Growing Morello Cherry in pots

Grown from seed so is probably at least 50% genetically Morello.

The tree is 8 years old and has been grown in the same pot for 7 years.

You can see what I tried to do with the trunk.

It has flowered and produced fruit for the past 3 years.

 

Grown from seed so is probably at least 50% genetically Morello.

The tree is 8 years old and has been grown in the same pot for 7 years.

It has flowered and produced fruit for the past 3 years.

 

This is the parent tree (the seeds came from this tree).

 

This air-layered Morello cherry was severed from the parent plant (above) last August.

It is on its own roots so will reach its maximum genetic height if grown directly in the ground.

 

This cherry tree was a root sucker taken from the parent tree above. As the parent is a grafted tree, it is probably a Colt or a Gisela (two of the most common rootstocks for Morello cherry).

The tree is 7 years old and has been grown in the same pot for 5 years.

It has flowered for the past 4 years and fruited for the past 3.

It was trunk chopped for reshaping.

 

In conclusion, it is perfectly possible to grow Morello cherry trees in pots provided that you can keep up with the maintenance (mostly watering).

Cherry tree in pots are most likely to be killed off in cold and wet conditions during winter and spring so the soil mix needs to be moisture retentive yet free draining.

Pruning is usually done after the flowers have dropped off.

 

I'm amazed that you can get them to fruit in such comparatively small pots @misterQ ! I know you said about watering but surely you also have to feed quite a lot?

 

Gosh your write up and pictures made me smile ! how interesting to achieve such a lovely healthy Morello Tree after all your care and attention not read or seen on the TV anything like what you've achieved in your garden, Well done !.

 

About 1-2 tablespoons of a balanced granular fertiliser 3 times a year applied in March, May and July will suffice. Alternatively, liquid fertiliser applied at half strength once a week will also work.

The fruit will be formed perfectly ok even with minimal fertiliser but if you want the foilage to look a good dark green colour then just add fertiliser as needed.

 

Just a little update for completeness.

Pictures taken 9 days ago.











The air-layered tree also produced nice red cherries but birds got to them before I could get the pictures.

 

@misterQ we are very envious. A brilliant harvest. We have 3 eating cherry trees and a morello in our orchard. The pigeons attack the young leaves and then the blackbirds take the fruit while it is still green. They do though leave us the morellos so at least we are able to use them in cooking and jams.

 

@misterQ I take that back about the blackbirds leaving us the morello cherries! For the first time they are stripping the berries and again they are green.

 

Commiserations, On the Levels but it does make me chuckle a bit in recognition of your predicament.

The birds in my area do peck at a few but never strip a whole tree growing in the ground. It must be down to loads of bird feeders about which tempts them away from the crops.