Soil for Cherry Tree

If you are worried about drainage, then sand won't help much you need something much coarser like horticultural grit.

My cherry tree has just been in cheap MPC for two years, and I've just repotted it with more cheap MPC. It's a very happy tree. Just add lots of crocks in the bottom of the pot to let it drain. With some of my other trees (particularly ones that came bare root) I have mixed in a bit of store bought (in 25l bags) of top soil, but with this one there was only about an inch or so clearance between the existing rootball and the new pot, so I just watered in some MPC down the sides, and added about an inch more all across the top. Done, and all set for another two years

Thank you for advice. Someone suggested sand and I thought it wasn't a good option but decided to get it checked out.

It also needs considerable pruning but I understand from previous forums that it would be better not to prune it yet but to wait until the weather improves so the open wounds can heal quicker. Is that right or should I prune it now? It already has some buds on it and I'm concerned I will be cutting them off when I prune it.

I take a different view - "ask two gardeners and get three opinions"

I plant long term container grown plants in soil-based compost, rather than MPC. Much easier to re-wet if they dry out, and provides more weight - stops them blowing over, and the roots anchor better.

Ornamental Cherry trees prefer good drainage, sorry I don't know about fruiting ones, so you could improve it if you like, but usually soil-based / John Innes composts are fairly free draining (its usually quite "sandy"). If you think it needs some increased drainage I would use sharp[ sand (not builders sand), horticultural grit (its smaller than "gravel") or Perlite. I would use about 10%, by volume, mixed in. I would not use/add garden soil - unless you have lovely loam John Innes is formulated to have a good balance of soil, humus, and drainage, and garden soil is not usually on a par with that (my clay is only any good for making bricks - yours might be better though )

I would not put crocks in the bottom of the pot. You would be taking up space which could be used for more growing compost, and water will find it harder to transition through the change of substrate structure - so it will drain better without crocks. If its a fancy pot with a single drainage hole then you will need a drainage layer in the bottom, but for, say, a plastic pot with plenty of drainage holes just make sure they are not "blocked" by being stood directly on a paving slab (so either raised on some gravel / feet, or the drainage holes are directly around the edge at the base, not in the bottom of the pot. Quite often plastic pots have some ribs on the bottom, so the drainage holes are not directly in contact with the ground below)

Sorry, don't know about pruning, but something in the back of my mind says that Cherries "weep" when pruned, and timing is important to minimise that - can't remember if that means to prune when they are dormant, or actively growing, though!

Thank you