Morello Cherry + James Grieve Apple

[ade]

Just been given a Morello Cherry & a James Grieve Apple tree for fathers day, certainly makes a change from socks & chocs.
Problem is I haven't a the faintest idea where to start with either.
Should I plant them out now, i'm in the sunny SW, or keep them in the pot and wait till later in the year?
Can I train either, both so that they are easy to harvest, and don't over run the allotment, if so how?
As I am completely new to fruit growing any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ade

[retropants]

Hello there Ade,
I'd love to be able to help, but we've always planted new fruit trees in early spring. If they are in large enough pots, then I guess they can wait 'til the autumn? I'm sure soemone else will know much better than me. As for training, I really can't help here. We just leave ours to it, and prune as necessary. The training process just looks too scary for me! If this is the first fruit that you have grown, then when the first apples come (hopefully in year or two) then you simply cannot beat the flavour of a freshly picked apple! Yum

[richard p]

James Grieve is an eating apple which doesnt keep well, needs eating in the autumn dont try to keep the apples through the winter. personally i would plant it now, keep it well watered through the summer, a bucketful twice a week round the roots is better than a sprinkle every day the actual quantity depends on the weather, how big the tree is and how damp your soil is. how big it will grow depends on the rootstoke ,is there a lable? training also depends on how big it is now, the smaller it is when you start the better. i would recommend you get a good book, try the local library, the fruit expert by Hessayon covers all you need to know, and is often on sale in B&Q

[Carole B.]

Morello Cherries will grow well in a shady area if need be and they are best trained in a 'flat'form like a fan or espalier on a wall or on wires as this makes them much easier to net so the birds dont get all your cherries! The apple will need another apple in the area to pollinate it.

[ken]

I'll just add my pennyworth to all the good advice above. I agree that it would be better to plant as soon as possible - they'll need watering regularly while they get established, but not as regularly (almost daily in hot weather) as they would if they stayed in their pots. Morello cherries are often recommended for planting against north walls, so they can certainly take shade; they are also, I believe, a sour cherry best for cooking or making jam. James Grieve is a good apple, but as was pointed out above, how you can train it does depend on what rootstock it has, so check the label if there is one. Also, it may already be partially trained. The RHS has a couple of good softcover books on fruit - The Fruit Garden Displayed, if it's still available, and Fruit by Harry Baker, which covers very similar ground. Both are excellent on training systems.

[peter]

An Espalier can be as big as you can reach.
The remnants of an elizabethan mansion where I was born had espalier pears on the victorian owners extension that went the full height of the building, two high ceilinged floors of about fifteen foot each.
Conversely, my father bought cordons apples on M9 rootstock, the survivor is currently about fifteen foot round and high, and that is after a trip back to a clenched fist on a forearm about twelve years ago.

Ken's first book choice is the best, RHS, it is available on Amazon.

Morello make excellent Cherry Brandy, add cheap brandy and good sugar.

[ade]

Thank you all for your advice.
It appears that the apple is on a M26 rootstock which is a semi-dwarf so shoudn't grow too big.
There are a number of apple trees on other near-by allotments which I am hoping will provide pollenation.
I think I will have a go at training the Morello on wires as the label suggests that it can grow to 18', more than I can cope with.