HOW TO GROW CHERRY FROM SEEDS

HOW TO GROW CHERRY FROM SEEDS

Take cherry seeds or pits, for instance. With cold stratification, adequate care and some attention after planting, you can grow your own cherry tree from seed. Albeit, cherries won't form for seven to 10 years and you'll likely end up with a surprise variety, but nonetheless, a cherry tree you will get.

1.Place several cherry seeds in a container filled with moist peat or vermiculite and set in the refrigerator for two to three months. Check on them periodically to ensure the medium remains moist. If you are growing sweet cherry seeds, label the container with the variety. Repeat with a second sweet cherry variety in another container, since more than one variety is usually needed for pollination.

2.Incorporate 2 to 4 inches organic matter, such as compost, into the top 6 to 8 inches of soil to improve water drainage, if necessary. Cherry trees tolerate most soil types except soil that does not drain well.

3.Plant cherry seeds about 1/2 inch deep in a sunny area of your garden in late fall or winter when temperatures begin to cool. They will begin to grow in late winter or spring when temperatures begin to warm again. Space seeds 18 to 24 inches apart and label the variety, if necessary. In warmer weather, plant seeds indoors in pots using well-draining potting soil. Keep the pots in a sunny window and transplant the seedlings outdoors in the fall.

4.Moisten the soil with water after planting and keep it slightly moist for the first growing season. Most likely, not all the seeds will germinate or thrive, so plant several more than you intend to grow.

5.Transplant the strongest trees, in one to three years, during winter dormancy so they stand about 30 feet apart.