Description:
Culture Notes
Provide good drainage in an acidic soil for best growth. Crowns become one-sided unless they receive light from all around the plant, so locate in full sun. Select a different plant if soil is poorly drained, but otherwise cherry adapts to clay or loam. Roots should be kept moist and should not be subjected to prolonged drought. It blooms over a period of 10 - 20 days in early spring. It is a small bushy tree that starts blooming in its second year. It is ideal for small properties.
A regular fertilization program with slow release nitrogen is recommended to keep plants vigorous. Too much nitrogen in the soluble form could stimulate sprouting. This plant is considered mostly allergy free and causes little or no allergy problems in most people. Foliage from most members of this genus is considered poisonous when ingested. This cultivar holds purple foliage into the summer. Cherries compartmentalize decay poorly meaning that decay can spread rapidly inside the tree following mechanical injury to the trunk or removing large branches.
Planting and establishing shrubs
The most common cause of young plant failure is planting too deep. Plant the root ball no deeper than it was in the nursery. In most instances, the root flare zone (point where the top-most root in the root ball originates from the trunk) should be located just above the landscape soil surface. Sometimes plants come from the nursery with soil over the root flare. If there is soil over this area, scrape it off. The planting hole should be at least twice the width of the root ball, preferably wider. In all but exceptional circumstances where the soil is very poor, there is no need to incorporate anything into the backfill soil except the loosened soil that came out of the planting hole. Never place ANY soil over the root ball. If a row or grouping of plants is to be installed, excavating or loosening the soil in the entire bed and incorporating organic matter enhances root growth and establishment rate.
Weed suppression during establishment is essential. Apply a 3-inch thick layer of mulch around the plant to help control weed growth. Keep it at least 10 inches from the trunk. If you apply it over the root ball, apply only a one or two inch layer. This allows rainwater and air to easily enter the root ball and keeps the trunk dry. Placing mulch against the trunk or applying too thick a layer above the root ball can kill the plant by oxygen starvation, death of bark, stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off for winter, vole and other rodent damage to the trunk, keeping soil too wet, or repelling water. Regular irrigation through the first growing season after planting encourages rapid root growth, which is essential for quick plant establishment.
Spring transplanting best
Balled-and-burlapped and bare root trees recover best when transplanted in late winter or early spring in the cooler portions of North America. This usually corresponds to the initiation of root growth.
Pests, Diseases and Damaging Agents
Pests: Aphids, borers, scales, mealy bugs, tent caterpillars and many others. Not a pest-free plant. Ambrosia beetle can attack even healthy trees; they tend to attack as trees emerge from dormancy. Deer enjoy browsing the plant and can cause significant damage to the plant in some instances.
Diseases: Canker and leaf spots.
