Food for cherries: what does a young and adult plant need?

Cherry is an incredibly resistant plant, it can equally successfully grow both in Crimea and in the Khabarovsk Territory or the Kostroma region.Despite its excellent resistant qualities, cherries need additional fertilizing with various fertilizers that stimulate the metabolism and help the full formation of the fruit. Both mineral complex compositions and organic matter are made mandatory.

Gardeners who do not yet have enough practical experience should pay close attention to the amount of fertilizer applied. Exceeding the number of useful components is strictly forbidden. If you do not follow the recommendations, then the effect may be the opposite, the cherry tree will grow poorly and eventually dries out. This process can last for several years, while the yields will steadily decline every year.

In order to properly feed the cherries, and so that it brings a good harvest, you should consider a number of factors:

• age of the tree;
• season;
• latitude where the cherry grows;
• kind of fertilizer.

The first feeding of the cherry can be done when the fields have not yet melted snow. Suitable for these purposes are nitrogen-containing compounds:

• urea;
• ammonium nitrate.

The substance crumbles near the trunk approximately at a distance of 55 cm. At the same time the soil is loosened. About 35 g of this fertilizer is spent on a young plant, 2.5 times more should be spent on an adult tree. It is important to observe the necessary dose, so as not to harm the plant. As soon as the snow melts, you can add more "organics":

• manure (3.5 liters);
• urea (250 g);
• bird droppings (1.4 l).

All this is stirred in one bucket, three liters of this composition is enough for one container.

Top dressing of cherries is realized shortly before flowering. Included in the feeding in a mandatory manner:

• ammonium nitrate;
• urea.

The components are preferably used in the dissolved state and poured near the tree trunk. In felt cherries, such dressings are allowed once a year. An organic fertilizer supplement is also made, there are good results when chicken manure is used, as well as green supplements. After flowering, the adult tree is fed one more time. This usually happens in the second half of May. Used in the second feeding:

• manure;
• compost compositions.

The principle is simple: the ovaries have dropped petals, they need useful components for further development. The best option: to make chemical compounds in the liquid substance, although digging is often used. In the summer months, cherry must be actively enriched with nitrogen compounds.

In mid-July, the first spraying is done. Then after 2 weeks it is recommended to do a similar procedure a couple more times. If siderarates are planted with cherry in spring, they are mown, and the earth is dug up. Culture feeds in the autumn, after prophylactic pruning. A sufficient amount of phosphorus, potassium and calcium should be present in the soil. In the event that the soil has a significant acidification, then it is recommended to conduct liming. In the autumn warm season, cherries are made after harvesting. After the leaves have crumbled, another additional feeding is made, in which all the same components must always be present:

• potassium;
• phosphorus.

Wood pitch and sawdust are also brought to a shallow depth (centimeters 10). Different varieties of trees need different amounts of fertilizing. Before planting trees, you need to know - what is the true acidity of the soil. Usually, litmus paper tests are used for this, as well as aquarium strips that change pH. Most cherry prefers sandy soil, when the pH is near the mark of 7 units. If the acidity exceeds this mark, then the soil is recommended to be treated:

• lime;
• dolomite flour;
• ash.

All these operations are performed in advance (preferably six months). After planting the tree, the pit is filled up with manure and mixed soil, and potassium chloride is added.Young plants need additional feeding, usually around three in a year.

In the springtime, all trees should receive their portion of nitrogen (110 g), which is placed on top of the ground, poured with water. Be sure to spring the soil should be loosened. After three years, the range of formulations required for use increases markedly:

• urea up to 200 g (March-April);
• phosphorus 330 g

To fertilize a tree after five years means to bring in all the necessary components, following the standard scheme. During flowering in the spring it is best to take into account the middle ground, the root system of the plant should absorb all fertilizers. The right care is important here, otherwise the effect will be the opposite, and fertilizers will oxidize the soil, this is highly undesirable.

Growing in size, young cherry requires more feeding, a ten-year-old tree absorbs useful supplements three times more than two years old. Fertilizers stimulate the development of plants and fruits, most of all cherry likes humus and manure. Manure requires "special" treatment, it must be mixed with herbs so that it cannot burn the root system. Extracts from various herbs and even weeds work effectively as a top dressing for cherries. Often, siderats are also actively used. The roots of these plants naturally loosen the soil, and after mowing, they are also an additive in the nutrition of trees. The advantage of this scheme is that labor is required at a minimum. Nitrogen supplements are very important, they stimulate the growth and the appearance of a large number of foliage. These fertilizers include:

• ammonium sulfate;
• calcium nitrate;
• carbamide in granules.

