Planting the sweet cherry in your own garden is not difficult, but for some plant lovers it is difficult to make the decision for a standard or half-stem. What makes a sweet cherry as a standard and what are the advantages and disadvantages?

What is different about a high trunk and a half trunk?

The stem height is different. The stem of a sweet cherry grafted to clear stem is typically 180cm tall when you plant it. In order to obtain such a tall stem, the sweet cherry is grafted onto a strong-growing rootstock.

Advantages of the sweet cherry as a standard

There are numerous benefits of a sweet cherry grafted to a clear stem. Such a cherry tree looks picturesque and landscape-defining in old age. There is a lot of space under its crown, which can be used for a bed, for example, or as a seat and shade in the garden.

Further advantages are that the sweet cherry grafted on a standard tree usually reaches a higher age than a half-tree. High trunks like to be up to 50 years old (and older). They also provide more habitat for animals, higher yields (up to 300 kg), can act as a windbreak and require less maintenance.

What are the disadvantages?

But putting all the advantages in the background, there are also disadvantages with a standard tree. For example, it is more difficult to cut the sweet cherry to the standard or to free it from diseased shoots and leaves.

Picking the fruit is also more complicated. Most of the time it is only possible with the help of a large ladder. But in old age and with a size of up to 30 m, you can no longer reach the fruits even with a ladder.

Other disadvantages are:

  • higher risk of accidents B. by falling branches, during harvest, etc.
  • more time required for harvesting
  • different yields every year
  • Full yields can only be expected after 10 to 15 years
  • only suitable for larger plots - high space requirement and minimum planting distance of 8 m

tips and tricks

A sweet cherry on a standard with its high yields of up to 300 kg is quickly too much for a single individual. For a large family, however, such a rich tree is a real asset.

KKF

Category:

Vegetable garden