Chronological table of Rus' in the 14th and 15th centuries. History of Russia - XIV-XV centuries
Cherries are valued by gardeners for their high yield and unsurpassed taste of the berries. Many people consider this crop to be too demanding in terms of growing conditions, but this is a misconception. In order for cherries to develop well and bear fruit abundantly, the planting and care of which are covered in detail in our material, you only need to choose the right variety, protect it from frost and ensure timely watering and fertilization.
Sweet cherry is the closest relative of the sour cherry. Thanks to new, cold-resistant varieties, it is possible to grow cherries in central Russia and northern regions, despite the southern origin of the crop.
Choosing a cherry seedling
To plant on the site, you should select several varieties of cherries for cross-pollination. In the middle zone and the Moscow region, the following varieties produce good harvests: Cheremashnaya, Krymskaya, Iput, Bryansk pink, Fatezh, Tyutchevka.
Externally, cherry seedlings are very similar to cherries, but upon closer inspection, it is not difficult to distinguish them:
- Cherry trees are taller with erect branches;
- The bark of cherry seedlings is brown with a reddish tint, while the bark of cherry seedlings is gray-brown.
Growing cherries will be successful if the seedling for planting is chosen correctly. His age should not exceed three years (optimally two years). The recommended height of the purchased seedling is at least 80 cm, and it has 3-4 strong shoots. There must be a grafting site on the trunk, which indicates the varietal identity of the seedling. The bark of a healthy plant is smooth, without signs of disease or freezing.
Cherry seedlings from the nursery prepared for transplanting
The root system of cherry planting material is well developed and has 3-4 branches 20 cm long. Specimens with dried, rotten or frozen roots should not be purchased - they are not viable. If the root system of the seedling is very dry—a light brown core is visible when cut—the seedling can be revived. To do this, the roots are placed in a container with water for a day.
Choosing a location and planting cherries
Improper planting of cherries can lead to the death of the seedling, so this stage must be approached responsibly.
Choosing a landing site
Cherry prefers areas on the south or southwest side, not blown by north winds. It is allowed to plant trees near the southern walls of the house and on gentle slopes.
Cherries bear fruit well in a sunny area on the south side
This fruit crop does not tolerate stagnation of moisture, even short-term. Planting cherries in central Russia should be carried out in areas with deep groundwater. Otherwise, soaking the roots will lead to a delay in the development of the tree, and subsequently to its death.
Soil preparation
Cherries develop and bear fruit well on fertile loams and sandy loams with neutral acidity. The soil should be well aerated and saturated with moisture. Peat bogs, deep sandstones and heavy clay soils are not suitable for growing cherries.
It is necessary to prepare the area where you plan to plant the tree in advance. The site is dug up in the fall, adding organic matter (manure or compost) and mineral fertilizers (superphosphate and sodium sulfate). If you need to lower the pH level of the soil, add about 500 g of lime or chalk.
Planting seedlings in open ground
Sweet cherries take root and develop well, the cultivation and care of which are planned in advance, and the rules and planting dates are followed. In the southern regions, planting is done in the fall and they have time to get stronger before the onset of cold weather. In the conditions of the Moscow region and the middle zone, transplantation should be postponed until spring. The optimal time for spring planting in open ground is the end of April, before the buds swell.
When planting a cherry orchard, a distance of at least 3 meters must be maintained between plants. A hole for planting is dug two weeks before planting so that the soil is sufficiently settled. The fertile layer of surface soil is tilted in one direction, and the deep layer in the other. The size of the hole should ensure free placement of the root system in it - a depth of approximately 60 cm and a width of 60-100 cm. It is not recommended to add nitrogen-containing fertilizers and lime to the planting hole, which can cause burns to the roots.
Preparing a planting hole for cherries
At the bottom of the planting hole, a mound of fertile soil is formed, on which the seedling is placed. The root neck of the cherry tree should not be deepened. It should be at ground level or slightly higher. After planting, you need to water the tree abundantly and mulch the tree trunk.
Cherry - care after planting and before harvesting
Caring for cherries in the first year of planting does not take much effort. It is enough to water the plant in a timely manner and remove weeds in the tree trunk circle. In the future, the tree needs additional care.
Watering and weeding
Watering an adult tree is carried out three times a season, adding 20-30 liters of water. In dry summers, the amount of watering can be increased. You should avoid excess moisture, as cherry roots are prone to rotting. The growth of weeds in the tree trunk circle is unacceptable, so they are regularly removed, the soil is loosened and mulched.
Pollination
For fruiting, you need to ensure good pollination of the cherry during flowering. Cherries of other varieties or cherries will become cross pollinators. To attract bees, cherry flowers can be irrigated with honey or sugar dissolved in water.
It is recommended to grow several varieties of cherries for cross-pollination.
Fertilizing cherries in spring and pre-winter
If the soil was well fertilized when planting, additional fertilizing is not needed for the first 3-5 years. Caring for cherries in central Russia in the future includes the application of organic fertilizers, which are applied in the spring: 10 kg of compost or rotted manure. Mineral fertilizers (superphosphate) will help the tree prepare for winter. They are brought in no later than September.
Formative and sanitary pruning of cherries
In the year of planting, you need to shorten the side branches to 40 cm. The intensive growth of cherry shoots needs to be restrained. To do this, formative pruning is carried out in the spring before the buds swell.
Cherry trees are pruned in the spring before the buds swell.
In subsequent years, pruning is carried out to form a tiered crown, shortening last year's shoots. At a height of 3-3.5 m, the growth of the main conductor is restrained by pruning. In the spring, sanitary pruning is also carried out, removing damaged and improperly growing branches.
Harvesting and subsequent care of cherries
Cherries begin to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting. The ripening period of berries may vary depending on the variety. Berry picking often occurs in June and July. Berries with stalks are picked in dry weather.
During the ripening period, starlings and other birds like to feast on the berries. To deter them, you can buy special nets for fruit trees; summer residents also attach rustling and shiny objects to trees. More reliable means of protection are non-woven material or electronic repellers.
Protecting cherry fruits from birds using old computer disks
Caring for cherries after harvest is not difficult. It is necessary to monitor the health of the tree and regularly clean the tree trunk from fallen plant debris. During this period, the amount and rate of watering can be reduced.
Diseases and pests of cherries, and their control
To protect cherries, early spring (during bud swelling) spraying with a urea solution is used as a preventative measure. Prepare a solution from 10 liters of water and 500-600 g of urea. They treat not only the branches, but also the soil in the tree trunk circle, thereby destroying the insects wintering there.
To combat fungi and moss, treat the trunk and crown with a 5% solution of iron sulfate before sap flow begins. Such treatment is sufficient once every few years.
Cherry affected by clasterosporiosis
To combat the main pests: sawfly, mites, aphids, they are treated with Karbofos, Askarin, Fitoverm, Novaktion. Spray the trees during the period of bud opening and bouquet separation. During the same period, prevention of clasterosporiasis, moniliosis and other diseases is carried out with a 5% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
After flowering, prevention of flying pests begins. To do this, spray with Karbofos or Novaktion. The last treatment should be carried out no later than 20 days before the crop ripens.
Preparing cherries for wintering
Mature cherries, planted and cared for according to the rules, tolerate winter well without shelter. It is enough to whiten the base of the trunk and skeletal branches, add 150 g of superphosphate to the soil in September, and mulch the tree trunk circle with peat. Also in the fall it is necessary to carry out abundant saturating watering.
Autumn whitewashing of cherries
Young seedlings need shelter. You should not wrap them with artificial materials (lutrasil, spunbond). It is better to give preference to spruce branches or burlap, under which the trees breathe in winter and will not rot.
Even inexperienced gardeners can grow cherries in central Russia and other regions. By choosing the right seedling and planting site, as well as following simple care rules, you can harvest an excellent harvest of juicy and sweet berries every year.
Cherry is considered a fairly demanding plant in terms of light and heat. It is afraid of cold air and favors sunny places at higher elevations. The site must be protected from northeastern and northern winds. The best place for growing cherries there will be a south and southwest side of the buildings. She will also feel comfortable among mature trees.
