How to prepare a cherry cutting
How to prepare a cherry cutting
The cherry (Prunus avium (L.) L., 1755) is a plant whose multiplication does not normally take place by cutting as, among other things, it is grown on graft carriers with very different characteristics also depending on the type of soil, of vigor, etc.
For this reason, in order to shorten the fruiting times, in general, you have chosen to perform a grafting on a rootstock already 3 – 4 years.
However, if you decide to prepare a cherry tree from a cutting, the most suitable period is either in the spring or towards the end of the summer.
If you opt for the spring period you have to choose a young, vigorous and healthy branch by discarding the flowering branches or with buds.
If you opt for wood cuttings, you have to choose branches of the summer period with the same characteristics as the spring ones.
We said that the branch must be young, without buds and with few leaves (it is recommended with two leaflets, one of which in an apical position and a basal one).
Cut the branch with a scissor previously sterilized with alcohol or other neutral disinfectant; the recommended length is 10 – 15 cm maximum.
At this point the cutting is cut with a clean and oblique cut.
Before proceeding, it is advisable to leave the base of the cutting in water for a few hours and then immerse it in a rooting substance, possibly prepared by hand.
Half-bury your cherry cutting in a mixture of peat and sand (1: 4).
At this point the cutting should be placed in a shady place or even better in a cold greenhouse and taking care to water every day for the first 10 days.
To increase the relative humidity around the cutting it is recommended to apply an envelope around the cutting.
If you have opted for the solution with the plastic film, after a month, make a few holes in the plastic bag. The envelope should be kept until the sprig does not emit the first leaves.
If the cutting takes root, do not move the plant to the sun. Keep it in a shaded area for another three or four months.
For the rooting times, consider that the cherry cuttings will not root during the first month. Normally the roots are emitted during the second month.
To understand if the rooting is taking place, just look at the leaflets: if the second month has passed, it will still retain the leaflets, there are excellent chances that it has successfully taken root.