There are two distinct types of
cherry, sweet and acid. Sweet cherries are dessert types and can be
enjoyed directly from the tree, the acid types are used for cooking and
preserving.
Sweet cherries are hardy, though
in cooler climates will not ripen fully unless they are fan trained
against a sunny wall (about 8ft tall and 25ft wide). This form is also
easiest to net against birds taking the fruit, in many locations if this
is an absolute requirement if you are to taste any of your fruit
yourself, birds will always take the fruit long before it's near ripe.
Sweet cherries need another compatible cherry tree nearby for
pollination. They tend to be big trees even on supposedly dwarfing
rootstocks.
Acid cherries are much easier to
grow in a cool climate and also in a small garden. They are less
vigorous than sweet cherries and being mostly self-fertile have no need
of another tree for cross pollination.
Cherries should be pruned when in
growth after bud burst in spring, winter pruning makes them
susceptible to silver leaf like plums. They fruit on the previous
seasons wood, so pruning should remove old wood allowing for the
development of new fruit bearing shoots for the following year. Each
year about a quarter of the branches in an established tree should be
cut back by 1/3 to 1/2 of their length, otherwise fruiting ends up being
limited to the peripheral shoots. Dead and diseased wood should be
removed whenever it is seen.
Mature cherry trees can be a problem
if planted in or near lawns as they often have shallow roots that
show at the lawn surface. If this is the case, cut the root off near the
tree and fill the shallow trench that results with topsoil and apply
grass seed. It usually only affects mature trees which can cope with
this treatment fairly well.
Bacterial
Canker - A disease that affects cherries in particular, and plums to
a lesser degree. The tree weeps a quick hardening gum from wounds in the
bark, this disease can kill a young tree. Other symptoms are wilting of
shoots or blossom and "shothole" damage to the leaves. The leaves
develop brown spots which then fall out making the tree look like it has
been blasted with shot. The bacteria that cause the disease tend to
enter by a wound which then oozes gum. If the bacteria spread around to
girdle the branch or twig, the parts above it die.
