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Cherry is a perennial tree or shrub that bears fruit in the form of seeds with seeds, numbering over 150 varieties. There are common, steppe, felt and decorative sakura. The distribution area is Europe, Asia, America. More than 20 varieties grow on the post-Soviet territory. Cherry varieties for the middle lane have several dozen varieties today.
Characteristics of the best cherry varieties
In the Russian temperate climate it is widespread, prefers sandy loam and loamy soils, in swampy places it is sick.
Popular due to its aesthetic appearance, many people associate cherry bushes with a white with a pinkish tinge with a girl in a white dress. It is used for making desserts, juices and compotes; it is one of the earliest honey plants.
Sweetish taste, productivity and unpretentiousness contributed to its spread and popularity in Russian regions. In the steppe and forest-steppe, a low-growing species of steppe cherry grows, which served as the basis for varietal selection of cultivated species due to its high frost resistance and yield, but having a sour and bitter taste.
Sweet taste, yield
About a thousand years ago, Byzantine sweet sorts of cherries were brought to Kievan Rus, which then spread throughout Russia. As a result of cross-pollination with wild species and selection over the centuries, varieties have appeared that combine the delicate taste and size of the southern ones and the frost resistance of the steppe savage.
In Russia, fruits were widely used in cooking, the Domostroy magazine of the 16th century contains various recipes for preparing, storing and preparing dishes with berries. In the 17th century. Vladimirskaya became widespread, it is believed that A.P. Chekhov's cherry orchard was painted under the impression of plantations from varieties of such trees. In the 19th century. the variety Lyubskaya was identified, fruitful and with large berries, but due to the astringency and sourness, the variety was used only for canning.
Now popular varieties of raspberries, strawberries, bearing fruit all summer until late autumn. There is only one known remontant cherry - the Griot of All Saints.
Features of caring for various varieties of cherries
In regions with severe frosts, it is advisable to plant seedlings in the spring, until the buds have blossomed. In autumn, you can plant no later than mid-October. Considering that the choice of planting material is greater in the autumn months, the plant can be dug in until spring in order to plant in April without the risk of freezing.
An unpretentious plant does not require special care and fertilization, but, nevertheless, it is better to feed after the loss of a leaf with fertilizers based on phosphorus and potassium, and in the spring to add dissolved nitrogen: bird droppings or azophoska.
Schematic execution of the pruning principle
Pruning should be done regularly, removing dried and damaged, as well as excessively long, about half a meter, branches.Spring pruning is carried out in March - April, autumn - before frosts until November.
The culture has a tendency to fungal diseases, with cold snaps and high humidity, even adult cherry trees can get sick. Preventive measures include the treatment with copper sulfate, Bordeaux liquid, as well as the timely cleaning of the area from leaves and weeds.
Choosing the best cherry variety
The parents of the new varieties were sweet cherry and wild cherry. In areas to the north, shrub species that are more resistant to low temperatures are grown, in the southern regions, more durable tree species are preferred.
To identify the best varieties, a comparison of the following properties is used:
- frost resistance;
- resistance to pests;
- yield;
- taste.
For cultivation in problematic areas of agriculture, winter hardiness is the main criterion for choosing seedlings for planting, since the culture is demanding on temperature changes, and frosts lead to the death of buds, flowers and young shoots.
Popular species rating
The Russian register contains a list of more than 150 species. Comparing the main properties allows you to make a list of the top 5 according to the main criteria for the middle band:
The best varieties for the middle lane were selected for the following main properties, the most important for gardeners: disease resistance, frost resistance, yield.
| Variety name | Berry weight, g | Ripening terms | Yield from tree | Winter hardiness | Resistance to fungal diseases | Fruit taste | Ranking place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tamaris | 4.8 | average | high | high | high | good | 1 |
| Sap | 5 | average | average | high | high | satisfactory | 2 |
| Novella | 5 | average | average | good | high | satisfactory | 4 |
| Rossosh black | 4.5 | average | high | good | low | good | 3 |
| Igritskaya | 4.5 | late | average | high | high | good | 5 |
The Tamaris variety, which has deservedly received the first place, belongs to self-fertile, reaches a height of up to 170 cm, sometimes up to 2.5 m, is resistant to fungi, has a large berry. The yield from one tree reaches 10 kg with high winter hardiness. It was entered in the register in 1994. When planted with plantations, the yield per hectare can exceed 80 centners, the taste is sweet with a slight sourness.
