fertilized only with nitrogen fertilizers.
To protect the plant from birds, unnecessary discs or tin cans can be tied to its branches.
How to grow cherries from seeds in a country house or on a plot
By choosing the right time for planting seeds and providing all the conditions for successful growth and development of the plant, you can get a strong tree that brings a good harvest.
When and where can you plant cherry pits?
You can plant seeds in an unprotected area in summer or autumn. If you do this in spring, the planting material must be stratified, maintaining the required temperature and humidity.
It is best to plant cherries on the south side of the site, which receives plenty of sunlight. The plant also needs protection from winds.
How to grow cherries from pits in open ground
Thoroughly washed seeds should be planted in the ground. Too much frost in winter can kill the sprouts. To preserve cherries, you can plant them in the spring after stratifying the seeds.
The plant needs to be watered and fed regularly. You should also moisten its foliage every day.
The soil needs constant loosening.
Is it necessary to graft cherries grown from seed?
The only way to transform a cherry grown from a seed into a fruit-bearing tree is through grafting.
Vaccination dates
Vaccination should be carried out three years after planting. The spring period is most suitable for this procedure, when the likelihood of plants growing together is quite high.
You can also graft a tree in the summer in cloudy, dry weather or in the fall before severe cold sets in.
What can be grafted onto a cherry rootstock?
Any variety of cherry rootstock can be grafted onto. The main thing is that it suits the given region. It is advisable to choose a variety that is resistant to diseases, pests and temperature changes.
In addition, cherry rootstock can be vaccinated cherry, cherry plum and plum. However, in the case of plums, this will be quite difficult, since these trees do not grow together as well as in the case of cherry plums and cherries.
Cherry grafting methods
There are several methods of vaccination:
- Copulation.
- Improved copulation.
- On the bark.
- Into the cleft
- Half-split.
- In the corner cutout.
- In the side cutout.
- By the bridge.
Conclusion
Pitting cherries is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. However, if you work hard and give the plant the necessary care, the results are sure to be impressive. The main thing is to follow all the rules and take into account the characteristics of the plant and the conditions in which it develops.
