How to Grow Sweet Cherries

Select a site for your sweet cherries that receives full sunlight throughout the day. Sweet cherries perform best in a well-drained, fertile soil. They do not do well in heavy or poorly drained soil. Locating the planting site on elevated land will help to avoid frost pockets and prevent injury to fruit buds.

Plant the sweet cherry trees in early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. Dig a hole for each tree deep and wide enough to accommodate the roots. Use a sharp knife to cut off broken and dead roots. If the roots are too long -- 10 to 12 inches long, according to the University of California -- prune them back a few inches. Set the tree in the hole at the same level that it grew in the nursery, as seen by the soil line on the tree. Fill the hole around the roots with soil. Tamp it lightly to avoid air pockets, and fill in the rest of the hole. Water the trees thoroughly after planting.

Place a 2-to-3-inch layer of mulch, such as sawdust, wood chips or other organic mulch, in a circle 2 feet in diameter around the trunk of the tree, starting several inches away from the tree. This will help to retain soil moisture and prevent weed growth.

Water the trees as needed once a week. Water to soak the soil several inches deep. The trees require adequate soil moisture for good fruit production. Water the trees more frequently during dry periods.

Cherry trees that are grown in fertile soil generally only require nitrogen fertilizer. Purdue University suggests applying approximately 0.1 pound of nitrogen per year of tree age to a maximum of 1 pound of actual nitrogen per tree as a general rule of thumb. Apply the fertilizer in a band extending about a foot from the trunk to the drip line of the branches around the tree.

Pruning of young cherry trees should be kept to a minimum until the tree begins to produce fruit. Mature cherry trees require little pruning except for thinning of weaker branches and removal of dead or broken branches. Heading back of branches over 18 feet long will keep the tree under 20 feet tall.