Brand new cherry tree - what now?!

[hamamelis]

I think the graft's ok:



All the tips but two (the leader and one side branch) look like this at least part of the way up:


I did break one off, and it's definitely dead at the end (it's hard to get a good pic of such a thin little twig). None look to be dead more than half-way.

So... is it serious, doctor?

[Farmer_Gyles]

hamamelis
Here's a baby MM111, which I prepared earlier (about 5ft above-ground height, one-year-old maiden):

we got a cherry tree from b&q, about 5ft tall, looks good, but the roots were in a small bag and weren't anywhere near that long - it had a tiny clump of roots and the longest were about 3" long - i should have checked if they'd been chopped or not - i'm not convinced it'll grow .....

[FB.]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27825[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]27826[/ATTACH]

The photos above are taken from my rubbish phone so if you can't see any detail, let me know.

Presumably if it's going to be fan trained I want to take off the couple of branches at the back?

If you want it to be a fan, I would cut the top off the main stem at the height where you want new branches to sprout, to form additional "arms" of the fan. I would not do any other pruning.
I suspect that to get what you want, it involves shortening the central, upright stem by half, somewhere in the area of the big nursery label.
Prune it as it comes out of dormancy with buds swelling (which is probably now).
As it's near a wall, the wall will block rainfall from one direction, so it will only get half normal rainfall and may need some additional watering for a season or two (water at the edge of the root spread - not at the base of the trunk).

For now, I would also use a frame of bamboo canes to spread and tie all of the existing branches into fan-like positions, where they will "set" after this year's growing season.
Perhaps tie them a little higher than you want them to end up, as their length and weight of fruit may pull them down as they get older (many trees start out quite upright, but the weight of longer branches and fruit changes them from an upright habit to a spreading habit).

[FB.]

I think the graft's ok:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27836[/ATTACH]

All the tips but two (the leader and one side branch) look like this at least part of the way up:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]27837[/ATTACH]

I did break one off, and it's definitely dead at the end (it's hard to get a good pic of such a thin little twig). None look to be dead more than half-way.

So... is it serious, doctor?

Graft and lower trunk look OK at the moment.
Small roots may be because it isn't a true container-grown plant; it may have been grown in a field at a nursery, then recently dug-up and the roots trimmed to fit in a pot.
With that kind of root damage, especially if a dwarf, it may need additional watering care for a couple of seasons until it regrows all the lost roots. Fruiting at this stage will prevent root growth and ultimately delay establishment. Many dwarfs will cannibalise their roots to produce fruits ("sacrifice themselves to feed their babies"), ultimately resulting in sickly trees or even death.

Prune out the dead bits, well into healthy wood.

If it is to be a bush, prune back all of last year's shoots by half, unless they are only a few inches long, therefore may as well be left as they are.
If it is to be a fan/espalier, consider what I said in the previous reply above.

[FB.]

Unfortunately, nobody has mentioned the rootstock (or variety) yet this can have a terriffic influence on how best to manage the tree.

With cherries, the rootstock might be:

Gisela - dwarf, requires excellent growing conditions to thrive. About 2m in size. Only suitable for small bushes or small fans in good soil.

Colt - semi-dwarf, grows in average conditions. About 4m in size. Suitable for medium bushes and medium fans.

F12 - extremely vigorous, grows faster than a weed, requiring little fertilisation in even the poorest of soils. Minimum 6m size, probably much bigger. Roots spreading twice as far as the branches and often the roots are as thick as the branches above. Very destructive roots if near walls or buildings.
Only suitable for fans or bushes in very dry, very infertile, very shallow soil. Mostly suited to really large, "heavy standard" trees.

[hamamelis]

Thanks, that's great! It sounds salvageable then!

So; I'll keep it well watered, trim the branches back halfway (need to wait 'til it's not dormant if I'm cutting into live bits, right?), stop it from fruiting this year if it tries to, and hope for the best!

I'm just planning on having it as a bush, nothin' fancy.

Oh, 'n I said what rootstock mine was on, do I get a lollipop?

[LewaK]

Hi all

Well as an update, I've held fire on pruning my tree for now as a lot of the advice I've read on pruning says 'the first spring after planting...', now the tree I've got must be at least a year old given it's size (I'm assuming). Is the first spring *this* year, or next?

[LewaK]

Also

As of today here is what I've attempted as a fan shape with bamboo - presumably I don't need to take off many branches, and just take the main 'stem' out?

[Bigmallly]

As of today here is what I've attempted as a fan shape with bamboo - presumably I don't need to take off many branches, and just take the main 'stem' out?


[ATTACH=CONFIG]28129[/ATTACH]

My v canes are fastened at the same angle as the branches if not slightly wider then next year the canes will be widened to more or less horizontal. Hope you can picture what I mean.

[Bigmallly]

Something like this...........

[LewaK]

Something like this...........[ATTACH=CONFIG]28130[/ATTACH]

Makes sense, so my V canes should be slightly narrower? Or wider? I've widened the branches out slightly than they naturally sit. Also I take it I still need to remove the main stem?

The bottom branches on the photo there are only about 10" or so from the ground, do the very bottom ones want removing or are they okay?

[Bigmallly]

Makes sense, so my V canes should be slightly narrower? Or wider? I've widened the branches out slightly than they naturally sit. Also I take it I still need to remove the main stem?

The bottom branches on the photo there are only about 10" or so from the ground, do the very bottom ones want removing or are they okay?

This will explain better than I can.

Google Image Result for http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9YcoEUqpGlQ/T3oXfHAkfhI/AAAAAAAAHlY/buHMt-jeoB8/s640/Espalier-Pruning-.jpg