Content
- 1 Is it possible to propagate cherries by cuttings
- 2 Cherry varieties suitable for propagation by cuttings
- 3 Harvesting cuttings
- 4 How to grow cherries from cuttings
- 5 How to root a cherry twig at home
- 6 Planting cuttings in open ground
- 7 Rules for caring for cherry cuttings
- 8 Experienced gardening tips
- 9 Conclusion
Cherry propagation by cuttings in summer is a procedure that allows you to increase the population of cherry trees in the garden at no extra cost. Cherry responds well to cuttings, the main thing is to observe the basic rules for growing shoots.
Is it possible to propagate cherries by cuttings
Cherry is a hardy and unpretentious crop that lends itself well to vegetative propagation. It is not recommended to grow new trees only from seeds, since in this case varietal characteristics are lost.
But cherry reacts very well to vegetative propagation. And the most popular method remains grafting, which offers several advantages:
- ease of growing and care;
- preservation of the characteristics of the variety;
- rapid growth and early fruiting of plants, already in the third year;
- high hardiness of cherry cuttings.
An additional advantage of the method is the fact that reproduction can be carried out almost throughout the year.
Cutting is one of the most convenient ways to propagate fruit crops
Cherry varieties suitable for propagation by cuttings
Cutting is one of the easiest and most reliable ways to propagate a cherry culture. However, not all varieties show the same high survival rate. Nadezhda Krupskaya, Shubinka, Vladimirskaya, Zakharovskaya, Rastunya are best suited for propagation by root and green shoots.
The survival rate of these varieties is about 80%, which practically guarantees the successful development of the shoot, subject to the basic growing conditions.
Harvesting cuttings
For reproduction to be successful, it is necessary to prepare the material in a timely and correct manner. Cherry propagation is carried out not only with the help of green shoots, but also with the help of root shoots.
How to propagate cherries with green cuttings
Young healthy shoots are best suited for reproduction, they grow quickly and get used to new conditions well. Green cuttings are called because they are cut from annual shoots, in which the apical part still retains its green color and continues to grow actively, and a brownish bark already appears in the lower part.
Green cuttings are harvested in late spring or summer in June. Shoots 9-12 cm long are cut from strong and healthy shoots, 3-4 buds should remain on each of the cuttings. A straight cut should be located 5 mm below the kidney, another cut, but already at an oblique angle, is made above the upper kidney.
Green shoots are ideal for summer cuttings
It is recommended to root green branches directly after harvesting, having previously shortened the leaves by a third. But if this is not possible, you can properly moisten the shoots with a spray bottle and wrap them in a plastic bag for short storage.
How to dilute cherries with root cuttings
Another option for propagating a culture suggests using root cuttings. Such processes are sections of a long healthy root 12-15 cm long with the presence of a growth bud.
The advantage of root cuttings is that in fact they are a ready-made root system, from which it remains only to grow a central shoot. But the planting material also has a drawback, in order to cut the cuttings, it is necessary to carefully excavate the surface roots of the cherry and at the same time try not to damage the plant.
How to grow cherries from cuttings
Cherry propagation by cuttings is recommended in the summer, this period is considered optimal. At the same time, shoots can be successfully rooted in both spring and autumn, although a little more effort will have to be made for this.
You can grow a cherry tree from a shoot throughout the year.
How to propagate cherry cuttings in spring
Root shoots are best suited for spring propagation, although healthy ground shoots are sometimes used as planting material. It is necessary to harvest planting material immediately after the snow melts - before the sap flow begins, while the cherry is still dormant.
Planting in the ground during this period is not carried out for the cuttings. In early spring, seedlings with a developed root system can be rooted in the garden, but the cuttings first need to grow roots. Therefore, for the first time, the shoot is planted in a closed container in room conditions and covered on top with a tall jar or film.
After new green leaves appear on the branch, it can be transferred to a temporary garden bed. This should be done only when the soil warms up qualitatively, and return frosts have passed. You also need to remember that cuttings sprouted in room conditions are hardened before being taken out into the open air, put out on the street for half an hour, and then gradually increase the duration.
How to grow cherries from a cutting in the summer
Summer is considered the best time to propagate cherries with green cuttings. In warm weather, you can root a cherry branch directly in the ground, bypassing home germination, and after 1-2 seasons, transfer a small seedling to a permanent place:
- Before cutting the cuttings, the cherry tree is watered thoroughly so that its tissues are saturated with moisture.
- After a couple of days, several cuttings about 12 cm in length are cut off from a young shoot with a green top and placed in clean water for 2 hours.
- After that, the lower sections are treated with special root stimulants, for example, Kornevin, and planted on a temporary bed.
In summer, fruit crops can be propagated by cuttings directly in the ground.
The soil for the cutting should be nutritious, the soil on the site must be mixed with humus in equal proportions, add nitrogen fertilizing, superphosphate and ash. Immediately after deepening in the bed, the cutting is watered abundantly and covered with a jar or plastic wrap to create high humidity.
How to root a cherry with a cutting in autumn
The beginning of autumn from September to mid-October is well suited for harvesting green and root cuttings. However, shoots intended for reproduction are no longer planted in the ground in the autumn. For such a procedure, the plant needs a developed root system, but the cutting does not yet have it, and before the onset of frost, it will not have time to grow roots, and how it should take root in the ground.
