When Black knot started on my plum tree, it looked pretty much like that.
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Patty, I was thinking you planted a U of S cherry bush (and that Bernis had been in your ear about trying out more at one time) Did that one bush you had planted not survive then?[quote=âthecityman, post:242, topic:1332â]
I hope you read all of my post and not just the quote about how small my plants were when I got them, because I said just about the same thing you did
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Oh yes, I did and I only wanted to weigh in on the size thing because it is a major discussion and then deciding factor for many. And BTW, my brother-in-law took a couple of the smaller CJ bushes Iâd gotten from like Henry Field or Michigan Bulb, and they were runts when they arrived and were runts 2-3 years later. He lives about 5 miles north of me.
Iâm so hoping my CPâs make a cherry this year!!!
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I put my little tomato seedlings at 4 foot centers, and my wife asks why so far apart? I tell her, check in a couple months, and youâll see why. They get YUGE, sometimes you canât walk between them even at that space. And, yes, I never thought about it, but having some space for air flow would help with disease prevention with 'maters.
Impressive bushes, Jerry, hope mine do that well in a couple years. Thanks for all the info.
I am the same way - lots of space between tomatoes⌠but I may have only got it half right!
It occurred to me last year that while its very nice to have the space to get around them tomatoes when theyâre spaced far apart, I really should have made my concrete wire mesh cages a little bigger around. Some varieties just get awful crowded in there, even with some judicial pruning. I think Iâll make a few bigger cages this year and see if I can remember which ones tended to need more room.
Hope your cherry bushes turn out awesome!
I put my bushes at 8 feet centers, 12 is better, but I donât have the room. I may have to prune the bush down from time to time.
I did, and so far, no love. I havenât even gotten any blooms, yet. Staying very small. It is Carmine Jewel.
Here is a photo sequence of the planting. I sprinkled mycorrhizal inoculant on the roots after soaking them in water for a couple of hours. Compost, worm castings, some rock dust, and bone meal and a little fruit tree fertilizer were used in the soil preparation. This plant is recommended for zones 3 to 7 or 8 depending on documentation, I am in zone 9. The chill hours usually exceed 800 hours annually here. I checked a UC Davis chart for growing sour cherries, they should work here.
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I donât cage any of my tomatoes, I grow a lot of them (50+ two years ago, and 70 last year), so I canât afford that many, and it would be almost impossible to get them to fit anyways.
I just stake the main stem and a few side stems to keep them off the ground. I think each plant last year had at least 4 stakes, some had 7! Thankfully, our farm neighbors gave us a 2-300 tobacco sticks for free. They are great, about 4ft tall wood stakes, easy to drive into the ground. I think I actually ran out of them at the end if the season!
This year, weâre going with maybe 12 of our favorites, with 3 of each. But, I got a bunch of new peppers to try out, so maybe weâll have 50 of T & Pâs.
I had three Carmine Jewels at home in mostly dry sand in their 7th and 8th leaf that werenât over shoulder high, so when I planted a dozen or so Romance cherries out at the land I bought, I spaced them in two rows about 6â apart both directions. I had no idea how big the bushes can get. I have one bush planted to start a third row, but can see I will have to move it this spring. Have only tasted two berries so far due to spring frosts, etc., but hopeful that this will be the year.
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So are the RS bushes bigger plants when mature than the Carmine Jewel? The CJ came along first, so maybe itâs a different type (species) of tart cherry?
Nice pics, thanks for sharing. Looks nice.
I was under the impression not to amend the soil when planting fruit trees? I know these are not trees, but bushes. Are you adding nutrients because the soil is so clay-ey, or because itâs poor soil?
Thank you for letting me know Jessica.
I wonder if anyone really knows their final size, since they havenât been around that long. They certainly are tough bushes, but they will croak if someone piles logs on them.
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Heh, are you speaking from experience?
I guess one could compare them by planting them all the same time, and check in later at, say 5 years? I think @Don3a did that, yes? I believe he has like 3 or 4 of these bushes that he planted 5-6 years ago?
I have had two sweet cherry trees die in the same spot over the last five years.It was time to PROPERLY amend the soil. There is much info online on ways to do this. Check them out. Who suggested not to amend soil when planting? I am curious.
Almost everybody here, currently it is standard practice not to amend trees. If you listen to experts on the radio like Don Shorr, Fred Hoffman, Former editor of Organic Gardening magazine Mike McGrath, Lee Reich PhD and author of about 7 books on gardening, pruning (great book!) and other gardening subjects all say not to amend. Fertilizer is the worst and can kill tree roots of new planted trees. Many other plants it is suggested, but a no no with trees at least according to current horticultural thought.
Exceptions to everything, and if you amend, you need to make sure you mix soil with native soil to stop the bath tub effect. Also Itâs worried that roots will girdle, unwilling to leave the rich soil. We had a user here experience just that.
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Currently the suggested way to feed new trees is via a good mulch. Add compost to the mulch, and keep it mulched with wood chips. Fertilize the 2nd year, add leaves, straw, compost, wood chips. etc. If a tree cannot grow in native soil, it is tough to make it work. At times more trouble than itâs worth. If area is bad, it might be best to work on improving soil a few years before you plant.
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Those of you pruning RS cherries, are you interested in donating the cuttings to me if I pay shipping? "_
Holy cow! I planted two U Sk cherries in one hole, and this makes me think I made a big mistake!