Cherries prefers warm sandy loam fertile soils and grows very poorly on peat bog, heavy loamy, gley soils. It is worth noting that for growing cherries Acidic soils are completely unsuitable. Neutral, slightly alkaline (pH 7-7.3) and slightly acidic are much more suitable for her. Cherry does not tolerate stagnation of water, but at the same time it loves a large amount of moisture. Does not survive well in the presence of close groundwater.
1. Cherry varieties most suitable for central Russia
Breeders have created a fairly large number of cherry varieties that grow well and bear fruit in the middle zone. It includes the Moscow, Bryansk, Kaluga, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tula, Vladimir and Ivanovo regions.
1.1 Early ripening varieties of cherries:
Iput is a self-sterile variety whose pollinators are Revna, Raditsa, Bryanskaya rozovaya and Tyutchivka. It has high winter hardiness of flower buds. The fruits are very sweet and juicy and almost black in color. Their weight reaches almost 10 grams.
Raditsa. Pollinators for it are Iput, Revna and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and juicy, dark red in color, weighing up to 5.8 grams.
Sadko. Pollinators for it are Iput, Revna and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and rarely crack, reaching a weight of up to 8 grams. It has a dark red color.
1.2 Mid-early and mid-ripening varieties of cherries:
Revna. Its pollinators are Iput, Raditsa and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and juicy, dark red in color, weighing up to 7.8 grams.
Tyutchivka. Its pollinators are Iput, Raditsa, Revna and Ovstuzhenka. The fruits are sweet and juicy, dark red in color, weighing up to 5.4 grams. In years with high humidity, the fruits may crack.
Astakhov's favorite. Its pollinators are Iput, Raditsa and Tyutchivka. It is also considered partially self-fertile. The fruits are sweet and juicy, dark red in color, weighing more than 5 grams.
1.3 Late-ripening varieties of cherries:
Lena. Pollinators for it are Iput, Revna and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and obtusely heart-shaped, dark red in color, weighing up to 8 grams.
Bryanochka. Pollinators for it are Iput, Revna and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and juicy, dark red in color, weighing up to 7 grams.
Bryansk pink. Pollinators for it are Iput, Revna and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and juicy, pink in color, weighing up to 5 grams.
All varieties begin to bear fruit 3-5 years after planting. They are also winter-hardy and resistant to coccomycosis and some other fungal diseases. For full fruiting, it is necessary to have at least 3 varieties of cherries in one area.
Fig.1 Cherry blossoms
2. Planting cherries
The best time for planting cherries It is early spring, until the buds open. Thanks to this, the seedling will have time to take root well and gain vitality to survive the first winter.
The planting hole should be dug 10-12 days before planting in the spring or prepared in the fall. The optimal depth is 60-75 cm, and the width is 70-80 cm. The dug-out fertile soil layer is mixed with humus and superphosphate (200 g) and potassium sulfate (100 g) are added to it. The hole is then filled with this mixture.
It is very important to remember that cherries do not tolerate deepening of the root collar. Therefore, when planting, it is worth raising it by 3-4 centimeters, because in the near future the soil will settle and the root collar will deepen a little.
After planting, you need to form a moat around the cherry seedling and water it generously with a bucket of water. It is advisable to re-water after a week.
Fig. 2 How to properly deepen the root collar of cherries
3. Cherry feeding
The first years after planting cherries there is no need to apply fertilizer, since everything necessary was placed in the hole along with the soil. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizing begins in the 3rd year after planting. Superphosphate (40-60 g/m2) and potassium chloride (20-30 grams) are added once every 3 years when digging the trunk circle no later than mid-September.
Nitrogen fertilizers are applied every spring, starting from the 3rd year after planting cherries. These include ammonium nitrate (20 g/m2) or urea (15 g/m2). You can learn more about mineral fertilizers here.
Organic matter should be added once every 2 years, 3-4 kg per m2. This is best done in the spring when loosening the tree trunk circle. If you apply these fertilizers later, the growth of new shoots may stop, and they will not have time to get stronger before the onset of cold weather.
Also, after fruiting, you can sow green manure plants around the tree trunk, which, together with the soil, will be dug up in the spring and, thus, all the necessary substances will begin to nourish the tree much earlier, especially considering the fact that they will begin to overheat under the snow. You can find out more interesting information about green manure plants from this article.
4. Pruning cherries and crown formation
Carry out crown formation cherries It is advisable in early spring, before the buds swell. At the same time, one should not forget about treating all cuts with garden varnish. This must be done in order to prevent gum formation, which can lead to infection. various kinds diseases and even death of the tree. Also, don’t forget about whitewashing the tree trunk in spring, and you can find out how to do it correctly here.
The cherry tree has a natural crown shape - from pyramidal to round, but when pruned it is most often made into a sparsely tiered crown with a trunk height of 60 to 80 centimeters. The first pruning of shoots should be carried out a year after planting cherries.
During this period, a crown of 5-6 skeletal branches (first order) is formed. In the first tier, 3 branches are left, 2 of which can be placed adjacent, and the third is 20-25 centimeters higher than the first two.
In the third year, it is advisable to lay the second tier of skeletal branches at a distance of at least 60 cm from the upper branch of the first tier. In the same year, 2 second-order branches should be formed on each first-order shoot. To form second-order branches, it is necessary to shorten the first-order branches by approximately 20 centimeters after their length reaches 70 centimeters. Second-order branches are located at a distance of at least 50 centimeters from the trunk and from each other.
The third tier is usually formed from a single shoot at a distance of at least 30 centimeters from the second tier. In this case, it is recommended to cut the central conductor above the branch of the third tier no earlier than a year after its formation.
Cherry is still not widespread in central Russia. To successfully cultivate cherries, one cannot neglect agrotechnical rules, which, unfortunately, not everyone knows about. We will talk about the intricacies of growing this southern woman.
The most typical question: Why do cherries grow well but not bear fruit? In this case, there can be two options: either the cherry tree grows well, but does not bloom, or the tree grows and blooms, but does not produce a harvest. In the first case, there can be many reasons: insufficient age of the tree, imbalance of soil nutrition, “fatification” due to excess nitrogen fertilizers, freezing of flower buds (if there were any), etc.
Cherry in the middle zone 2
The most common reason is insufficient lighting due to improper placement in the garden or dense plantings. You need to know that cherries are a fast-growing, large and very light-loving plant. For its normal development there must be free space of no less than 5 x 3 m (in extreme cases 4 x 3 m). Thickened planting can also lead to a decrease in potential winter hardiness, especially flower buds.
A common mistake is the desire to plant cherries closer to the house or outbuilding in the hope that they will protect the tree from the effects of winter cold (1). This also leads to a lack of sunlight and improper plant formation. As a result, it stretches upward, the lower part of the trunk becomes bare due to the dying off of the branches, and fruiting begins only in the upper part of the crown, when it manages to reach the light above the roof. It is difficult to harvest from such a height, and the birds get it.
The lack of harvest during abundant flowering is most likely due to the fact that there were no pollinating varieties nearby or there was bad weather during the fruit set period (rains, spring frosts, etc.). If the weather is favorable and the tree blooms every year but does not bear fruit, then the reason is probably the absence of a pollinator. It is important to know that cherries do not have self-fertile varieties; they require mandatory cross-pollination. In this regard, it is necessary to provide for the presence of at least two, and preferably three or four varieties on the site for mutual cross-pollination. You can get by with one only if other varieties grow nearby. The main thing is that their flowering dates coincide.
If there is no place for a second tree, then it is better to plant only one, but spaciously growing tree, and make several grafts of other varieties into its crown. This is enough for pollination. It is better to plant a fast-growing variety as the main one. Fatezh(2), which is the most reliable for central Russia both in terms of winter hardiness and yield. Not as tall as other varieties, the tree with a strong spreading crown (branches extend from the trunk at right or obtuse angles) in July will delight you with tasty fruits weighing 4–4.5 g. They are good both fresh and for various preparations. Can be grafted into the crown Chermashnaya(with yellow, earlier-ripening dessert-flavored berries), etc. A set of different varieties will allow you to create a conveyor according to ripening dates from the end of June and almost the whole of July.
