Cherries are without question one of the most popular fruits and everyone eagerly awaits them every year. And what treats you can conjure up with them! Is your little tree in the garden not enough for you and would you like a second one? Or are you just interested in an experiment? Then you can pull a cherry tree from the core! We'll explain to you step by step how to proceed and whether it's even worth the effort.
Pulling the cherry tree out of the stone yourself – does it make sense?
Most fruit varieties take many years to produce fruit for the first time. Others never produce any because they require special treatments for this purpose. That youat the apricotWe have already explained that this can definitely be successful. But what about the cherries? Is it worth the effort?
Yes, it is possible, but with a big “but”. It takes some time before the plant is able to produce fruit, during which it is of course exposed to all the risks of disease and pest infestation, and fruit trees grown from seeds are generally more susceptible. In addition, the properties can later differ from those of the mother plant. So don't assume that you will get a duplicate of the previous tree. Each cherry contains the genes of two trees and which of them will ultimately develop cannot be predicted. For this reason, experts use so-called finishing.
Nevertheless, you can grow a cherry tree, albeit for fun. We will explain to you how to germinate the stone, how to care for the young plant and when you can plant the tree in the garden.
Pull the cherry tree from the core - stimulate germination
For the following methods, start in late fall.
Would you like a cherry tree from thePull core, it must first be pretreated. You have to imitate nature, so to speak. The cherry stones spend a few months there in the cold, namely in winter. ThisCold treatment is for germinationessential because it ensures that the hard shell softens and the seedling can penetrate it and also stimulates germination. To do this, you simply have to dig the seeds into the ground in late autumn. Mark the places so that you know where to find them later, because the kernels will stay there until spring.
You can also achieve this cold shock artificially by simply using the refrigerator. Here, however, the cores must also be in a moist substrate (preferably sand, gravel or peat moss) and in a container. Choose the same time for this as for the cold treatment in the garden and let the cherry stones rest until the end of winter. Then you can move on to the next step (see below) and grow your cherry tree yourself.
Speed up the process
You do this trick in the spring.
Isn't this taking too long for you? You can actually speed up the process and trick nature a little, so to speak, when you propagate the cherry. If you pull the cherry tree out of the core, you can split it open and remove the seeds it contains. Be careful not to damage the cherry seed as this will render it unusable. Place it in a glass of water and place it in the refrigerator so that the seed can soften a little. Now wait until the seed starts to germinate.
Tipp: Since not every cherry stone actually germinates, it always makes sense to use several at the same time and ultimately nurture the strongest seedlings.
Here's how to proceed step by step
If you want to pull a cherry tree from the pit, follow these steps:
- Do not use supermarket cherries as they are more vulnerable later. Those from your own or organic cultivation are ideal.
- Clean the seeds thoroughly by removing any pulp (under running water).
- Allow the cherry stones to dry thoroughly.
Prepare the substrate (for the refrigerator + so-called heat exposure before cold exposure) and plant the cherry stone:
- Place peat moss in a container. A small bag, for example, is ideal.
- Moisten the substrate well and let it rest overnight.
- Squeeze out the excess water.
- Ensure good ventilation. To do this, poke holes in the lid if you are using a box. If you have a bag, you can simply leave it open a little. This will prevent mold from forming.
- Press the seeds into the substrate and let them rest for 2 weeks.
Cold shock the kernels:
- Check that the peat moss is still moist (but not wet!).
- Place the container in the refrigerator. 3 to 5 degrees are ideal here.
- Once a week, check whether the substrate is still moist and moisten it if necessary. Always make sure to remove excess water.
- After 3, ideally even 5 months, you can stop the cold treatment.
If you have chosen the garden, simply stick the prepared seeds into the ground.
When do you plant a cherry tree?
While you can pull the cherry tree from the core in autumn, it is not transplanted into the garden until spring, as soon as frost is no longer expected. Choose a sunny location for the cherry tree seedling that is warm and has loose soil. After you have prepared it, plant the tree about 2.5 centimeters deep and water the soil well. Afterwards, always keep the soil moderately moist. The young plant does not need fertilizer in the first year, just like the autumn cuts, which you wait a few years to make.
After 7 or 8 years at the earliest you will wear ithome-grown fruit treewith a little luck the first fruits. However, as already mentioned, there is no guarantee.
