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Cherry May Duke | Sour Cherry
Cherry May Duke | Sour Cherry

Cherry May Duke | Sour Cherry

SKU: PL30006237
bare root | Colt root stock | 1.2m
£20.99 £34.99
In stock (despatch in 2-3 working days)
9 litre pot | Colt root stock | 1.2m
£49.99
Available to order from late spring
1

Pot size guide

Delivery options

Overview

The dual purpose self-fertile cherry

A cross between cerasus and avium, 'May Duke' possesses the best traits of both, good for both cooking and eating fresh and is the only dual-purpose cherry commercially available. Self-fertile, this tree will produce fruit without a partner and makes an excellent pollinator of self-sterile varieties. This variety comes highly recommended if you only have a small space and want to enjoy both fresh cherries and delicious pies, tarts, jams and other culinery delights.

Specifications

  • Supplied As: Bare Root
  • Height on Arrival: 120-150cm (4-5 ft)
  • Age: 2 years with 4 year rootstock
  • Rootstock: Colt

Eventual height & spread

Eventual height and spread

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: Yes
  • Harvesting Period: Early (Early July)
  • Estimated Time to Cropping: 2 years
  • Estimated Time to Best Yields: 5 years
  • Uses: Eating Fresh, Cooking

How your order will arrive

Packaging

We have developed an eco friendly polypot that is currently in use across our 9 litre range. This polypot has less than 20% of the plastic used by a regular pot, and is importantly recyclable. Polypots also prevent root spiraling, encouraging a healthier root system.

All trees arrive in an extra thick cardboard box with a clamp to hold their pot in place. This prevents them from moving around on their journey.

Nursery staff will wrap the roots of our bare root trees and use compost to keep them moist during transportation. This extra protection prevents them from drying out, allowing for a flying start. We also use the same specialised box that our potted trees have to keep them nice and secure as they make their way to your home.

About Primrose

About Primrose

Primrose is the place to be to Discover Everything Garden.

We were created in 2003 to become the UK's largest online-only garden centre. Thousands of plants, planters, awnings, garden furniture sets, water features and more line our digital shelves, and we're ready to fill your garden with comfort, quality, colour and style.

If you'd like to find out more, check out our 'About Us' page.

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