By the way, vaccinations can be done by cuttings in the spring and by budding (for stone fruits this method is preferable). It is carried out at the end of July - beginning of August in the branches of young plants as thick as a pencil or a little more.
Gardeners often ask why two trees planted bloom profusely, but do not produce a harvest. In this case, the reason may lie in the selectivity of the pollinator. For example, according to Doctor of Agricultural Sciences M. Kanshina, the author of many varieties of cherries, such selectivity is typical for varieties Raditsa And Bryansk pink. However, most varieties pollinate well with each other while flowering at the same time. Two trees growing and flowering nearby are left without a harvest, most likely if they turned out to be the same variety, although they could be sold as different. Varietal identity is determined by leaves: one leaf is taken from the middle part of shoots of identical development from each tree and compared. In identical varieties, all the characteristics (for example, serration of the leaf edge, shape of the base and tip of the leaf blade, etc.) are the same. There are many such signs, but they require professional knowledge. However, I’ll give my author’s hint: cherry leaves have glands called nectaries. They are located at the base of the leaf blade and on the leaf petiole; they look like small tubercles about 1–3 mm in size. The most important thing is that each variety has its own nectary color, which basically matches the color of the fruit. In yellow fruits ( Chermashnaya) they are light yellow (3), in varieties with pink or yellow fruits with a reddish blush (Fatezh) – pinkish, in red-fruited ones ( Sinyavskaya) – red (4).
Of course, the signal characteristics will be the same in different varieties with the same fruit color. But here we must remember that the leaves of all varieties are necessarily different.
I hope that such a professional tip will help you purchase seedlings of different varieties. True, for this, the plants must have leaves, which are removed (sniffed) before the autumn digging, leaving them only on the tops. However, this is quite enough to conduct a comparative inspection.
Sometimes gardeners follow the wrong recommendations and harm their trees. Once at a lecture, an amateur gardener said that in order to speed up the fruiting of a large cherry tree, he bent back the branches and nailed their ends to the trunk. The result was disastrous: giant shoots grew on the branches, resin growths formed on the trunks near the nails, and then the bark cracked. However, fruiting never occurred.
The recommendation gleaned by the gardener from one of the books turned out to be wrong in general, and even more so for cherries. With such bending, an arched curvature of the branch occurs. At the highest points of this arc, vertically growing wen shoots always grow, outstripping other branches in terms of growth strength. This reaction to too sharp a bend is characteristic of all tree crops. Bending should be carried out to the horizontal level of the branch.
Sweet cherry, like cherries, belongs to the Rosaceae family. And it’s not for nothing that these cultures are so similar in appearance. So, in some countries they even have the same names, for example, the British call both cherries and cherries “cherry,” and the French call them “cerise.” Even the famous work of A.P. Chekhov " Cherry Orchard", many abroad call it the "Cherry Orchard". However, although cherries and cherries are related crops, they still have several differences, both in the method of growing trees and in the taste of the fruit (cherries have a sweet taste, cherries have a “sour” taste). Next, we will tell you in more detail about the characteristics of cherries, planting and caring for this crop.
Characteristics of crop varieties
In order for cherries to produce a plentiful and tasty harvest, proper tree care is needed. If all planting and care conditions are met, the tree can grow up to 18-19 meters in height. In addition, each year you can collect 40-45 kg of berries from each of them. However, it is worth saying that the tree does not begin to bear fruit immediately after planting, but must take 4-6 years. Cherries please gardeners with an abundant and full harvest only in the 9-10th year after planting.
In total, gardeners know about 3,000 varieties of cherries, the most popular among them are:
- Bigarro. The berries have dense and crispy pulp. They can be eaten fresh, as well as during the preparation of various dishes and preserves, jams. The juice obtained from the berries of this variety is slightly colored. Various drinks and compotes made from bigarro cherries are very good, because these berries do not lose their elasticity, even after cooking.
- Guinea. These berries, unlike the fruits of the bigarro variety, have soft and juicy pulp. Due to these properties, these fruits are rarely used in cooking and are poorly transportable. However, it is recommended to eat them fresh, as they are very tasty and healthy.
If 50 years ago this crop was grown only in southern latitudes, today, thanks to specific care and planting, it can be planted in colder regions of Russia. However, do not forget that this crop is cross-pollinated. Therefore, pollinating trees should be planted next to it. In this case, cherries will delight you with a tasty and abundant harvest.
The following crop varieties are most often grown in Russia:
- Here we go. This tree variety is quite resistant to cold winter conditions. Gives a harvest in medium quantities, up to 30 kg. Belongs to mid-early varieties. The culture is resistant to some dangerous plant diseases, for example, coccomycosis and klyasterosporioz. The berries of this variety are quite large, weighing on average 7-8 grams. The color of the fruit is bright or dark red. Ripe berries have an almost black tint. They taste very sweet.
- Variety "Fatezh". These trees reach a height of 2.7 meters. Every year, this crop variety, with proper care, produces a rich harvest - up to 45 kg. The fruits appear 5-6 years after planting the tree. The color of the fruit is red. The berries taste sweet. In addition, this crop can also be grown for decorative purposes, since trees of this variety have a very beautiful, neat crown.
- Cheremashnaya. With proper care, this type of tree survives the winter well. Fruits with berries yellow. The fruits are sweet, with a slight sourness. Suitable for use for culinary purposes for making jams and compotes. The trees of this variety themselves are very tall, so they periodically need crown pruning.
- Crimean. This variety of trees survives the winter cold well. It belongs to the early varieties, as it begins to bear fruit in early summer. The fruits have juicy pulp. The color of the berries is pink. Great for homemade preparations for the winter. Crimean cherries bear fruit abundantly; up to 40 kg of berries can be harvested annually. It belongs to the decorative varieties, since the trees grow short and have an original “drooping” crown. The berries themselves are medium in size. The weight of each fruit does not exceed 5 grams.
- Tyutchevka. The variety is resistant to winter cold. The trees bear fruit abundantly and produce up to 45 kg of harvest annually. The height of this variety of cherries grows up to 3 m. The berries are dark red in color. Their sizes are quite large. Weight from 4 to 7 grams. The taste of the fruit is sweet. The berries are used both for fresh consumption and for making compotes, jams, and marshmallows.
- Bryansk pink. Belongs to late varieties. It survives cold winters quite well. It bears fruit 5-6 years after planting. The berries are medium in size. Their weight varies around 4-5.5 grams. They have a pink tint. The fruits are juicy, with a slight sourness. Used fresh and after cooking. So, compotes made from cherries of this variety are quite good.
Planting cherries
Cherry is a light-loving plant. Therefore, sunny meadows are suitable for planting trees. The soil for planting the crop must be sufficiently fertile, well aerated, and moisture-absorbing. Light, medium loamy or sandy loam soils are suitable for this. Trees should not be planted in windy places where there are frequent drafts. Since cherries are a cross-pollinated crop, it is recommended to plant them next to cherries of another variety or with cherries. Thus, the flowers of the trees will be perfectly pollinated, and the trees themselves will bear fruit abundantly.
It is worth saying that cherries do not like abundant watering and stagnant water, so try to select a site for planting the crop that is located far from groundwater.
In the northern parts of our country, cherries are planted in the spring, and in the southern parts - in the fall.
The procedure for planting cherry seedlings:
- It is recommended to thoroughly plow the soil first.
- Next, planting holes are made. Each of them should be about 90 cm deep and 80-100 cm wide.
- It is worth remembering that the root system of cherries is quite massive, so do not plant trees close to each other. The distance from one seedling to another should be at least 3-4 meters. In addition, some tree varieties have a spreading crown, so the plants can provide shade for each other. Be sure to take this into account when planting seedlings.
- Before planting trees, you need to “adjust” the soil cover on the site. So, if the soil is clayey, then 2 buckets of sand are added to the planting hole; if, on the contrary, the soil is sandy, then clay is poured into the hole.
- Then, a special soil mixture must be poured into each hole made for the seedling. It contains: 2 buckets of earth, 2 kg of ammonium sulfate, 2 kg of superphosphates, potash fertilizers - 1 kg, wood ash, manure (32 kg).
