What does a cherry seedling look like and how to choose it?

Almost everyone loves sweet and tasty cherries. Therefore, many gardeners want to plant a cherry tree in their area. In order for a young plant to give a good harvest, you need to pay special attention to the choice of a seedling.

A young seedling should be healthy and attractive in appearance. It differs in several main ways.

1. Suitable height. A healthy tree should be tall enough. The optimum height of a one-year seedling is 88-90 cm. Two-year seedlings grow up to 2 meters.
2. Healthy shoots. Having picked up a suitable plant for yourself, you need to inspect its shoots. Cherries at the age of one year must have at least 8 shoots. A two-year-old seedling has about 10 of them. All of them should be even and neat.
3. Developed root system. She looks voluminous. The length of the roots should be between 20-25 centimeters. If the rhizome is too large, the cherry seedlings will be difficult to dig up.

It is almost impossible to visually distinguish young cherries from pears, peaches or cherries without the presence of leaves. Therefore, it is best to buy seedlings in proven nurseries.

When choosing a plant, it is worth paying attention to a number of points.

1. Age... For planting in a summer cottage, a one-year-old sapling is best suited. Such a tree takes root well. In addition, it costs less than older seedlings. Plants older than 3 years are not worth buying.
2. Vaccination... Next, you need to determine if there is a place of budding on the surface of the tree. As a rule, it is located at a height of 7-12 centimeters from the root collar. At this point, the trunk is slightly curved. If this is not the case, the plant is most likely a seedling. This means that it will not have all the advantages of the selected variety.
3. The state of the bark. There should be no cracks or breaks on it. The same goes for the health of the rhizome. The roots must be strong, moist and intact. The color of the bark and rhizomes should be uniform.
4. The presence of foliage. For planting, you should choose young plants without leaves. Otherwise, the seedling will lose moisture too quickly and will not take root well on the site.

In general, young cherries should look healthy and beautiful.

It is best to buy seedlings in the fall. At this time, the choice of plants is much greater. Purchased trees can be planted both in autumn and spring. The choice of the right time depends on the characteristics of the climate. In warm regions, cherries are planted in the fall. This usually happens in the second half of October. In other regions of the country, planting a young tree is recommended in the spring. This should be done in the first half of the season, before the buds swell.

Attention should be paid to the choice of a place for a young seedling. It should be well lit, the plant develops slowly in the shade, and the site should be well protected from the wind. Pollinators should be near the young seedling. Its yield depends on this.

The planting process itself consists of several stages.

1. The seedling pit is always prepared in the fall. The site is cleared of leaves and various debris. After that, the soil is dug up. Humus and potash are added to it.Some gardeners prefer to buy special cherry and sweet cherry feed from specialized stores. If the soil is too acidic, it must be calcified. The depth of the pit should be within 65-75 cm, the diameter should be within a meter. If several seedlings are planted on the site at once, they must be planted at a suitable distance.
2. A peg is installed in the center of the pit, to which the cherry will be attached.
3. In the fall, the seedling can be planted as early as 2 weeks after the preparation of the site. In the spring, nitrogen fertilizer is preliminarily applied to the soil. A week after that, you can plant a young tree.
4. Next, the plant must be sprinkled with earth.... It is recommended to additionally tamp it.
5. After planting, the seedling must be well watered. It is recommended to mulch the soil in the trunk circle. In this case, it will be much easier to care for the cherries. In addition, it will survive the winter better.

If you choose a high-quality cherry seedling and plant it correctly, the plant will quickly take root and in a couple of years will delight its owners with delicious and sweet berries.