How to grow a cherry pit, prune roses, grow Crown of Thorns
Growing a cherry tree will reward you with beautiful spring blossoms followed by sweet, tasty fruit -- if the birds don't get at them first. Credit: D H Wright
You mentioned your Knockout roses in a recent column. I also have one and need to know how to prune it. It is growing tall, and I would like to contain its growth. --Larry Schroeder, Wheatley Heights
While I appreciate all roses, Knockouts are the only ones I grow. They bloom nonstop from June through frost, are disease-resistant and look lush with practically no maintenance.
Knockouts don't require pruning unless, as you've noted, shape or size are issues. The best time to prune is in late winter or very early spring, just before the plant emerges from dormancy, but I've pruned mine in midsummer at the height of the growing season, and they didn't skip a beat.
Use sharp bypass pruners to make diagonal cuts just above outward-facing buds. Don't worry about accidentally removing buds because Knockouts will keep producing all season long.
Just don't be tempted to prune in the dead of winter; cuts can't heal while plants are dormant, and moisture will enter the plant, creating the potential for rot and disease.
I brought a cutting of a crown of thorns back from Florida this summer, planted it in a large pot and it thrived with flowers galore. I brought it indoors when the cold weather started, and since then it continues to lose leaves but still produces flowers. Is this a normal adjustment? Since they don't grow up north, I have no idea what to expect. Hopefully, the leaves will reappear in the summer when it can be out in the sun again. Any information? Thanks. -- Barbara Haegele, Port Jefferson
Crown of thorns, or Euphorbia milii var. splendens, is a beautiful plant that grows outdoors year-round in the South and can be grown as a houseplant here on Long Island. It can be a bit fickle when grown indoors, however. Over the winter, water it less, allowing the soil surface to dry out between waterings, but don't let the whole pot dry out. Be sure it's getting bright - but indirect - light, and don't apply fertilizer until spring, when you should do so at half-strength about once every other week.
Euphorbia milii, or Crown of thorns, is a favorite flowering shrub in warm climates, but can be grown indoors on Long Island. Credit: Joel Mann
I have tried during the past two summers to grow a cherry tree from dried, clean cherry pits, but nothing grew. I used a peat and vermiculite mixture, stored them in the refrigerator for the required time but nothing emerged. Either I missed a step or something was omitted from the instructions. I want so much to be able to grow the cherry tree. To me it is a challenge, and I love a challenge! --Dorothy Pedone, Moriches
I can't comment on your instructions because I don't know what instructions you used, but I have an idea about what went wrong: The pit should not have been allowed to dry out before the chilling period.
To grow a sprout, place a fresh pit in moist vermiculite or peat moss (or a combination) and store in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 weeks before planting. The chilling process can be undertaken during summer and the pit planted outdoors in fall when the weather cools. After chilling further outdoors over the winter, it will begin to grow in spring.
Otherwise, a chilled pit can be planted in a pot (it will sprout in a few weeks), kept indoors by a sunny window, and transplanted outdoors in spring. Chill and plant several pits, because not all will be successful.
Knockout roses, like this "Rainbow," are very low-maintenance Credit: Lyn Dobrin
This is a fun project, to be sure, but be aware it will be at least 10 years before you're enjoying homegrown cherries. And even then, there are no guarantees about the quality of fruit your tree will produce, regardless of how tasty its mother was, as cherries don't necessarily grow true.
