by johnah on February 20, 2021
Container grown cherries are very popular in Japan. They have been used as decorations since ancient times. Japanese people love them because they look so pretty when they bloom! You can grow your own container-grown cherry trees at home with these simple steps:
Step
1) Choose the right kind of soil for your new tree.
The soil should be well drained and not too heavy. If it’s too light, the roots will rot quickly.
Too much water and the leaves may wilt or even die. You want to make sure that there isn’t any clay particles in the soil, otherwise your tree won’t thrive.
You can use sand if you don’t mind leaving some space between the root ball and its surroundings (a little bit like planting a garden). But remember that the roots will get crowded and the tree won’t flower properly.
If you’re worried about having too many plants, you can buy a container made out of plastic. Plastic containers are easy to clean and maintain.
And they last forever! However, they aren’t as sturdy as wood ones and tend to break easily if dropped or knocked over. So keep those in mind when choosing one!
Step
2) Prepare the ground around your new tree carefully.
The ideal location for a new container grown tree has some shade in the morning and some sun in the afternoon. Make sure there are no overhead wires, or anything else that might obstruct the amount of light it gets.
Also make sure that it’s not growing in a location with too much water run-off, as this might damage the roots.
Once you’ve found the right spot, dig a hole 3 times bigger than the pot your new tree came in. Be careful not to damage the roots while you’re digging.
(It’s best to dig with a shovel, but if you’re in a rush you can also just use your hands and a trowel).
The next step is to put some mycorrhizae fungi in the hole. This will help the roots get the nutrients it needs to grow and flower properly.
You can buy it from a gardening store or online. If you have a friend who works in a green house, they could probably give you some for free!
After you’ve added the mycorrhizae, put the soil you dug up back into the hole. Make sure the base of the tree is at the same level it was before you started digging, and then water it so that the soil becomes evenly moist.
Step
3) Place your container grown cherry tree in its new home and water it well.
If you’re using a plastic container, you can place it anywhere outside, as long as there’s plenty of sun. If you’re using a wooden one, make sure it has plenty of space around it so that the roots don’t get damaged by other plants or the sides of the pot.
Once you’ve placed your new tree, water it well so that the soil becomes evenly moist. If you want, you can also add an organic fertilizer to the soil before planting.
After this, just give your new tree plenty of sun and water when the soil starts to dry out. Your tree should be healthy and growing within a couple of weeks!
Remember: container grown cherry trees need a lot of attention and care when they’re first planted. This means making sure the soil doesn’t dry out, that they always have enough water, and that they’re planted in the right kind of location.
If you don’t live in a place where you get a lot of rain, you might even need to water the soil every day during the first week. Just add a bit of water at a time and check it every couple of hours to see if it needs more.
You’ll soon get to know how much water it takes for your tree to thrive.
If you don’t want to water it every day, you could get a self-watering container to plant your tree in. These have a reservoir at the bottom of the pot that you fill up before planting.
Your tree then takes the water from this reservoir as it needs it. These are great because you only need to water your tree once every couple of weeks! If you’re intending on getting a self-watering container, get one that’s at least 5 gallons, and make sure the tree is at least 2.5 feet tall before putting it in.
After your tree is a few months old, you should start making sure it gets some sun every day. If you’re growing it indoors or under a porch or something similar, move it outside during the day and bring it back in before night time.
If you’re growing it outside, just make sure you plant it in the right place. If there’s not enough sun at the location you want to put it, you can always buy an artificial sunlight system online or from a local gardening store.
These are easy to use and move around as you please!
And that’s all there is to it! Once your tree is planted, watered and in the right place, it’ll start growing and flowering within a few months.
Enjoy!
P.S.
You should come back and read our blog for more tips and advice on growing your cherry tree!
Sources & references used in this article:
Pot-in-pot production and cyclic irrigation influence growth and irrigation efficiency of ‘Okame’cherries by J Brace – 1904 – J. Murray
Sweet cherry production in controlled environment by JM Ruter – Journal of Environmental Horticulture, 1998 – meridian.allenpress.com
Shoot growth-flowering relationships in the sour cherry ‘Stevnsbaer’as affected by water and nutrient supply by M Meland, FM Maas, Å Jørgensen – VIII International Cherry Symposium …, 2017 – actahort.org
Holding tomato transplants in plug trays by I Dencker, P Hansen – Journal of horticultural science, 1994 – Taylor & Francis
Pot It, Grow It, Eat It by M Cox – 2011 – Dorling Kindersley Ltd
Differences in body size and egg loads of Rhagoletis indifferens (Diptera: Tephritidae) from introduced and native cherries by CW Marr, M Jirak – HortScience, 1990 – journals.ashs.org
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