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Cherry Merchant | Sweet Cherry

£49.99 £39.99
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Early season cherry with excellent flavour Merchant' is an excellent earlier ripening dessert cherry. It is very reliable and well known...

9 litre pot | Colt root stock | 1.2m
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Plant description

Early season cherry with excellent flavour

Merchant' is an excellent earlier ripening dessert cherry. It is very reliable and well known for being a heavy cropping variety. Fruits large cherries that ripen to a reddish black colour and boast an excellent sweet, rich flavour. 'Merchant' is recipient of the Award of Garden Merit given by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which helps gardeners make an informed choice about plants.

Position

Position

Full sun

Flowering period

Flowering period

April - May

Soil type

Soil type

All soil types

Hardiness

Hardiness

Fully hardy

Eventual height & spread
Eventual height and spread

Specifications

Delivery Option
Standard delivery
Location
Outdoor
Sunlight
Full sun
Soil type
All soil types
Rate of growth
Average
Hardiness
Fully hardy
Flowering Period
April - May
Dimensions
9 litre pot | Colt root stock | 1.2m
Product Code
PL30006470

Care guide

Once planted, you should water your cherry fruit trees at least bimonthly for two months. It is also important to have adequate spacing between each tree, with 3 - 3.5m between Gisela 5, and 4.5 - 5m between Colt rootstock trees (respectively).

Bare root and containerised trees have differing planting requirements, detailed below:

  • Watering: Bare root trees should have their roots soaked in water for up to 2 hours before planting, while with containerised trees, it is important to drench their root ball before planting.
  • Pruning: Another difference is that for bare root trees, it is useful to prune their woody roots back a few inches. However, for containerised trees, you should free any spiralized roots growing around their rootball's circumference.
  • Planting: With bare root trees, you should dig a hole to enable the graft point to be above the soil, while with containerised trees, the pot should sit no lower than an inch below the ground.


    Bare root and containerised trees also share planting requirements, detailed below:

  • With both, you should dig a hole that is twice the radius of their rootball. Stake your trees no more than 2 - 3 inches from the stem, and make sure that they are pointing away from the prevailing wind.
  • Fill the planting hole with a mix of compost and garden soil, finishing with fertiliser and mycorrhizal fungi. Take care to not compress the soil.
  • Once you are happy with your efforts, give your tree a generous watering.
  • Add mulch on top (this can be bark and wood chippings, compost, manure, leaf-mould, and stones), and ensure that these do not touch the stem of the tree.
  • Tie the stake to your tree (and leave space for growth), and place a rabbit guard around your tree to protect it from harmful pests.
  • Apply fertiliser and replace decomposed mulch come spring. When autumn arrives, remove fallen leaves to prevent the risk of disease. You should also make sure that the ties are not rubbing your tree.

Advice on hot and droopy plants

If your plants are looking a little wilted right now, don't worry! Plants like to be filled with water to keep their structure, and when it's hot that water evaporates.

Just give them an off-schedule watering and they'll be right as rain in no time! Be careful not to flood them - plants don't like extremes.

Planting requirements

Easy to grow, a cherry tree will make a perfect first fruit tree. Your tree's growth and output will likely be excellent providing you follow our planting and care instructions. Below we address some common query topics:

  • Hardiness: Cherry trees can be found growing in far colder regions than the UK and therefore its mild winters will not affect your tree. One issue that can affect cherry trees is frost-damaged blossom, which can prevent a tree from fruiting.
  • Position: In the UK, the greatest barrier to successful fruiting is a lack of sunlight, so be sure to plant your cherry tree somewhere that receives enough sun. Choosing a sheltered location will also help prevent uprooting and allow it to leverage more resources into fruiting.
  • Soil: Soil types can be an unwelcome confusion as many plants will adapt to their conditions. Nonetheless, less than ideal conditions will certainly limit your tree's growth. Waterlogged soils will starve your tree of oxygen, which plays a key role in photosynthesis; causing its roots to rot and creating an optimal environment for disease. Similarly, compressed soils can starve a tree of oxygen and water, so do not compress the soil when planting.

Pollination

Your fruit tree will only produce fruit if their flowers have been pollinated. This is usually done by pollinating insects, which will transfer pollen from one flower to another. Honeybees, the main pollinating insect, will travel several miles in search of blossom. So if there exists another cherry tree within that radius it will most likely bear fruit.

Some cherry trees are self-fertile, while others need a pollination partner from the same or neighbouring pollination group. Although self-fertile varieties form fruit without the help of a pollination partner, a pollination partner will still greaten their yields.

Due to genetic similarities, it is not guaranteed that two self-sterile cherries will pollinate one another, so we recommend that you buy one self-fertile variety and another that needs to be pollinated. Cherry blossom trees can't pollinate cherry fruit trees, although sweet and sour cherries can pollinate each other.

  • Pollination Group: 3
  • Self-Fertile: No
  • Harvesting Period: Early (Early July)
  • Estimated Time to Cropping: 2 Years
  • Estimated Time to Best Yields: 5 Years
  • Uses: Eating Fresh

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Tree planting kit

Give your tree the best start

Help your new tree establish quickly with our essential tree planting kit. It contains everything needed to support healthy root development and protect your tree while it settles into its new home.

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