Prunus cerasifera

• Type: Cherry plum
• Latin name: Prunus cerasifera
• Mature height: 4–8 m
• Height when sold: ≈ 1 m
• Light: sunny
• Winter hardiness: USDA 4–8

Planting Plant in spring (late April – May) or autumn (September) in a sunny spot with fertile, well-drained soil; wet spots with standing water are unsuitable. Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot, mix the excavated soil with compost, set the plant at the same depth it grew in the pot and water generously. Space plants 3–4 m apart. Cherry plum does not thrive on waterlogged soil.

Watering Water a young plant regularly for the first two years and more often in dry spells; an established plant needs watering only in long dry periods. Mulch the soil with bark or wood chips.

Pruning Prune in spring before bud break or in summer after harvest, not in autumn or winter – this lowers the risk of disease. Build the crown from 4–5 main branches, remove dead, crossing and inward-growing shoots and keep the crown open. On a columnar cultivar keep the central leader and shorten overly long side shoots. Never remove more than a quarter of the crown a year and seal large cuts with tree paint.

Feeding and winter care Feed in spring with compost or an organic fertiliser and, if needed, with a complex fertiliser in spring – early summer; give no nitrogen in autumn. Protect the trunk of a young tree for winter with whitewash, spruce boughs or netting against hares and frost cracks; in autumn clear away fallen leaves and any mummified fruit to reduce disease spread.