Gisela 5 cherry rootstocks

Introduced in the 1990s, Gisela 5 has quickly established itself as the rootstock of choice for gardeners who want a cherry tree with manageable proportions. It produces a tree about 3m / 10ft tall after 5 years or so - roughly equivalent to the apple M26 rootstock, and only about 50% of the size of a "standard" cherry on seedling rootstock.

Cherry trees on Gisela 5 cannot support themselves so you will need a 2m permanent stake or other means of support. Training against a wall or trellis works well with Gisela 5 (and also means you can more easily cover the tree in early summer to keep the birds away).

It is important to provide good growing conditions, including regular feeding and watering, and to keep the area around the tree free from competing weeds or grass.

Gisela 5 is very popular with commercial cherry growers in Europe, and performs well in the cool climates of northern Europe. Commercial orchards on Gisela 5 are typically laid out with 2m between trees in the row, and 4m between rows. For the home orchard, allow 3m between trees.