The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Growing => Fruit => Topic started by: Rumpleteazer on June 30, 2009, 02:50:07 pm

Title: Sweet cherry tree - hardly any fruit!
Post by: Rumpleteazer on June 30, 2009, 02:50:07 pm
When we moved to our current house a few years ago, we inherited an almost dead sweet cherry tree. I cut off all the dead bits and hoped that it might survive. Surprisingly, it not only survived but flourished into a very healthy tree which provided us with a huge crop of cherries for a couple of years. However, over the last couple of years the crop has diminished to almost nothing. The tree itself looks healthy enough. It is in an area of the garden which we rather grandly refer to as "the orchard" where there are several fruit trees, including a cooking cherry tree which consistently produces loads of fruit. This area has largely been taken over by nettles unfortunately, so I don't know if this has anything to do with it.

Any suggestions anyone??
Title: Re: Sweet cherry tree - hardly any fruit!
Post by: Rosemary on June 30, 2009, 08:35:52 pm
Nope - we've never had a cherry off our two trees - birds always get there first.
Title: Re: Sweet cherry tree - hardly any fruit!
Post by: ballingall on July 01, 2009, 09:50:00 am
We used to be the same when we had cherry trees- the birds always got there first.

I do know with our other fruit trees, they do go through cycles. You might get a bumper crop one year, then a poor crop, then a couple of ok crops before a bumper one again. But I think thats more to do with the weather conditions.

Beth
Title: Re: Sweet cherry tree - hardly any fruit!
Post by: northfifeduckling on July 01, 2009, 07:11:01 pm
I planted some 2 years ago and we had a handful last year. Although the weather was better this year and they started off really well, by now have shrivelled up and turned brown. I think cherries are just difficult, dependent on so many factors. I do remember my nan's morello tree crop with nostalgia, but she also had lots of blackbirds and lots of redcurrants without covering anything (bet she was a witch and knew the magic spells). :&>