Branches harvested in the fall are most often folded into small boxes filled with wet sand and placed in a cool cellar. You can also just bury the box shallowly on the site, and plant shoots with the establishment of heat.
Another option suggests rooting cherry cuttings in water and propagating the plant at home in the same autumn. However, the biological cycle of the crop can be affected in this case, therefore, spring or summer planting is preferable.
When harvesting shoots in the fall, they must be stored until spring or rooted at home.
How to root a cherry twig at home
If cherry breeding is planned for early spring or autumn, then the only option is to sprout a branch at home. The home growing algorithm is pretty simple:
- First of all, you need to prepare a pot or container for the plant if you plan to plant several cuttings at once.
- The container is filled with nutrient soil, consisting of turf soil mixed with humus, and a complex mineral fertilizing is added - superphosphate, nitrogenous fertilizers, ash.
- The soil is properly moistened, and then the cutting is buried vertically to a depth of about 3 cm.The distance between individual shoots should be about 10 cm.
Immediately after planting, the shoots are covered with polyethylene to create a greenhouse effect and grow cherries from a twig, and put in a warm place. From time to time, shoots need to be watered and ventilated. With proper care, it will take about 2 weeks for the roots to appear, and the same amount of time will be needed for the shoots to properly take root.
After that, containers with cuttings can be placed in a lighted place and continue to care for them until the end of spring, water and feed once every 2 weeks. The film can be removed from the shoots after the roots appear.
Cuttings can be carried out indoors in a container
Planting cuttings in open ground
If the stalk was sprouted at home, then it is transplanted into the garden in May or early June, after the soil has fully warmed up. 2 weeks before transplanting, the stalk begins to harden, they take it outside from the house, first for half an hour, then for several hours, and then for a full day.
The soil on a temporary site is mixed with humus before planting and complex fertilizers are added. The depth of the hole for planting material should be about 30 cm. For the first time, the shoot can be covered with polyethylene again, so that it quickly gets used to the new place.
Summer green branches can be planted in the garden right away, without wasting time on home cultivation. This is also done no later than mid-June, so that the shoot takes root until autumn.
Advice: if the branch develops well and quickly, then in the fall in October it can be transferred to a permanent site and planted before winter. But usually propagation by cuttings assumes that within 1-2 years the cherry will grow in a temporary place until it is fully strengthened.
Rules for caring for cherry cuttings
Propagation by cuttings is popular because it does not pose any particular difficulties for the gardener. But any video on how to propagate cherries by cuttings will recommend several simple procedures when growing a crop:
- Watering. Cherry is a fairly drought-resistant plant, but young cuttings need an increased amount of moisture. Therefore, the soil in a closed container or in a temporary area in the garden should always be slightly damp. At the same time, it is important not to allow waterlogging, if the water begins to stagnate, the roots of the cutting may rot.
- Top dressing. For rapid reproduction, the cuttings of a cherry tree need to be fertilized regularly, preferably once every 2 weeks. Top dressing is used standard - urea, superphosphate, potassium salt, ammonium nitrate. Nitrogen is especially important for growing shoots, which promotes the early appearance of fresh green shoots and leaves. Fertilizers in a small amount are applied to the soil along with irrigation; it is also possible to spray the ground part of the branch.
- Draft protection.For the first month of germination, cuttings are usually covered with plastic wrap or a glass jar, if we are talking about one shoot. A transparent shelter helps maintain a stable microclimate - drafts and sudden temperature changes are dangerous for a young shoot. But at the same time, the shelter must be removed for a short time every day so that the plant receives oxygen.
Grown up shoots require full care
If an escape planted on a site has to spend the winter in the open before transplanting to a permanent place, you need to take care of high-quality insulation. It is customary not only to mulch low cherry plants for the winter with a dense layer of peat or sawdust, but also to throw spruce branches, tops of vegetable crops or other materials. Although most cherry varieties tolerate frost, young plants may suffer from the cold.
Experienced gardening tips
Experienced gardeners know several secrets that increase the chances of successful propagation of cherries by cuttings:
- If reproduction is carried out by green shoots, then 2 weeks before the preparation of the material, you need to select a specific branch and mark the cut point on it. In this place, the shoot should be wrapped with an opaque material, for example, black tape - 4 cm wide. Since the closed area of the bark will cease to receive sunlight, the cells in this place will be reborn, and after being buried in the ground, the cutting will grow roots faster. According to the observations of gardeners, this method increases the likelihood of rooting by 30%.
- Shortly before cutting the planting material, it is recommended to water the cherry abundantly with water. The stronger the tree shoots are saturated with moisture and nutrients, the faster the cuttings will start growing.
- Despite the fact that strong root shoots and green shoots even release mature cherry trees, it is better to use young plants for reproduction - the planting material taken from them takes root better.
Gardeners recommend remembering that for successful reproduction, cuttings must be cut accurately, accurately and evenly, with a well-sharpened blade. Previously, the garden knife should be sterilized in a solution of potassium permanganate.
It is better to take planting material from young plants.
Conclusion
Cherry propagation by cuttings in summer allows you to quickly and without hassle root a cherry tree shoot. Reproduction can also be carried out in early spring or autumn, although in this case, you will first have to germinate the stalk at home at room temperature.
