Advice
RHS Help & Advice
Acid Cherry
Common name: Acid or morello cherry
Latin name: Prunus cerasus
Group: Fruiting tree
Cultivation
Acid cherries are less vigorous than sweet cherries, growing to a height and spread of 3-3.5m. They are self-fertile and tolerate some shade making them a suitable choice for fan training against north facing walls and fences. Alternatively grow as a bush. The fruits are too acid for to eat raw, but are excellent when cooked and make very good jam.
Cherries prefer deep, fertile soils with pH of 6.5 – 6.7. They will not thrive on shallow or badly drained sites. As cherries flower early in the year, choose a warm sheltered site or grow against a south- or south-west facing wall or fence. When frost is forecast protect the blossom with fleece, but uncover during the day to allow access to pollinating insects. Cherries tend to do best in southern England.
Plant any time during the dormant season from November to February as long as the soil is not frozen or water logged.
Pruning and training
Acid cherries bear almost all of the fruit on the growth formed the previous season. As a result, pruning is carried out to produce new growth and so more fruit.
There are two main types of training systems, fan trained (where the tree is trained against a wall/fence) and bush (trained into a small tree).On established bush trained trees stimulate new growth by cutting back, in late summer, about one in four of the older fruited shoots, pruning to a younger replacement shoot. Shorten to a side shoot over-vigorous upright growth that crowds the centre. If left un-pruned the branches will become lanky and fruit on the ends only.
Propagation
The technique of grafting is used to attach the top (the variety) to a rootstock that controls the vigour of the tree. This is a complex skill and is usually carried out by nurseries. However, there’s no reason why gardeners can’t have a go.
Problems
Cherries are relatively problem free, but birds can eat the fruit. Here are some other problems to watch out for.
Bacterial canker
Blossom wilt
Brown rot
Cherry blackfly
Immature fruit drop/Run off
Silver leaf
Winter moth caterpillars
Cultivar selection
Many cultivars can be found in nurseries, however these are recommended:
‘Morello’ AGM
‘Nabella'
Click here for other recommended AGM varieities