- Next, a support post is fixed in each planting hole, to which the seedling will then be tied. When planting, try to place each tree in the very center of the hole.
- Then tie the seedling to the support and carefully dig it in. After planting, each tree should be watered.
- Next comes mulching. Humus, peat, and fallen leaves are suitable for this.
Cherry care
Cherry pruning
Caring for cherries involves not only timely watering and fertilizing, but also pruning the crown. The very first pruning is carried out immediately after planting the seedling in the hole. This is done in order to balance the underground and above-ground parts of the seedling. So, 4 healthy branches are selected and cut off by one third, while the remaining branches are cut off completely.
The second pruning is carried out in the second year of the tree’s life. This is necessary so that several new lateral branches appear on the seedling.
The crown of trees should have a sparsely tiered appearance. The first tier consists of 3 large branches, the second - of 2 skeletal shoots, the third tier - of one branch. Active growth of tree branches is observed in the first 5 years. It is during this period that the crown should be pruned annually.
Watering and removing weeds from cherries
Cherry is a cultivated plant. It does not tolerate nearby weeds. Therefore, it is recommended to do timely weeding of the beds. There should be no weeds in the tree trunk circle. Every year the tree trunk zone should be expanded, so if in the first year it is approximately 80 cm, then by the second year of the tree’s life it should already be more than 1 meter. Then annually the tree trunk circle should be increased by 20-50 cm.
As for watering, as mentioned above, cherries do not like an abundance of water, so it is enough to water the trees three times a year. In addition, the soil should be mulched annually. Peat and foliage are suitable for this. Don’t forget to also loosen the soil in the tree trunk circle. Once you have done this, add fertilizer to the soil.
There is a little secret from gardeners on how to attract more bees to a tree and increase its pollination rate. Thus, it is recommended to periodically spray the tree with honey solution during the summer. By increasing pollination, you can significantly increase the amount of crop harvested.
Manure, humus, aqueous infusion of ash, as well as nitrogen, potassium and complex fertilizers are suitable as fertilizers for trees. In addition to this, in spring period 70 grams of urea are added to the ground around the cherries. In spring and autumn, tree trunks must be whitened. This will help protect the trees from cracking the bark.
Planting cherries: video
Every third summer resident has cherries on his plot. But planting cherries, its closest relative, is much less popular, although many people like its juicy and sweet berries. The reason for this is the established opinion about the exceptional thermophilic nature of the culture. For a long time it was true: trees bore fruit generously only in southern gardens.
Summer residents whose plots are located in the middle zone do not dare to grow cherries, considering this activity unpromising due to the high risk of its freezing. But not all crop varieties are susceptible to it. Its regionalized varieties are successfully cultivated in cold climates Leningrad region, in the Urals and even in the gardens of Siberia.
Site requirements
Cherry loves the sun and does not tolerate drafts. It is better to place its seedlings in an area that is maximally illuminated and not blown by cold winds. The tree will be comfortable near a fence or near the southern walls of buildings. But tall varieties of cherries have a spreading crown, so it is important to leave them enough free space to develop. A hole for the seedling is dug at a distance of at least 3-4 m from the building.
Trees grow best on small (up to 0.5 m in height) hills that can be artificially landscaped, and in areas slightly inclined towards the south, southwest or southeast.
Here they do not experience a lack of light and warmth. You should not plant cherries in lowlands and in places where water stagnates for a long time in the spring. In such conditions, trees quickly die. The roots of the cherry tree are deep (up to 2 m long), and some of them are located vertically in the soil, so it does not tolerate close proximity to groundwater.
The crop grows and bears fruit well in loose soil. Light and fertile sandy loam or loamy soils are ideal for it. They should be fairly moist, but not waterlogged. On peat bogs, in heavy clay soil, on quickly drying sand with a meager supply of nutrients, planting cherries will not be successful.
Planting dates and scheme
The timing of placing trees on a site depends on the climate of the area. In the southern regions, autumn planting is more often practiced, carried out several weeks before the soil freezes. In Siberia and the Urals, it is better to postpone the procedure until spring. If the seedling does not have time to take root, severe frosts will destroy it.
Cherry is a cross-pollinated crop. It will bear fruit abundantly only if there are neighbors. It is recommended to plant 2-3 trees on the site, representing different varieties of crops. You can get by with just one, but only if you place a couple of cherries with the same flowering time next to the cherries. This guide also applies to partially self-fertile varieties.
Leave 4-5 m of free space between neighboring trees. Saving space is not the best option here. When planted closer, the trees will shade each other. Caring for them will also become more difficult. If the cherry tree is columnar, the distance between plants is reduced to 1 m. When planting such trees in rows, the interval between them should be 2-3 m.
Pit preparation
When planting cherries in the fall, the site is prepared 2-3 weeks before the procedure. The soil is dug deeply and enriched with fertilizers:
- compost (10 kg);
- superphosphate (180 g);
- potassium nitrate (100 g).
These dosages are calculated for 1 m² of surface area. You can add a special complex preparation intended for cherries and cherries to the soil. Soil with an acidic reaction is limed. It is recommended to do this in advance - 7-10 days before adding nutrients. Clay or sandy soil for growing cherries is prepared over several years. The first is dug up, scattering sand over the surface of the site, clay is added to the second. In the next 3-4 years, fertilizers are added to the soil. This can be done in spring or autumn.
The planting hole is dug 2 weeks before the tree is placed in it. It should be deep (60-80 cm) and wide (1 m). A support is installed in the center. Correctly, if it rises 30-50 cm above the ground surface. Pour fertile land, adding the following components to it:
- rotted compost;
- superphosphate;
- potassium sulfate;
- wood ash.
The thoroughly mixed substrate should form a small mound around the support.
Adding nitrogen-containing compounds and lime into the planting hole can cause burns to the roots of the seedling; at this stage it is better to do without them.
After lightly compacting the soil mixture, sprinkle it with infertile soil on top. Having leveled it well, pour a couple of buckets of water into the hole, after which they forget about it for 2 weeks. During this time the soil will settle.
If cherries are planted in the spring, the plot and pit are prepared in the fall. Humus or compost is added to the soil. It is recommended to do this from October to November depending on weather conditions. In the spring, when the snow has melted and the soil has dried out slightly, mineral fertilizers, including nitrogen, can be added to the pits. They begin placing seedlings in them within a week.
Selection of seedlings
Cherry seedlings take root best when they are 1-2 years old. The height of the former should reach 70-80 cm, the latter – 1 m.
When choosing a seedling, you need to pay attention to the following signs:
- characteristics of the crop variety (winter hardiness, immunity to diseases and pests);
- appearance young tree.
A high-quality seedling must be grafted. This indicates that it belongs to varietal plants. Such a tree begins to bear fruit earlier, and its berries will taste better.
It is worth choosing a seedling that has many branches. It will be easier to give the correct shape to its crown. The tree must have a well-developed and straight conductor. Young cherries grow quickly. If the conductor is weak, stronger branches will compete with it. The presence of several guides is extremely undesirable: if there are too many berries on a tree, it may break between them, and the cherry will die.
The roots of the seedling are also carefully examined. There should be no dry or damaged areas on them. A viable seedling has a developed and strong root system. If it is open, after purchase it is placed in a damp cloth and wrapped with oilcloth (polyethylene) on top. This will protect the roots from drying out. Leaves are immediately removed from the branches of the seedling to prevent dehydration.
It is better to buy a seedling in the fall. At this time, the range of varieties in nurseries is the widest. For the winter, the tree is dug in, and in the spring (April) it is planted in a permanent place. You can do this directly into the dirt. There is no point in delaying planting cherries. It is important to carry it out while the buds on the tree have not yet awakened. This way it will take root faster. Seedlings growing in containers can be planted in May and even June.
How to plant cherries
Before being placed in the planting hole, the cherry roots are carefully inspected again. Diseased and injured areas are cut out. You can shorten shoots that are too long if they do not fit into the prepared pit. Then the underground part of the young cherry tree is dipped into a bucket of water, where it is kept for 2 to 10 hours, depending on the degree of dryness of its roots. Planting begins when they swell.
