Nanking Cherry - leggy seedlings

Hi folks!

I recently discovered a pot in my crawlspace with some seriously light-deprived leggy seedlings coming up - turns out my "failed" Nanking germination from the year prior just needed a proper winter!

In any case, just wondering if anybody has had experience with these seedlings. Can you repot them and bury the stem up to the first true leaves like a tomato plant, or will this rot the stem? I don't want to mess them up because here in Canada these plants are fairly challenging to find!

Hi Jay,
I don't know about re-potting them, but I would definitely get some really bright lights close to the tops, to avoid them getting more leggy.

i'm no expert, but i'd definitely try repotting at least some asap, to simulate them having been planted deeper in the first place. i don't know how quickly this option could disappear. i don't know if the stem changing colors is it or if there's a later point towards when a root collar develops.

I prefer to leave things alone, rather than fussing with them, thinking that my arbitrary actions might help.

I would add light, but not re-pot.

Thank you everyone, you all made good points, so I've done a little of everything - some have been reported deeper and others repotted to the same soil level. They will be in a spot with better light overall.

I'll let you know how the experiment goes!

I would not repot either. Just add delicate light. Probably full shade... but the high quality type shade that is un-impeded. Then once they look stronger... set them somewhere that they get morning and evening sun... but shade from say 10AM until 4PM.

After a few days of that... move them to a place with some stronger sun.

I rooted out 5 cuttings of Santa Rosa plums once in a single 12" x 15" container. Let them all grow there together for a season. They suffered but survived my big move. Just give them organic fertilizer about once every month or two and lots of water.

The next Spring, I gently pulled them all apart (Still broke tons of roots) and planted two... then up potted the rest and gave them to co-workers as gifts.

The two I kept were 7' tall by the end of last season. I heavily pruned... and now they are bushing up and growing rapidly again! Boom...

All of the ones I gifted died different deaths. Folks don't take care of things they don't care about and didn't have to work for.

Anyways, I also got a very young single rooted cutting of Nanking last Spring. Barely rooted and only $4.50 from Tractor Supply. Babied her in a pot that first year... moving her to stronger light slowly.

Pruned heavily and planted this Spring. She has bushed up aggressively and stalled on new growth at the moment. Pretty impressive grower so far. Looking forward to see what she turns into in a few years!!!

Thanks for the thoughtful answer, Marty!

Makes a lot of sense to me. I should clarify that when I say they'll be getting more light now, I mean more light than the unlit crawlspace they sprouted in haha. I live in the woods with probably 60-70% closed canopy so no danger of blasting them with full sun here! The real struggle will be finding a spot with enough light for them to do well when they get a couple years growth on.

I

Nanking cherries? They are tough as nails. Plunk them in the ground! My 2c

EDIT: Whoops,  I was thinking of Evans cherries, which are ridiculously tough to the point of invasive. Nankings might be a bit more fussy. Putting your Nankings in a pot is a good idea. But get them outside!

I like the sounds of a cherry so tough it's almost invasive - may have to give those a go next!

Update for anyone who may encounter this issue in future: the ones that were buried deeper looked great at first, before slowly rotting beneath the soil. The ones that were potted up at the same soil line were so floppy and sad, but eventually figured themselves out and lived!
The more you know...

Jay Clark wrote:Update for anyone who may encounter this issue in future: the ones that were buried deeper looked great at first, before slowly rotting beneath the soil. The ones that were potted up at the same soil line were so floppy and sad, but eventually figured themselves out and lived!
The more you know...

Thank you for the update!

My little first year tree in the front yard got completely neglected this Summer poor thing. I didn't even water it a single time!!!

It is still alive! I did mulch/barrier it with a large square of nursery plastic/fabric though. So that kept it from having to compete with the grass and weed eater from the family. The fire ants loved that though. So it may have some nice deep pathways dug into the clay for it next year by those ants. I hope!

I will add fertilizer this Fall and again early next Spring.

These Nanking cherries do seem remarkably tough - it was only when I tried to baby some of them that they couldn't handle it and died!
Was your cutting rooted as a hardwood or softwood? I had heard they're tricky to root - they're almost always grown from seed. Hope it continues to do great - make sure to get him a pollination buddy if you want any fruit (I'm sure you probably already know haha, but just in case!)

Jay Clark wrote:These Nanking cherries do seem remarkably tough - it was only when I tried to baby some of them that they couldn't handle it and died!
Was your cutting rooted as a hardwood or softwood? I had heard they're tricky to root - they're almost always grown from seed. Hope it continues to do great - make sure to get him a pollination buddy if you want any fruit (I'm sure you probably already know haha, but just in case!)

No I didn’t know that’s actually! I assumed these were like most all other stone fruits and will make fruit on their own… but that they will get a crop bump from adding another. I may have to get another then! I have the room anyways and my bees will love the early blooms.

My cutting was already rooted on its own root. Stem was about 1/2 the thickness of a pencil. So it was probably just barely lignified first-years growth… or green wood. It was one of the $3.95 micro box plants you get at Tractor Supply and other box stores early in the Spring. I grew it out for a season in a small pot in a good place… then planted it.

Oh, glad I mentioned it then! Yes they are odd in terms of pollination in that they are not self-fruitful at all and I don't think they cross-pollinate with any of the normal cherries either, but 2-3 genetically different individuals should work great! There's a black Nanking cherry too and I'm fairly sure it is compatible with the normal Nanking if you want more variety.


They make beautiful hedges! I am buying a bunch of seeds for next year to create a few hedges. Now that you've confirmed cuttings are possible, I'll have to try taking some from the best growers/best fruit producers of the bunch!

Thanks again for the info.

Good luck on rooting them. I have always struggled/failed with some types of stone fruits but had great success with the Santa Rosa Plums when I tried them. I kept two and fave away the rest. I now have two Santa Rosa plums that are 7 to 8 feet tall on their own roots and growing (end of second year for them).