Topic: Step Over Cherry?

[Susiebelle]

I visited Bridgemere Gardens (think Stoke way Staffs) now owned by Wyvale Boo Hoo, anyway chatting to a very nice member of staff there who was telling me about the new Step Over Cherry tree.  Trouble is don't seem to be able to find info anywhere.
Has anyone read or heard anything about Step Over Cherry Tree? grateful for anyones thoughts on this.

[chriscross1966]

Here: it's about halfway down for the cherries.....

http://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/search/step-over-fruit-trees?page=4


Good idea to be sat down with a drink though..... maybe more than one.....

[asj]

Crate, I think!!

[Susiebelle]

Thanks for the link Criscross, I can only find a Fan trained Cherry still cannot find Step-Over-Cherry. But then having seen this it may well be out of my price range!

[gwynleg]

Wow. I scrolled down the page thinking '£29 - not too bad' then saw the price of the cherries!! I would love an eating one though

[Susiebelle]

Me too  :'( :'(

[chriscross1966]

I think my opinion is "slugs have got to eat, same as birds"... plus it'd give the pigeons a fighting chance...... Here's hoping the German supermarkets have some bare-root (or even potted if sensible price) Morello cherries..... it'd be a serious bit of one-up-man-ship against my deadly rival ^* at Christmas to say that I grew all the cherries in the pudding...







^* Sis-in-laws dad.... But he is old and his technique antiquated, it is no match for my modern pudding-fu [/dodgy overdubbed english]

chrisc

[saddad]

We grew enough cherries on two minarettes... but they stood no chance of making it to a pudding. I would have thought cherries too vigerous for step-overs ?  :-X

[rachely476]

Such a very amazing link! Thanks you for the reply.

[jennym]

Agree with saddad - in my opinion any cherry is not quite right to grow as a step-over form. Cherries need pruning quite a lot to encourage lots of side shoots, and often you need to take out weakish branches to give space to stronger ones - this doesn't lend itself to the type of framework traditionally associated with step-overs. Maybe you could try it with sweet cherries as they do produce some semi permanent spur systems, but not morello types as they need plenty of fresh shoots for lots of fruit.
If you want decent step-over type fruit trees, go for spur type apple trees on dwarfing rootstocks.

[gwynleg]

I have a Morello - should I be pruning it?!

[jennym]

Morello cherries fruit mostly on the shoots that have grown the previous year. These shoots grow on the framework of established branches that you will have allowed the tree to form in the early years. So, what I'm saying below applies to trees that are probably over 5 years old.
Shoots which had fruit last year may give you some cherries, but you'll find that most comes on the shoots that grew last year. It's best to prune in summer, and basically just tidy up weak shoots, damaged, overcrowded etc while you can see the young fruit forming. You will also see new shoots starting to grow, you want to retain most of these, as they will bear fruit the next year. For shoots that have fruited, cut these out after fruiting to the side branch.
Dessert cherries are different, they will bear fruit on older wood as well as on wood that grew the previous year, so it's really just tidying and thinning out the very oldest wood on those.
On both, it's advisable to not to prune in winter, as there's a possibility of diseases getting into the wood.

[Susiebelle]

Many thanks for all your thoughts on this - perhaps a Cordon as I am unable to grow 'proper' trees on my lottie

[manicscousers]

we're trying a cherry (sweet) as an oblique cordon this year, bought a cheap one from Lidl (all they had left) and, following Debp's advice, will train it  :)