The tree is placed in a hole so that its root collar protrudes from it by 5-7 cm. Carefully spreading its roots over the mound, they are sprinkled with infertile soil taken from the bottom of the hole. This should be done gradually, lightly shaking the cherry by the trunk from time to time. This way, there will be no air-filled cavities near its roots.
Having completely filled the hole, pour 1 bucket of water into it. When it is absorbed and the soil settles, the tree trunk circle is well compacted. A hole with a radius of 30 cm is made around the tree, fencing it from the outside with a rampart of soil. WITH inside A shallow (5 cm) furrow is made near it and watered well again. As the soil settles in the tree trunk circle, it will have to be added. The final stage is mulching the surface of the hole. Peat or humus is usually used for it.
If the buds on the tree have not yet begun to bloom, it is pruned after planting. 2-3 skeletal branches are left on the cherry tree, and the rest are removed into a ring. This should be done flush with the trunk so that there are no stumps left. The wounds are covered with garden varnish. When placing a cherry tree on the site that has already begun to flow sap, pruning its crown is postponed until next year.
Feeding and watering
For summer residents who already have fruit trees in their garden, caring for cherries will seem familiar. It includes the usual activities:
- watering;
- loosening the soil;
- weeding;
- removal of root shoots;
- feeding;
- pruning
If cherries are planted correctly, the need to re-apply potassium-phosphorus compounds to the soil will arise only after 3 years. They begin to feed the tree with nitrogen fertilizers earlier, when they enter their second year of life on the site. They are applied in dry form in the spring, as soon as it gets warmer. At the end of May, fertilizing is repeated, but in liquid form. When the tree is 4 years old, the soil under it is enriched with phosphorus, potassium and other microelements. Compositions containing them are applied in mid-summer.
Closer to autumn, trees are watered with organic fertilizers - mullein dissolved in water or bird droppings. IN last time During the season, cherries are fed before winter - in September-October. Here they focus on the appearance of the trees: if the leaves turn yellow and begin to fly off, the time has come to add nutrients. They are embedded in the soil during the digging process, going 10 cm into the soil.
Carefully monitor the cleanliness of the soil under and between the trees. When loosening, you need to treat an 8-10 cm layer of soil. This care is repeated 3-5 times per season. It is advisable to carry it out the next day after each watering or rain. It is convenient to use a garden hoe or cultivator for loosening.
During the growing season, cherries need at least 3 waterings:
- before flowering;
- in midsummer, especially if it is dry;
- in the fall, simultaneously with the last feeding.
Before the procedure, it is recommended to loosen the soil under the trees and mulch after it. Autumn watering is required. It should be abundant so that the water saturates the soil to 70-80 cm. This will protect the cherries from freezing. Cold-resistant crop varieties do not tolerate drought well. In extreme heat, such cherries often dry out. Having discovered such symptoms, you cannot hesitate, otherwise you will not be able to save the tree. Regular and abundant watering will help it withstand adverse weather conditions.
Crown formation
Gardeners have the most questions about pruning cherries. Professional guidance will help you do it correctly and as painlessly as possible for the tree. Whatever the purpose - sanitary or formative - pruning is pursued, it is better to do it in early spring, before sap flow has yet begun. In summer and autumn, you can continue what you started, getting rid of shoots that thicken the crown and pinching the tops of improperly growing branches. Root shoots are removed throughout the growing season so that they do not draw strength from the tree.
Annual pruning of cherries allows you to:
- increase its productivity;
- improve the quality of berries;
- prevent the development of diseases;
- increase the lifespan of the tree.
In the gardens of Siberia, cherries are shaped into bushes. This makes it easier for the tree to withstand harsh winters. The optimal number of trunks is 3-5. The top of an annual seedling is shortened above the 5-6 bud. This pruning stimulates the development of lower lateral branches. Cherries are naturally prone to tillering. If you do not get rid of the strong shoots growing above the graft, it itself will quickly acquire the desired appearance.
A young tree is formed during the first 5-6 years. During this time, you need to lay several tiers (usually 3). In the future, pruning is carried out for sanitary purposes. The height of the tree is maintained within 3-3.5 m, and the length of its skeletal branches is maintained at 4 m. Chopping the berries and forming ovaries only on the periphery of the crown indicates the need for anti-aging pruning. It is carried out at the end of winter and beginning of spring.
Features of autumn care
With the arrival of autumn, it is necessary to take preventive measures against diseases and pests. Fallen leaves are raked and burned. Trees and the soil under them are sprayed with special preparations, their trunks are whitened to the level of the trunk. It is advisable to treat the bases of the skeletal branches as well.
When the trees are completely exposed, the last pruning of the season is carried out. In order for cherries to withstand frosts more easily, they are removed from weak, injured and improperly growing shoots. Annual shoots are cut to ⅓ length. Non-skeletal branches are shortened to 30 cm. At this time, it is better to use a saw instead of pruning shears. The remaining cuts heal faster. The procedure must be completed by the end of September. Late pruning is fraught with long-healing wounds, which will make it difficult for the tree to winter. Seedlings are subjected to it in the second year of life on the site. It is dangerous to prune younger trees before winter; it is better to postpone the procedure until spring.
Cherries damaged by frost dry out in the spring, and their trunk may become covered with cracks, through which infection can easily penetrate. To protect the seedlings, they are fenced with a kind of fence made of stakes and, after carefully pulling the branches together, they are placed under covering material.
With a competent approach to choosing a variety, growing cherries in orchards in the middle zone, the Urals and Siberia will not be difficult for their owners. If you care for it correctly, the tree lives on the site for a whole century, entering the fruiting period early. A recent seedling will bear its first berries in 5-6 years. Another 4-5 years will pass, and the harvests will be full. Watering, fertilizing and regular pruning of the tree will allow it not to reduce their volume until the end of its long life.
Without good skills, you cannot grow varietal seedlings on your own, so the vast majority of summer residents purchase them at markets in the fall or spring. It is much more profitable for nurseries to sell trees in the fall, after leaf fall, so the most large selection varieties will be available at this time of year. However, it is best to plant them in a permanent place in the spring. In order for the tree to feel comfortable all winter, its root system should be buried- to do this, dig a small trench, lay out the trees at an angle and sprinkle the roots with earth, so as to completely cover them.
For this, choose a place protected from the northern winds; it’s even better if good snowdrifts form in this place in winter. In spring, it’s time to find a permanent “place of residence” for your seedlings. This area should be protected from north winds and well lit. There is no better option than the south side of the house or slope. Cherries do not like lowlands, so when planting, avoid such places or build at least a small half-meter hill from the ground.
The tree feels best on loamy and sandy soils, which provide the necessary soil aeration and breathability.
Heavy clay soils are not suitable, but if you have no other choice, then try to add more rotted manure to a decent depth ahead of time. Cherry also does not tolerate excess moisture, although it loves it, so soils with close groundwater levels are also not suitable. It is best to plant several varieties at once to ensure cross-pollination. There is an opinion that cherries can also cope with this function, but this is a mistake - cherries are not able to provide high quality pollination, which is evident from the large number of crumbled ovaries.
Planting cherries in the spring requires preparing the site in the fall. To do this, a hole is dug under each tree with a depth of at least half a meter and an even larger diameter. Its bottom should be loosened and several buckets of humus should be poured inside the hole. Over the winter it will rot, and substances that are too caustic for young roots will be absorbed into the soil, then gradually and without damage to be absorbed by the root system. In early spring, superphosphate and sodium sulfate are also added to the holes, 300 g and 100 g, respectively, and a kilogram of ash will not hurt.
There is practically no need to care for cherries planted in such a fertilized hole in the spring; the supply of nutrients is laid down for several years in advance. Before the buds swell and bloom, it’s time to plant seedlings. Having carefully dug out their roots, they should be kept in water for several hours and only then distributed among the holes. You can’t plant cherries too deep, because you still need to remember about the sedimentation of the soil. After the tree is planted, make a small trench around it and pour a bucket of water into it. When the liquid is absorbed, properly mulch the watering area.
