Cherry Tree

[Kar0n]

Hello I'm new to your forum but from looking around it looks really helpful. I have been given a cherry tree in a 10" diameter pot from a friend (well swapped it for lavender plants) and want some advice on how to improve it. She had cherries on it this year but its more like a 6ft branch/twig with a couple of tufts of leaves on the top and tufts of leaves on two small branches half way up. I dont really have a suitable area to plant into so I was going to put it in a larger pot. Apart from fresh compost should I add anything else and how can I encourage growth thoughout the length of it. I'm afraid to prune the branches too much at it would leave no leaves. Any suggestions would be really helpful. Thank you

[Florence Fennel]

Hi KarOn and welcome to the Vine Can't help you with the cherry tree I'm afraid. I do have one that my son bought for me years ago, but as far as I can remember, I took it straight out of the pot and planted it in the garden. It's been left pretty much to its own devices since then, apart from pruning it hard back every year to keep it manageable. Potting it on sounds sensible and perhaps if you could post a picture, someone will be along to advise you. If you're sticking around, it's helpful to put your location into your profile and it will appear at the top right hand corner of every post - that way we will always remember where you are and how the climate is for growing.

[Kar0n]

Hi Granny, Thanks for the quick reply. I'll put my location on now (South Wales) and I'm off to take my pic. I realised after I had posted it that I should have put it into freeling fruity rather than introduce yourself but I didnt know how to move it. I'll definately be sticking around its a great forum with lots of interesting good threads I just need enough time to read them all Just realised it Florence Fennel not Granny lol

[veggiechicken]

Croeso KarOn from another South Walian, just north of Cardiff There are a few of us on here

[Kar0n]

Thank you fellow neighbour Photo uploaded to my albums - I think thats right but dont know if I need to or how to tag it to this question

[Guykp57]

Welcome to vine from fellow Welshie but I'm from the North don't know how many up here. Enjoy and ask anything..somebody will have an answer.


Sent from my iPad using Grow Your Own Forum mobile app

[Kar0n]

Cherry Tree

Hello, I have been given a sad looking cherry tree in a 10" diameter pot from a friend and want some advice on how to improve it. She had cherries on it this year but its more like a 6ft branch/twig with a couple of tufts of leaves on the top and tufts of leaves on two small branches half way up, there's apicture on my profile for info. I dont really have a suitable area to plant into so I was going to put it in a larger pot. Apart from fresh compost should I add anything else and how can I encourage growth thoughout the length of it. I'm afraid to prune the branches too much at it would leave no leaves. Any suggestions would be really helpful. Thank you

[zazen999]

I've merged your two threads for advice on your cherry tree...hopefully FB will be along soon. Perhaps post a photo so that people can see what you are talking about.

[Kar0n]

Hi ZazenThank you, I was just trying to work out how to delete the old post as it was in the wrong place. I posted a photo of the tree on my profile but how do you add it to the string of messages?

[FB.]

The "tree" needs a bigger pot.
It also needs a change of soil every couple of years

Re-pot it after it has dropped its leaves for the winter.

It could also do with a prune to deal with the straggliness. I'd probably prune it down to half its current height, with a single cut a few inches (a few buds) above the pair of lower branches. I'd also shorten the lower branches by about half their length.
Cherries and plums are best pruned in early spring just before the leaves start to appear, around March, but it varies from year to year.
The idea of pruning them as late as possible is so that the sap is beginning to flow which helps the wounds heal faster and reduces the amount of time the wounds are exposed to infection.

So there's nothing to do for the moment, but give it a much bigger pot and new compost in winter and prune in spring.

[Kar0n]

Hi FB That's great really helpful at least I know when its best to re-pot and prune it. I would never have been that brave and pruned it so much without your advice. Thank you

[marcofez]

Glad I stumbled on this post as I was looking for info about pruning cherry trees.
So wait till spring to prune, now is to early?

[Kar0n]

The "tree" needs a bigger pot.
It also needs a change of soil every couple of years

Re-pot it after it has dropped its leaves for the winter.

It could also do with a prune to deal with the straggliness. I'd probably prune it down to half its current height, with a single cut a few inches (a few buds) above the pair of lower branches. I'd also shorten the lower branches by about half their length.
Cherries and plums are best pruned in early spring just before the leaves start to appear, around March, but it varies from year to year.
The idea of pruning them as late as possible is so that the sap is beginning to flow which helps the wounds heal faster and reduces the amount of time the wounds are exposed to infection.

So there's nothing to do for the moment, but give it a much bigger pot and new compost in winter and prune in spring.

Is now (early March) too soon to prune a cherry tree we discussed last Autumn. According to the post above I should cut the main stem in half just above the branches that are sticking out (see my pics). It now has buds all over it so I will be cutting them off right? With the unusual weather this year I don't want to leave it too long for all goodness to go into buds that are being cut off. For information it is cragging but there were cherries on it last year. Thank you

[rustylady]

I would take FB's advice Karon. Yes, you will be cutting off a lot of buds but you will end up with a much better shaped tree for the future.

Not sure what you mean by cragging.

[Kar0n]

Opps I meant scraggy not cragging ie straggily lol thanks RL