What is the best tree to plant next to a cherry tree?
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Principles for choosing neighbors
Choosing the right plant companions is crucial for a bountiful harvest. Furthermore, planting crops according to their characteristics can improve the health of the plot and even enrich the soil with nutrients. When deciding what to plant next to your cherry tree, consider a number of factors:
- Soil characteristics. Each crop prefers a specific soil composition. To ensure vigorous growth, it's best to plant plants with roots at a different level near them.
- Lighting. A bountiful fruit harvest can be achieved when all plants in the garden receive sunlight evenly and in equal amounts, and the shade from their crowns does not interfere with the growth of shrubs planted beneath them.
- Compatibility. Some crops produce certain substances that inhibit nearby trees and shrubs. By properly managing crop proximity, you can even improve the health of your garden.
What does cherry go well with?
What to plant cherry with? It is best to plant trees in groups, each containing a specific type of stone fruit. However, from the outside, such a planting looks simple and unattractive. Therefore, gardeners usually study the properties of the plants before planting them side by side.
What can I plant next to a cherry tree? Cherries are stone fruits, so they thrive alongside other similar trees. For example, sweet cherries can be successfully grown near stone fruits. However, pome fruits planted nearby can shade the fruit tree due to their lush crowns. This is why apple trees should be planted at least 5–6 meters away. The same approach should be taken if you grow blackthorn, cherry plum, or plum trees near stone fruits. They thrive, but only if they are kept at a distance.
Grapes, hawthorn, and rowan are also plant "friends." They don't interfere with each other's growth, don't negatively impact yields, and don't cause problems for the owners. Sweet cherries are usually planted near sour cherries, which use them as a natural pollinator. Furthermore, this proximity increases the yield of both crops.
Planting near the elderberry trunk will be productive, as it will act as a natural shield against fruit aphids. These parasitic insects dislike the elderberry's scent and therefore won't bother the fruit tree.
Shade-tolerant perennial herbaceous plants, such as snowdrops, can be planted under the tree.
Can honeysuckle be planted near stone fruit? It's a good idea, as they make excellent neighbors. Due to its small size, the shrub will thrive under the canopy. The minimum distance between plants is 1.5–2 meters.
What is best not to plant cherries with?
Cherries are easy to grow. However, some plants planted nearby can cause significant damage. What crops should not be planted near cherries? Avoid planting eggplants, tomatoes, and peppers near them. Also, avoid planting nightshade vegetables, which carry diseases that can be dangerous to cherries.
Linden, birch, oak, and maple are not ideal neighbors. Therefore, planting these seedlings is, to put it mildly, undesirable. The plant also dislikes certain shrubs, such as raspberries, sea buckthorn, and gooseberries. The roots of these bushes spread and negatively affect the growth of stone fruits. Currants are also undesirable neighbors; only certain varieties of currants (shade-tolerant ones) can be planted under cherry trees.
Can apricots be planted next to fruit trees? Even though they are stone fruits, they still require specific care, so placing them close to other members of the family is not recommended.
What to plant under a cherry tree
Many gardeners plant vegetables in the lower tiers of fruit trees. Growing vegetables, fruits, and shrubs this way is quite productive and helps maximize the use of the plot.
It is best to decorate the area around the trunk with groundcover plants: periwinkle, bugleweed, creeping tenacious. Often, summer residents successfully grow mint and lemon balm in the tree trunk circle.
Blackcurrants planted near other crops don't always produce a satisfying harvest. The bush prefers soil with a different chemical composition. However, with proper care, it will delight you with a consistent, delicious harvest.
Cherry trees are quite picky when it comes to choosing neighboring plants. Planting other fruit trees in rows isn't ideal, as they may be incompatible and negatively impact each other. However, properly selected nearby crops can positively impact the stone fruit yield and improve the overall health of the plot.
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