When planting a two-year-old tree, its branches need to be shortened a little, although this should be done only before the buds swell. Didn't have time? Then it’s better not to touch it - prune it in early spring next year. Pruning can also be done in winter, in December or January, the main thing is to do it before the sap begins to flow. There is a separate article on our website that you should definitely read!
Pests that transmit the disease to healthy plants are destroyed, fallen fruits are removed and trees are sprayed with 1% Bordeaux mixture.
This disease causes cankers on branches and shoots, and also causes gum disease. The pulp of the fruit is affected right down to the seed, stopping to grow in the affected areas and gradually drying out. During formative pruning, the crown is not allowed to thicken, all unnecessary branches are cut into a ring. At the same time, new strong main branches are laid. For tree-like cherries, the number of such branches is increased to 10, for bush-like cherries - to 15. Later, during thinning, some of them will be removed. After crown formation is completed, by switching to weak branching, the height of the tree is limited to 2-2.5 m. The tieless crown of bush-like cherry trees is formed from 10-12 evenly spaced branches. Trees prone to thickening in the first years of fruiting require thinning rather than shortening. At the first signs of dampening of growth (with a shoot length of 15-20 cm), light anti-aging pruning begins.
In the 5th-6th year, 20–30 kg of manure is applied.
The latter produce new growth formations.
It is good to sow green manure (rye, mustard, etc.) between the rows of the garden. This is done in the second half of summer, when the harvest has already been harvested. When green manure plants grow to 15-20 cm, they are mowed and buried in the ground.
The tree is usually watered 3 times, but before watering, the ground around the tree is mulched and fertilizers are applied. It is necessary to water very abundantly. It is important to water the tree before the winter cold to saturate the soil with moisture.
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Having filled the hole 2/3, a seedling is installed in it, carefully adding fertile soil to the roots and compacting it. The support to which it is tied should be located on the south side - this will allow the tree to avoid sunburn. After planting, the cherries are watered and the soil is sprinkled with peat, compost or mowed grass.
Popular varieties of garden cherries.
Appears at the time of mass cherry blossoms. First it feeds on buds and flowers, then it bites into the pulp of the fruit and severely damages it down to the very seed. Females lay eggs inside the fruit, from which, after about 1 week, larvae emerge and eat away all the contents of the unripe seed. The disease causes great damage to fruit crops. In apple, pear and cherry trees, this disease has much in common, but it is caused by a special type of fungus, characteristic of each individual crop. It affects the leaves, and a mass of brown spots appear on their outer surfaces. The infection persists until spring on fallen leaves of cherry and anemone. In the fall, before leaf fall, the affected shoots and branches are removed. Spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture is recommended.
Regardless of the varieties, tree-like and bush-like cherries are formed based on the same rules.
Preparation of seedlings and soil.
Cherry varieties are also divided into three groups according to their growth strength: dwarf (no more than 1.5 m in height), vigorous (7 m or more) and medium growth (up to 2.5 m).
In a rainy summer, cherries can suffer from such a common disease as cocomycosis. This very serious fungal disease must be stopped at the first sign. First, red spots appear on the leaves, then back side a whitish coating forms on the leaves. The fruit may also show first spots and then rot. It all ends with the leaves falling prematurely - already in August. Cocomycosis can be controlled using fungicides. If the tree is already sick, then spraying is carried out several times: when the buds open, at the beginning of flowering and after harvesting. As a preventative measure, trees are sprayed twice with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture. The first time is when flowering ends, the second time is after harvesting. And in spring and autumn, all trees in the garden (including cherries) need to be whitened with lime mortar with the addition of copper sulfate.
Once you have a good harvest, do not forget to protect it from birds. They can literally destroy the fruits of your labor in a matter of minutes. To do this, gardeners tie light blue flags, shiny disks, Christmas tree decorations, in short, everything that glitters. This saves, but not for long. It is best to cover the trees with special nets and then the harvest will delight you! Cherry is a heat-loving plant. Sweet cherries are not only a very tasty berry, they look very decorative on the plot. The foliage color varies from green to dark green, and the berries range from yellow to dark red. But in order for such a beauty to please you, you need to know how
It must be remembered that cherries are self-sterile. For normal pollination, it is necessary to plant cherry trees of different varieties nearby. The second option is to try grafting several different cuttings onto a winter-hardy variety. Among the best pollinators are varieties
Features of planting cherries .
To prevent the flowers from falling off, try to follow the planting specifications:
How to care?
After 1 month they go into the soil, where they pupate and turn into beetles.
In autumn and summer, fallen leaves are destroyed and anemone plants are not allowed to spread near the cherry orchard. In case of mass outbreaks of rust, trees are sprayed with 1% Bordeaux mixture. A disease that is widespread in recent years, affects leaves and fruits. Young seedlings and trees weakened due to poor care especially often suffer from coccomycosis. Reddish-brown small (0.5–2 mm) spots appear on the leaves; as the disease develops, they merge, and pinkish or white coating. The disease is caused by a fungal infection. The pathogens are stored in fallen leaves, so all leaves are burned, and the affected trees are sprayed with 1% Bordeaux mixture.
Rules for pruning cherries: tree-like; bushy; coppice.
Formative pruning of cherries.
After digging up from the nursery, the seedling loses some of its moisture, so before planting it is better to dip its root system in water for 4-10 hours. Bush-like forms of cherries are planted at a distance of 2.5-3 m from each other, and tree-like forms - less often, retreating 3. 5-4 m. On fertile soils, planting holes are dug with a depth of 40-45 cm and a diameter of 50-60 cm. In any case, the size of the hole should be such that the root system of the seedling can be freely placed. The soil from the pit is mixed in half with humus. It would not be superfluous to add 1-2 kg of wood ash into the planting hole. On heavy clay soils, add 1-1.5 buckets of sand.
Cherry fruiting depends on a number of factors, including simple, mixed, single and group buds. Simple ones have the rudiments of flowers or growth formations; mixed - the primordia of both flowers and leaves at the same time; they are found very rarely, and only in bushy forms.
Galina Titova
So now you know how
Revna, Bryanskaya Rozovaya, Iput, Raditsa, Tyutchevka.
The distance between plants is 1.5-2 m. As a rule, after planting the soil becomes compacted, therefore it is necessary to plant to a depth at which the lump is 10-20 cm higher than recommended. Soil mixture: leaf or garden soil, sand (3:1). 10-15 kg of organic fertilizers, 150-300 g of phosphorus, 40-80 g of potassium or 500 g of ash are added to the planting hole. Liming is carried out on acidic soils. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the spring, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers in the fall. Organic fertilizers can be applied in autumn and spring (8-10 kg per 1 sq. m.). After planting, the plant must be watered: 2-3 buckets of water per plant. In dry weather, water as needed. During dry periods, young plants are watered frequently and abundantly. In the fall, the soil is dug to a depth of 15-20 cm. During the season, the soil is loosened 3-4 times. After planting, the plants are mulched with a layer of earth or peat. The best place for cherries is open sunny spaces with good aeration. For cherries, choose the warmest, most elevated areas and protected from cold winds.
How to increase cherry yield?
To destroy the weevil, use a solution of karbofos (15–30 g per 10 liters of water), spray it immediately after flowering, and repeat the spraying after 10 days. A good effect is achieved by using trapping belts, which are placed at the base of the trunks in early spring. In addition, the beetles are shaken off the tree onto the litter and thrown into a bucket of water, where a little kerosene is added.
The disease forms oblong ulcers on the bark, from which gum appears after turning brown. The shoots wither, the leaves dry out; small foliage occurs. The burn spreads during pruning and grafting. Mainly used preventive measures: planting material is selected especially strictly; at the slightest sign of disease, seedlings are destroyed. In addition to bacterial, there is also non-infectious gommosis, which causes the formation of gum on the trunk and branches. It appears when there is waterlogging, poor oxygen supply to the root system, or mechanical damage. You can get rid of plant gummosis by eliminating the causes of gum formation.
This disease is caused by a fungus.
Cherry diseases:
Moniliosis.
Sanitary and anti-aging pruning.
