Stone fruit sour and sweet cherries form a high berry yield, for which, besides basic fertilization, they need foliar application of mineral nutrients.
It is advisable to divide the foliar feeding system for these crops into two periods:
The first: from the end of flowering to the start of ripening, aimed at raising yield and improving berry quality.
This year's weather conditions are not very favorable for stone fruits. Because of excess moisture, diseases of trees and fruits may be more pronounced. Considering that the main cause of gummosis is nutrition disorders caused by calcium shortage, we recommend at least 3–4 foliar feedings with calcium in chelate form (the last one 2 weeks before the start of picking). To restrain the development of other diseases, in particular monilia, it is advisable to use, besides fungicides, foliar feeding with phosphorus in the form of phosphite. Boron is of great importance for berry quality. Depending on the growing region and soil conditions, shortage of other microelements, in particular iron, may also appear.
The second period begins after harvest. Feedings with fertilizers containing copper and boron are aimed at preventive disease control and improving the morphogenesis of buds for next year's crop.
On this basis we recommend the following foliar feeding scheme for sweet and sour cherry in the 2021 season:
First feeding, after fruit set drop: tank mix of ECOLINE Calcium-Boron (Chelates) 1.5 l/ha + ECOLINE Magnesium (Chelates) 1.5 l/ha.
Second feeding, 10–14 days later: ECOLINE Phosphite (K-Zn) 2.0 l/ha.
Third feeding, two weeks later: ECOLINE Calcium-Boron (Chelates) 1.5 l/ha + ECOLINE Boron (Premium) 1.0 l/ha.
Fourth feeding, another two weeks later: ECOLINE Calcium-Boron (Chelates) 1.5 l/ha + GROS Quicelium 1.5 l/ha.
Fifth feeding, in mid-September: ECOLINE Boron (Organic) 1.5 l/ha + ECOLINE Copper (Chelate) 2.0 l/ha.
