[jennywren1960]

Hi all, newbie here   
I am looking for some advice on planting a cherry tree, dad bought me the tree for my birthday at the beginning of February, it was bare rooted and because I couldn't pick it up from him straight away he potted it and left it in his greenhouse. Unfortunately dad passed away shortly afterwards and the tree has sat in the greenhouse until today when I felt more able to deal with it. It is a beautiful little tree and of course extra special to me now so need to get it right when planting. My worry is..it is now leafing up and has some blossom just opening, I am guessing it has come on quickly because it has been in the greenhouse, I want to plant it on my allotment which is quite a cold spot being in a little hollow, do I just go ahead and plant it as a bare root tree even though it has been in a pot for over a month and is showing signs of new root growth, shall I leave it in the pot and plant it later in the year when more established? Also, is it ok to just go outside even in a pot bearing in mind how cold the nights are at the moment? Sorry for the long first post!!

[Mum2mj]

Hi not sure about the tree but I'm sorry for your loss x

[Totty]

Hi, welcome to the forum,

I would suggest digging a hole around twice the depth and width of the pot and plant firmly and water in. Nothing else.
Others will probably disagree or have other ideas but by I think that by forcing a young vigorous tree to put out root in search of nutrient and moisture means it will establish itself strongly in its position more so than if you dig a great big hole, fill it with compost, manure, fertiliser etc etc and plant in that. The roots will just sit there.

Give it plenty of water in the summer this year, and a good mulch.
I hope it grows into a beautiful big tree for you.

Totty

[jennywren1960]

Thank you for your condolences Mum2mj, Totty thank you for your advice, I guess I am worrying about taking it suddenly from a warm greenhouse where it was obviously happy to a cold frosty allotment and whether this may be too much of shock for it?

[Trillium]

Yes, the tree will go into a sort of shock and setback going from leafy green to very cold where it naturally would still be at bud stage. Cherries tend to leaf and flower just a bit later than other fruit, so I'd recommend you wait until the weather is a bit warmer to suit the tree. Since it's potted, you can wait a while yet, just continue to water it occasionally and give it a bit of feeding, any sort will do. This way you know for sure it will come through and readapt on its own as the season passes.

[3759allen]

from what i've heard it's not a good idea to move fruit tree's when they're out of the dormant stage.

how big is the pot? if it's big enough you could leave it in that until autumn when the leaves die off again and it goes into it's dormant stage.

think i would start to move it out of the hot spot a bit at a time if you can (a bit like hardening off). i'm sure people will say not too bother but can't be good for the tree to go from very hot to pretty cold. as there's no second chance it's worth a bit of effort i say.

[Goosegirl]

I too am sorry for your loss, and well understand your need to make sure it thrives. How tall is the tree and what size pot is it in now, also can you see any roots coming out of the bottom of the pot? I would harden off in a sheltered area away from any potential cold winds and don't over-water. Dig your hole quite a bit bigger than the pot size as suggested, but make sure you don't create a "sump" where the water will just sit there, especially if you are on heavy soil (test the hole first by adding a watering can of water and see how it drains before planting). If it doesn't drain very well, add some sharp sand / grit and fork into the bottom and sides. Again, depending on the nutrient condition of your soil, perhaps a light sprinkling of bonemeal added to the excavated soil may help it establish? Remove your tree from its pot by holding onto the main stem and gently knock the top edge of the pot with your hand, then put the tree into the hole and turn it around to get the best view as to how it will eventually grow. I doubt any roots will have grown enough to either coil round the bottom of the rootball or make a fibrous mat but, if they have, gently tease some of them out with your fingers. Before back-filling the hole, I would knock in a tree stake right against the rootball. Back-fill some of the hole with the excavated soil and gently firm the rootball with your foot and just add a little bit of water to help with the soil settlement. Keep doing this until you have used up all the soil. Get a rubber tree tie and secure the tree to the stake ensuring it is not too tight because you don't want to harm the trunk as it grows until it no longer needs supporting. How about getting a nice brass plaque inscribed which you can insert into the ground by the tree - not that you would need a reminder, but it's just a thought. Memories are made of things like this, and I wish you every success.

[mumofstig]

from what i've heard it's not a good idea to move fruit tree's when they're out of the dormant stage.

I'm sure that only applies to trees that would have to be dug up. Planting trees from pots is quite safe, at any time - as long as the tree has been properly acclimatised/hardened off, as already said above.

[sunshineband]

Your cherry tree is clearly very precious jennywren, and I hope that it thrives and gives you pleasure for years to come.

Hardening it off in a sheltered spot will save tender forced growth from being frost damaged, and Totty's advice about not over enriching the soil when you plant it out is sound.

Mumofstig mentioned Blood, fish and bone, and your tree will appreciate around the end of February each year, not just when you plant it.

Do remember that birds love cherries and eat them before they are fully ripe too, so think about how you can net your tree temporarily so that you can eat some cherries yourself 

[diospyros]

It's only been in the pot since the start of February, it's not going to have made much root growth yet.  So I would leave it in the pot a bit longer and bring it into a sunny corner somewhere, if you can't leave it in the greenhouse with the door open perhaps.  I think if you knock it out of the pot now the compost or soil will all fall away and might damage the young roots, whereas if you leave it until it has just filled the pot the rootball will stay together better.

It will give you lovely memories of your dad I'm sure.

[jennywren1960]

Thank you for all your thoughts, advice and condolences, in response to some questions the tree is in quite a large pot, certainly enough room for a year, root growth is just showing so still loose in the pot really (it fell out of the pot bringing it home in the car!).

Dad always wanted an allotment but was always very busy running a business, when I got my allotment 2 years ago he contributed a huge amount to it in many ways, he hated veg but could eat fruit all day every day and many of my fruit trees and bushes were bought by him, my idea is to make a little orchard to include the cherry and a plum he bought last year planted with bulbs he also gave me just before he passed. I like the plaque idea and think I will do this to create a focus for myself and his grand and great grand children