Zhivitsa, bred in Belarus, is a hybrid of Griot Ostheim and Denisen Yellow cherry. From cherries I got early ripening and berry size, from cherries - winter hardiness and sweet taste, estimated at 4.8 points. The hybrid is self-fertile, the yield per hectare in the case of planting according to the 5 × 3 scheme reaches 140 centners per hectare, practically does not form root growth. Zhivitsa - sweet cherry with large berries, delicate taste, which is why it is so popular among gardeners.
Sap
Rossoshanskaya Black takes the third place in the rating, has an almost black large berry with a sweet and sour taste, for which it received 4.5 points. The tree is up to 4 m tall, the average yield is 15 kg of berries per tree, in good years it can exceed 25 kg. The variety is highly resistant to cold weather.
It should be noted that this rating is only for the middle lane; in other climatic conditions, the choice should be given to other varieties of cherries. For example, in the Volgograd region and the central part of Russia, traditional varieties are popular: Zhukovskaya, Lyubskaya, but they are beginning to grow andnew volgograd cherries:
- Wonder cherry, obtained by crossing cherries and sweet cherries with fruits up to 10-12 g. This is the sweetest cherry with taste tasters rating of 4.8-5.0 points, resistant to fungi, with a yield of up to 20 kg per bush.
- Podbelskaya with excellent taste by 5.0 points. She has an increased sweetness of cherries, the variety is resistant to fungi, self-fertile, and prefers cherries from pollinators.
How to plant cherries
Planting cherries using the example of varieties from the rating, which are in the first places:
- Tamaris.
- Sap.
How to plant
The prevalence of Tamaris is due to its properties, low height and good yield. The short stature allows the use of small plots for growing, it is easier to care for and harvest. Self-pollination makes it possible to do without planting pollinating plants. Large fruits and ripening periods allow counting on a large harvest.
Sapling in the ground
The culture is a bush culture, therefore, planting is carried out at a distance of 2 m to fruit trees in a hole up to half a meter deep, at the bottom of which a mixture of humus, superphosphate (40 g), potassium chloride (20-25 g) and wood ash (about 1 kg). With a high clay content, sand is added to the pit.
For planting gum, pits 60 × 60 cm are made, a mixture of earth with superphosphate (100 g) or three buckets of compost and 1 liter of ash is added. In areas with clay, sand is added (1 bucket / 1 m²).
How to grow
They take care of Tamaris as follows: they loosen the soil, water it before flowering and during fruiting, apply fertilizer in autumn and spring and prune it. For the winter, it is worth protecting the trunk from rodents by wrapping it in dense material.
The gum is drought-resistant, moderate watering is needed, the seedlings are watered 1-2 times a week for a month, then once a month is enough. During fruiting, you need up to 5 buckets:
- before color set;
- during its formation;
- after harvesting.
In order for the tree to withstand frost better, during dry autumn, you need to water the plants more often.
In the spring, to accelerate growth, nitrogen fertilizers are applied, before flowering, the crown is treated with an ideal preparation, in September, phosphorus-potassium substances are introduced.
After the end of the season, the trunk must be whitewashed so that the bark does not crack. Before frosts, the soil is loosened and moistened.
Stalk whitewashing
Recommendations and advice from experienced gardeners
To count on a good harvest:
- for planting, you need to select a sunny area with light soils and the absence of nearby groundwater;
- to produce the purchase of seedlings in proven places;
- if the summer is hot and dry, you need to water it 2–5 times per season: after flowering, during seed formation and when ripe.
For active growth and harvest, fertilizers are needed according to the scheme:
- in spring before flowering plants;
- 2 weeks after the first fertilization;
- after falling leaves.
The culture is popular in Russia, and with little work you can get a decent harvest if you use zoned varieties that are resistant to changes in climatic conditions in areas of risky farming and frost. However, for a one hundred percent harvest, you need to know agricultural techniques, some of which are given in the article.