A little of the prepared mixture is poured into the bottom of the planting hole in the form of a conical mound. The roots are spread around the mound and covered with soil, which is compacted. The seedling is pulled up in such a way that after planting the grafting site is 2-3 cm above the surface. After planting, a roll of soil is made around the seedling at a distance of 25-30 cm from the stem to form a hole for watering. The seedling is watered at the rate of 1-2 buckets of water. When the moisture is completely absorbed and the soil in the planting hole settles along with the seedling, the root collar will be slightly above ground level. After planting, the stem is loosely tied in a figure eight to a peg. The planting hole around the seedling is mulched with humus, sawdust or compost crumbs in a layer of 2-3 cm. Mulch protects against excessive evaporation of moisture and cracking of the soil surface.
Smoky spot (clustero-sporiosis)
Cherry varieties can be
Caring for stone fruit crops.
Coccomycosis
properly care for cherries
Red spot.
- a beautiful and useful tree.
Even during the flowering period, you can try spraying the cherries with honey solution in the morning (1 tablespoon per liter of water). This will attract bees and improve pollination. If frosts are expected during the flowering period, the day before try to spray the crown with a solution of an ovary formation stimulator or at least with plain water - this will increase the stability of the flowers.
Powdery mildew.
Try to plant ONLY zoned varieties,
This is a reddish-brown butterfly with a wingspan of 12 mm. In Moscow, Vladimir, Ivanovo and other neighboring regions, it causes great damage to cherry plantations.
The causative agent of the disease forms brown round spots on the fruits, where the infection is concentrated. Trees are sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture, diseased fruits are destroyed.
Yellow or yellow-red spots appear on the lower and upper sides of the leaves, and the leaves fall to the ground. The fungal infection overwinters on these leaves, so they are collected and burned, and in early spring the trees are sprayed with 1% Bordeaux mixture.
Fruit rot.
In tree-like cherry varieties, pruning is temporarily suspended upon completion of formation. With weak branching, more attention is paid to shortening the branches, and in trees with pronounced branching, the crowns are thinned to a greater extent. In cherries older than 10 years, shoot growth weakens, fewer bouquet branches remain, and fruiting is concentrated on annual generative branches. In order not to reduce the yield, you should refrain from shortening annual branches, especially weak ones. Pruning 2-3 year old wood and lightening the crown have a multifaceted positive effect on the tree. As a result of shortening the extended branches, the crowns become more compact, which makes tree care easier.
The basic techniques for caring for cherries are the same as for other fruits. Starting in spring, throughout the growing season, the soil under cherry bushes and trees should be loose and free of weeds. To do this, 2-3 shallow loosenings are carried out in the summer. In the fall, after applying fertilizer, digging is done to a depth of 15-25 cm. Cherry is a fairly drought-resistant crop, but watering it will not hurt. The first time it is done immediately after flowering, simultaneously with fertilizing. The second watering is given at the beginning of the increase in the size of the berries. Watering rates depend on the amount of precipitation, soil moisture, as well as the age and size of the plant. The last pre-winter watering is given in early November after the leaves have fallen.
Rust.
self-fertile or self-sterile.
Cherry.
Bacterial burn (gommosis).
in the garden and grow a strong and beautiful tree. See you soon!
Bitter rot
First you need to decide on the location, since cherries are very warm and light-loving. The trees self-pollinate well, so feel free to plant two or three different varieties next to each other with the same flowering period, or graft different varieties onto one trunk. It will be very good if you plant a cherry tree next to it.
milky shine
Cherries need to be fed. Young trees - 2 times per season (in May and June), adults, older than three years - 3-4 times. Feed the cherries with slurry (1:6) with the addition of a tablespoon of complex fertilizer per bucket of water. During the last feeding after harvesting, you should not use nitrogen fertilizers. Ash is well suited for fertilizing. In the spring you need to add urea.
or cuttings from productive varieties, begged from neighbors The eggs overwinter near the fruit buds on thin branches, as well as in cracks in the bark. When the buds swell, greenish-yellow caterpillars, 0.6 cm long, emerge from the eggs. They eat the buds and blossoming leaves, after which the shoots dry out. When the cherry blossoms fade, the caterpillars crawl into the soil around the tree trunk, where pupation occurs, and after 1 month butterflies appear and lay eggs.
Cherry pests and their control.
Cherry aphid
This disease is caused by a fungal infection. The leaves suddenly change color, acquiring a pearlescent hue. On them, pockets of dead tissue appear between the veins.
The disease manifests itself in the form of a white cobwebby coating on the leaves, petioles and flowers.
Cherry weevil.
Despite the lush flowering of this crop, most of the flowers of this tree do not bear fruit. This is due to the self-sterility of many varieties. For normal fruiting of cherries, it is necessary to have other cherry trees in the garden or nearby that are capable of pollination. You can increase the yield of cherries if you plant cherry trees nearby, most varieties of which perfectly pollinate almost all varieties of cherries of any flowering period. Despite the earlier flowering, cherry pollen is retained by insects, which then pollinate the cherry.
Self-fertile ones produce normal yields if the entire garden is planted with one variety. Self-sterile trees in single-varietal trees bear almost no fruit. For each variety, pollinators are selected that bloom simultaneously with the pollinated trees and ensure the normal process of fertilization and berry set. If the varieties are of unequal value, then the number of trees and pollinators is reduced by 2–4 times compared to the pollinated ones. The soil around the trunk is compacted. Immediately after planting, an earthen roller is made around the plant within a radius of about 50 cm, so that during heavy watering, which is necessary immediately after planting, the water does not flow outside the hole.
Lyubskaya Uralskaya Large-fruited.
Cherry shoot moth.
If a fruit tree is alive, it should produce fruit.
The soil should be fertile, permeable to moisture, but not sandy or clayey. Swampy places and lowlands should be excluded, otherwise the tree will die. Since the tree is light-loving, a height of 50 cm can be made for planting. The distance between seedlings should be at least 4-5 meters from each other, since the crown that subsequently grows will negatively affect the yield of the neighboring tree.
In addition, due to rapid growth Young trees need annual pruning. Remove all branches directed into the crown, as well as growth on the trunk and from the roots. The cuts must be very neat, they must be made with a well-sharpened tool. After pruning, be sure to treat the cut areas with garden varnish. Inaccurate pruning can cause gum formation.
Add lime and phosphates to fertilizers.
Cherry slimy sawfly.
If a lot of caterpillars are expected, then during the period of swelling of the buds the trees are sprayed with a solution of karbofos (20 g per 10 liters of water).
Infection can be prevented by avoiding mechanical damage, sunburn and by treating cracks and wounds that arise.
Gradually the coating acquires a yellowish tint. Fruits are not produced from affected flowers.
When working with young trees, it is better not to use pruners, which, by pressing down the cut points, injure the skeletal branches.
Planting and caring for cherry seedlings. Sweet cherries are considered a close relative of cherries. Just a few centuries ago they were viewed as one culture. At the same time, cherries have many characteristic advantages: large fruits with sweet, juicy, dense pulp, a rich vitamin composition, early fruiting, and so on. But, along with this, it puts forward a number of special requirements for growing conditions.
The naturally formed crown of the cherry tree has a pyramidal-rounded shape. Similar to cherry, it has high growth vigor, even surpassing it. The height of wild cherries can exceed 25 m. Moreover, unlike cherries, its trees do not have a powerful shoot-forming tendency, and, therefore, they are not characterized by pronounced bush-like forms.
The impressive height of cherries causes certain difficulties during harvesting. Choosing seedlings on low-growing rootstocks simplifies tree care in the future. In addition, regular pruning is recommended, thanks to which it is possible to achieve a crown reduction of up to 4 m.
Generative cherry buds are formed mainly on well-developed, strong annual growths, as well as on reduced bouquet branches. In most cases, sweet cherries produce fruit faster than sour cherries.
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Cherry is a light- and heat-loving plant. In constant shade, its trees develop poorly, become very elongated in growth, and fruiting declines. The place for cherries should be reliably protected from northern, cold winds. The best option is southwestern gentle slopes.
Return spring frosts have a particularly negative effect on cherry trees during the period of budding, flowering and formation of fruit ovaries.