Getting into the ground, such compounds are able to guarantee the nutrition of the cherry tree. The first sign of nitrogen deficiency is foliage twisting. There is a danger of an overdose of beneficial composition, then the leaves will be unnaturally large, the fruits will ripen much longer. Lack of nitrogen helps to weaken the leaves, they become pale and curl. An excess of this compound provokes the appearance of leaves of enormous size. New shoots appear in large numbers. In the summer, fertilizing with nitrogen compounds should be reduced. Phosphorus "leads" the metabolism, but without it, too, can not do. Also, thanks to phosphoric compounds, plants produce energy, phosphorus is present in the structure of DNA. It contributes to:

• bloom;
• seed formation;
• root development.

Applied from the phosphorus group:

• superphosphate;
• ammophos;
• diammophos;
• bone meal.

Lack of phosphorus in plant metabolism leads to developmental abnormalities. First of all, the color changes, the bark of the tree becomes brown with a violet tinge, the leaves turn yellow and crumble. If there is too much phosphorus, the tree ages prematurely, the leaves are covered with black spots, and aphids appear on them.

Cherry has good resistance, unfortunately, the roots are located in the surface layer, the dry season or excessive waterlogging is equally unsafe for the plant. In early spring and summer, traditional complex fertilizers and manure are applied. Flowering occurs in the second half of April, and the berries appear in July. Cherry can withstand sub-zero temperatures up to -30 degrees.

Spraying helps in two cases:

• fight parasites;
• provide the plant with beneficial ingredients.

Up to the age of five, fertilizers are installed simultaneously near the tree trunk, both organic and inorganic. All soils, where cherry grows, need to be added every five years. Much in this regard depends on the nature of the soil, and this factor should be taken into account.

Useful fertilizers for cherry wood are as follows.

• Amophos. It contains magnesium and sulfur, as well as phosphorus.
• Diammophos. The composition resembles amofos, it is recommended to apply to peat soils with high humidity.
• Azofos. It contains many components, including sulfur, suitable for all soils.
• Urea. Good in spring, before the appearance of inflorescences.
• Compost. Prepared from peat, manure and other components.
• Saltpeter. About 25 g are added before the flowering occurs. It is recommended to fertilize the cherry after two years of growth.
• Eggshell used when digging and seeding. Generates calcium, which allows you to absorb nitrogen. One cup of crushed eggshell per square meter is enough.
• Shavings and sawdust very useful for cherries, they have a huge amount of potassium. Apply at the rate of 6 kg per square meter.
• Waste textile production.
• Yeast. They are brought only in warm soil, then there will be an effect.

After collecting the fruit, the plant needs mineral fertilizers. If the soil has high acidity, then lime will also be needed. Before the beginning of winter, this operation is repeated, fertilizer can be applied to the soil to a depth of 9 centimeters. Cherry grows in almost all regions of Russia, this fact is explained by its unpretentiousness and endurance. In the northern latitudes, the crop yield decreases markedly, since the number of warm days, for example, in Surgut is much lower than in Krasnodar.

Compliance with all norms of nutrition is extremely important. In the north, trees are planted only in spring, over the summer they manage to get acclimatized if they are properly looked after. In the middle lane, own-rooted cherries are planted after the second half of September.

To make the fruits juicy, they fertilize cherries with “organic”, on average, half a bucket per plant. Spring is also good to add ash. In summer, the tree does not require special care, you can add organic fertilizers only a couple of times over the entire period. Very effective folk remedies. Lack of calcium can be compensated with crushed chalk. It is scattered around the trunk. Wood ash is a first-class source of phosphorus and potassium. One and a half kilogram per square meter is quite enough.

Complex fertilizers are very important for cherries, they combine all the useful elements that are needed for the future development of the tree, increase the keeping quality of the fruit, and contribute to the development of seedling resistance. Also increases the size and juiciness of the fruit. In order for a cherry tree to bear fruit throughout its life, the above recommendations and rules should be taken into account and used.

See how to look after cherries in the next video.