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Young Cherry
http://weetrees.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=16272		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Niten [ 14 Apr 2017, 10:53 ]
Post subject:  Young Cherry
Hi

I have 2 young cherry trees that have been grown from the seed after planting in late November. They are currently on a bit of a growth spurt. Can anyone advise me about how to proceed. I am beginning to wonder whether I should have put them in bonsai pots from the start. Also I am wondering when would be a good time to use some fertiliser. Any advice at all is very much appreciated.

Nick
Author:  stymie [ 14 Apr 2017, 12:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: Young Cherry
Hi Nick. Its good to see you writing.
Could you say what kind of cherry we are discussing. Your reference to seedlings leads me to suspect that they may have been grown from stones from an edible cherry. If the seed was from an ornamental variety, so much the better from the bonsai aspect. The consideration of Bonsai pots is for well in the future.
This link will give a general guide to growing:- http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Prunus.html What kind of planting medium are they growing in? If it is free draining medium I see no objection to feeding twice monthly with a balanced formula, preferably at half the recommended strength. Keep them just moist at all times and give them the best of light. (outside of course).
Photographs taken against a plain background will help us to advise you on all aspects in due course.
Welcome to the friendliest forum around.
Happy Easter.
=Stymie.
Author:  NickB [ 14 Apr 2017, 15:37 ]
Post subject:  Re: Young Cherry
The only cherry I like is the Kojo-no-mai which has naturally small leaves, zig-zag branches with pretty flowers in spring. These can be found in most garden centres.
Most other varieties I have seen have large leaves, which is usually a disadvantage when trying to train a Bonsai.

Putting a young seedling straight into a Bonsai pot is always a mistake as it will slow the growth right down and it will remain like a stick until you are old.
What most beginners don't realise is that during the early years it is best to allow the plant to grow into a small tree, sometimes 6 feet, or so. This is done to thicken the trunk before being cut down and made into a Bonsai. Much more to it, of course, but there you go.
Author:  Gary Jones [ 14 Apr 2017, 22:29 ]
Post subject:  Re: Young Cherry
Welcome to weetrees and to a rewarding and interesting hobby. Ditto all the advice already given - you'll need to grow a small tree before you can make a bonsai from it. Whilst you're doing that you might want to get something with more of a trunk on it like a chinese elm, lonicera or privet to play with.

As Don says - any photos would help.
Author:  paulpash [ 15 Apr 2017, 10:17 ]
Post subject:  Re: Young Cherry
It's great you're having a go at this hobby. My biggest recommendation is to join a club & read. There is so much to learn that asking questions either on here or in a club environment is a real bonus.

A trawl round a local nursery can give you material that can be used to style into a tree or book a day on a beginner's course (Greenwood's Corin on here is excellent if that's local) and you can come away with your very own self styled bonsai.

Read Jerry Norbury's article on choosing good garden centre raw material. This can be found here:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1823

Look for some of these during your Easter garden centre trawl - Gary has already mentioned a few above :

Hornbeam
Potentilla
Pyracantha
Elm
Field maple
Cotoneaster
Berberis
Escallonia

Get a basic toolkit - scissors, cutters & a bit of wire if you want to have a go at wiring. A lot of the species I've listed throw out shoots all over so you can clip & grow - wire isn't essential. Good luck & keep posting, especially if you are unsure of what to buy or where your nearest club is located ;)
Author:  Niten [ 23 Jul 2017, 16:43 ]
Post subject:  Re: Young Cherry
Hi All

Sorry for my very, very slow reply. Since then my little cherry trees have continued to grow, I have noticed some of the roots coming out of the bottom of the pot.

Anyway, here is a few pics.

Many thanks

Nick
Author:  Niten [ 23 Jul 2017, 16:44 ]
Post subject:  Re: Young Cherry
and the last pic
Author:  Niten [ 23 Jul 2017, 16:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: Young Cherry
These cherry stones were not selected for any particular type. My family and I enjoyed the cherries to eat last summer and I decided plant a few.
Aug 2016 I put about 15 stones into the fridge.
Late November 2016 they were planted into small pots.
Only two of the stones produced anything and they were re-potted in the middle of Dec 2016 due to their pots being really tiny.
I'm still to read any books and I've been properly winging it so far with a bit of luck and some info off the net.
Thanks for the advice so far.
Let me know what you think of the pics.
Author:  Gary Jones [ 23 Jul 2017, 23:18 ]
Post subject:  Re: Young Cherry
Well they look nice and healthy. All the previous advice is still sound. I would suggest ground growing these for a few years to get them nice and thick. The leaves do look like they are the larger types so you'll benefit from a larger final tree when it gets to that point. If you do ground grow it you'll want to put some movement lower down in a year or so, so as it grows it's more interesting. In the meanwhile get something else to play with as mentioned before.
Author:  Glynjohnson [ 24 Jul 2017, 10:09 ]
Post subject:  Re: Young Cherry
If you really want to make bonsai from them in future, you'll need to get them in the ground. Nothing wrong with what you have if you want a little cherry tree, but to get the building blocks you'll need for bonsai it'll need a few years in a bed to fatten up. The articles above are excellent, I'd suggest you read everything you can and go from there
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