Spring care of cherries: the main agricultural activities for a good harvest

What could be more beautiful than cherry blossoms. However, if you want a cherry tree to not only bloom profusely, but also subsequently give a good harvest, then in early spring (before flowering) some effort will be required from you.

This article will tell you what needs to be done with cherries in the spring, what kind of care it needs to please you with an abundance of berries.

How to care for cherries in spring: a list of basic activities

Removing the winter protective shelter

If for the winter, to protect young cherries from hares and mice, as well as sunburn (i.e. instead of whitewashing), you wrapped the lower part of the trunk with a special non-woven material, then, when the snow melts, the soil will thaw (freeze) and a positive temperature will be established, the protective cover can be removed.

Important! There is no need to rush if you have used the right breathable material - nothing will stick.But if you remove it ahead of time, then the sun's rays can burn the tender bark of young seedlings, and the rodents can work.

Whitewash

Remember! The main and most important whitewashing of tree trunks is carried out in the fall.

In the spring (the earliest, that is, in February-March), they whitewash only if for some reason you did not do it in the fall, the whitewash was washed off or badly peeled off during the winter. Therefore, it is also called repeated or, kind of, renewing.

Advice! The site has detailed material about when and how to whitewash trees in the garden (including cherries).

Top dressing

In order for the cherry to start actively growing and gaining green mass, as well as blooming profusely and being able to set many fruits, it is recommended to feed it.

By the way! About, when and what to feed cherries in spring and summer, detailed in this material.

Watering, loosening and mulching

In principle, there is enough moisture in early spring, so it is not necessary to water the cherry additionally. However, when the tree blooms (more precisely, fades), it will need to be provided with sufficient moisture.

Worth knowing! You need to water the trees not at the root, but along the perimeter (projection) of the crown, so to speak, along the circumference of your trunk circle (where the roots are located).

And before watering, it is advisable to loosen the tree trunk circle, and after watering, mulch it (with peat, compost, humus) so that the moisture is better retained (it does not evaporate longer).

Graft

If you have a desire to plant a new variety or other culture of the stone fruit family on cherries, then this can be done just in the spring, using one of the many methods.

By the way! Read more in this article on grafting plums (for cherries, everything is the same, because both crops are stone fruits).

Note! If the bark of your cherry in winter is seriously damaged by rodents (mice or hares), so to speak, gnawed with a ring, then to save the tree, you can plant a cherry with a bridge.

Pruning

It is believed that it is early spring (before bud break) that is the best time to prune all fruit trees, including stone fruits, which means that cherries are no exception.

In the spring, first of all, sanitary pruning (removing broken and dry branches that have not survived the winter), and thinning out (removal of unnecessary branches thickening the crown).

By the way! During pruning, you also need togive all the mummified fruitsleft over from last year.

As you know, cherries mainly bear fruit on the buds growing at the ends of the branches, therefore, only the main shoots of the last year need to be shortened to cause their branching. It is better not to touch all other branches, otherwise you can remain completely without berries.

Important! There are fundamental differences in pruning between tree and bush cherries.

So, when bush cherries are cut off, they only thin out the crown and remove diseased and dried branches.

Video: how to properly prune cherries in spring

Treatment against diseases and pests

After pruning, the next spring event to prepare cherries for the new season is the eradication of tree treatment from diseases and pests.

The most dangerous diseases of cherries are coccomycosis (reddish-brown spot), perforated spot (clasterosporium disease), moniliosis (monilial burn).

Advice! The site already has detailed material about when, how and what to treat fruit trees (including cherries) from diseases and pests in spring.

Crop protection from birds

Not all, but some especially sweet cherry varieties are often attacked by birds that peck at the berries.

Advice! Read more in a separate article on how to save sweet cherries and cherries from birds.

Well, now you know what activities are included in spring cherry care. For the cause!

Note! The rest of your fruit trees (apple, pear, plum, apricot) require similar attention.