Lychee:

I think the key is rootstock. I tried to grow various sweet cherries for years with slow to no blooms. They were "semi-dwarfs", on what I am sure was Mahaleb or Mazzard rootstock. They became very large, but I never got a cherry. I tried 8 varieties and ended up taking them all out.

Last season I planted two new sweets (a Lapins and a Sandra Rose) on Gisela 5 and 6 full-dwarfing rootstocks. Now, in the 2nd season, both have bloomed profusely and are setting fruit.

Forest Farm may be a fine nusery, but if they are selling trees on the older rootstocks they don't suit your situation. Trees on the Giselas are more expensive -- expect $30 each or more -- but if you want cherries they are worth it. Raintree sells them. So does Gurney's and several others.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thanks Jelly man-

would you recommend overworking the tree with cherry grafts to take advantage of the mature rootstock and roots or should i just rip them out and start with new trees-

i am interested in the quickest way of getting cherries- dont carwe about the relative costs.

please advise. thanks.

Heavy pruning definitely delays blooming of sweet cherries. If you have to head them severely each yr to fit your space, you are going to continue to have problems. A more precocious rootstock would help as would a more precocious cultivar. If you can get away from heading and train the branches to about 30 degrees above horizontal, they will set flower buds.

I have some reservations about Gisela 5. It is very drought sensative. Be ready to water esp on a droughty soil. Raintree sells Krymsk 5 rootstock for cherry but not trees on this root. Said to be about same size control as G5. Giesla 6 is a lot more vigorous than G5. G12 is intermediate.

In a small space you need to try one of the precocious roots.

The Fruitnut

Along with a precocious rootstock, a pecocious variety will help set fruit sooner. Varieties that fit this description include Chelan, Lapins, and Sweetheart. In commercial culture a vigorous rootstock is recommended for these cultivars because they will overset and produce small unsaleable fruit. For one or two trees this shouldn't be a problem. If they begin to overset, heaven forbid, just prune severely or thin the fruit.

Lapins on G5 is probably about as good a combo as you can buy right now for a small space in the humid East. Lapins is self fruitful and a better cherry than Stella, the later my opinion only.

The Fruitnut

Lychee:

I ripped mine out. Don't think I can make a stronger statement than that.

I think Fruitnut is right that G6 is more vigorous than G5, but nevertheless, both have bloomed and are setting fruit in their second leaf. In your situation, I would go with G5.

I don't know anything about the Krymsk rootstocks, or what their relative advantages may be. Drought may be a serious issue where Fruitnut lives, but it is normally not here. I keep the trees heavily mulched and am able to get by without watering even in the occasional 4-week dry spell. My soil also naturally retains moisture pretty well. In your situation, with the trees right at hand in the backyard, you should easily be able to water if you have to.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

LL, I also have been heavily pruning my cherries and I got a small bloom in year 3, and the first good bloom last year (4th year). These are mostly on Gisela 5. So even with G5 if you are keeping it small with heavy pruning it may take more than a year or two. This year they are all blooming very strongly all over, including trees on Mazzard, Mahaleb and GM 61/1. Note that the non-G5 trees did not bloom much if at all in past years so for me they are a year or two behind. If your trees are like mine you may be better off keeping what you have than starting over -- its a tough call. You may also be leaving too much wood on in terms of the density of branches when you prune. Try to keep 1' or more distance between all but the short limbs. Also make sure you summer prune twice a summer, or the tree will be too vigorous to want to settle down and start fruiting. (The principle here is practicing size control without summer pruning leads to delay in fruiting: the tree will be focused on leaf replacement instead.) It took me several years to get the hang of proper cherry pruning and this may have set me back a bit.

Scott

i guess i can try and give it one more year- scott when in the summer do you recommend pruning- is it too early to do the 1st prune now- these are the two trees as of this morning

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I would say the first one is too dense and also the upper limbs are too long. They would have been a lot shorter if you had summer pruned. I would thin it out right now. The second one is not quite as bad but I would cut out all the branches not in the plane of the wall. As far as heading back I am not sure since I never prune this time of year but I would probably head back a bit after thinning as well - all those long upward shoots I would make half as long and cut right above an outward-growing bud. For the upper tree try to make a vase where all the inner-directed limbs are removed and the outer ones are at least 1' apart from each other at the tops.

Thats my advice anyway -- one problem with pruning is there are many good ways to prune a tree.

Scott

Scott- thanks for the tips. I actually did prune last summer but I guess not enough. I will prune again now and post after pics for your (and other readers')comment(s). thanks.