Sweet cherries develop well on light sandy loam, deep, well-calmed, permeable, fertile soils. Clogged, clayey, peat and sandy soils are absolutely unsuitable for growing them.
Cherry is moisture-loving, but does not tolerate stagnant water. It is not recommended to plant it in areas with close groundwater. When over-watered, it suffers from gum development and freezes. On dry soils, cherries develop sluggishly, the fruits become smaller, the yield is reduced, general condition the tree is deteriorating.
Taking into account the vigorous growth of the ground part and the intensive development of the root system, the cherry tree needs to be allocated a large area of personal space.
Cherry planting dates
In the climatic conditions of the middle zone, the most suitable time for planting cherry seedlings is in the spring. They can be planted from mid-April to the second week of May.
Autumn planting of cherries is also allowed. Seedlings planted in October find themselves in favorable weather conditions, stimulating the formation of new root shoots. Thanks to this, by the time spring arrives, the plants are well prepared to start growing. At the same time, when planting in autumn, there is a high probability of seedlings freezing in winter.
Purchased late autumn It is recommended not to plant cherry seedlings, but to bury them in a trench. In the spring you need to try to plant them early.
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Planting cherries
The planting hole for cherry seedlings is prepared several weeks before planting. During this time, the soil should have time to dry out and settle sufficiently. The depth of the pit must be more than 70 cm, and its diameter up to 1 m. Its internal edges must be vertical. When digging up the soil, it is recommended to lay the upper and lower layers on different sides, so that during direct planting you can change the order of their arrangement.
A few days before planting the seedling, the prepared planting hole must be well filled with organomineral fertilizers. To do this, its bottom is loosened with a shovel to a depth of 30 cm. Then 2-3 buckets of rotted manure mixed with the extracted soil are added to it. 0.2 kg of phosphorus-containing and 0.1 kg of potassium fertilizers are also added there. An effective natural fertilizer is wood ash, which will require about 1 kg. Having thoroughly mixed all the contents, drive a stake (6x150 cm) into the center of the pit and lay out a mound around it.
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Basic agrotechnical measures for caring for cherries remain unchanged, as for all fruit crops: watering, loosening, fertilizing, pruning, protection from pests, prevention from pathogens, etc.
Watering
In dry weather, it is recommended to water the planted seedlings at least once every week and a half. At further stages of cultivation, cherries demonstrate excellent drought resistance. Trees may need additional watering during flowering and fruiting. Excess moisture during fruit ripening can lead to cracking, and in the autumn after harvest - prolonged development and loss of winter hardiness.
In dry years, the optimal watering regime in the 0.5 m topsoil layer is provided by 6-8 waterings over the entire growing season:
Mid-May-June - 1 watering;
- July - 2 waterings;
- August - 2-3 waterings;
- September - 1 watering.
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Next year, on trees with strong growth, it is possible to form the main branches of the 1st and 2nd order. As a rule, cherries begin to branch in places where they are shortened, forming 3-4 shoots. In this case, the cut is transferred to a nearby branch horizontally directed towards the periphery, stimulating its expansion. The remaining nearby branches are shortened by 12-15 cm.
Branches that thicken the crown, parallel to the skeletal branches and extending under sharp corners cut into a ring.
In the 5th-6th year, the formation of the cherry crown is completed. The main task in subsequent years is to maintain the achieved result through gentle pruning. At the same time, overdeveloped, thickening, diseased and damaged shoots are removed.
Cherry is a fairly common crop in Russia in general and in the middle zone in particular. This is the oldest variety of cherry. In modern conditions, dozens of varieties have been bred with different size, taste and color of berries, height and spreading of the crown, and timing of fruit ripening.
When choosing seedlings, you need to pay attention to its zoning, since southern varieties will freeze or dry out in colder climates with high snow cover. Therefore, before going to the nursery, you should pay attention to some points:
- Frost resistance. The higher it is, the better.
- Stunting. Such plants are less likely to freeze and have higher yields.
- Late flowering. It allows you to escape from the returning cold.
- Self-fertility. Such varieties do not require cross-pollination, therefore, harvesting is guaranteed even when planting one plant.
Taking into account all factors, you can decide on the variety.
And the way
A tree of medium height (4-5 m) of pyramidal shape with a dense crown. Thick shortened petioles with three to four flowers white. Flowering early. Fruits of universal use up to 9 g (considered large) are glossy, burgundy to black in color. Juicy, sweet pulp.
Self-sterile, productive (up to 30 kg) variety, resistant to fungal infections.
Lapins
A variety of Canadian selection with low frost resistance, productive with simultaneous ripening of fruits that do not fall off for a long time. The fruits are large – up to 8 g, transportable.
With enhanced agricultural technology, they reach 13 g. Orange-red color and dense pulp. A variety with great vigor, highly productive, self-fertile, late-ripening. Fruiting begins at the end of July. Universal berries.
Leningradskaya black
The height of the tree usually does not exceed four meters. The crown is spreading. Under good agricultural technology, fruiting can occur in the third year after planting the seedling.
The dark burgundy berries (up to 6 g) do not fall off for a long time, ripen in July, and are picked dry. Used for processing, freezing and fresh.
Summit
The variety is frost-resistant, early-bearing. Berries (10 g) with a wine aftertaste. Transportable. Good fresh and processed. The variety is used for cross-pollination of many types of cherries.
Poetry
Tree up to 3 m with a pyramidal crown shape. Yellow fruits (6 g) with dense creamy pulp. The taste is sweet and sour. Average winter hardiness and drought resistance. The yield is high, the quality of the berries is excellent.
In addition to these varieties, the cherry varieties presented in the table are grown in the middle zone:
Name | Ripening time | Weight | Color | Taste | Tree height | Winter hardiness, productivity |
Julia/Julia | mid-early | large, 8 g | Yellow-pink | dessert | average | No |
Fatezh | Early July | 4 g | Rose red | dessert | average | Yes |
Bryansk pink | End of July | 4-5 g | pink-mottled | sweet | average | winter-hardy, early-fruiting |
Valery Chkalov | Early July | 9 g | raspberry | excellent dessert | medium height | winter-hardy, early fruiting, very productive |
Veda | July | 4-5 g | dark red | the pulp is dense, sweet | low-growing (2.5 m), spreading crown, rounded | Yes |
Olenka | early | Up to 10 g | red to black | dessert | stunted | increased |
In memory of Chernyshevsky | June | 4-5 g | Red to black | sweet and sour | tall | winter-hardy |
Revna | mid-late | 5 g | Bordeaux | sweet | Medium height | winter-hardy |
Motherland | June-July | 6 g | Bordeaux | sweetish | Medium height | very winter hardy |
Rossoshanskaya Gold | June-July | 6 g | yellow | sweet with honey aftertaste | low-growing | Yes |
Video review of fruitful cherry varieties
When to plant cherries
Spring planting is practiced in Siberian regions with a sharply continental climate - short summer and harsh, long winters. In the middle zone, where the climate is temperate, more humid and warm, cherry seedlings are planted in the fall - in September-October.
This period is considered the most optimal, since the gardener’s task is to allow the seedling to take root well and go into the winter before the growing season (growth and development) begins. If the deadline for autumn planting is missed, then you have to wait for spring. During this period, seedlings are buried in a shallow trench with a slope of 45 degrees until the onset of warm days. In winter, to prevent them from freezing, you need to periodically throw snow on them, and cover them from sunburn with plywood, boards, and non-woven material. Polyethylene cannot be used to avoid spring damping.
If it is necessary to preserve several shoots, they are tied together in 4-5 pieces and placed in a groove with their upper part to the south, with their roots in the deeper part, to the north.
Advantages of autumn planting cherries in the middle zone:
- During this period, there is no need for frequent watering, since there is enough rainfall.
- Seedlings are sold fresh, recently dug up. They still retain young roots and leaves that have not dried out, by which one can determine the condition of the seedling, the presence or absence of infections.
- Large selection and relative cheapness.
And finally, in the fall the gardener has more free time than in the spring.
How to choose and plant cherries correctly
Before purchasing, you need to decide in advance whether this plant will be rooted or on a rootstock. If the second option, then when purchasing, you need to find the grafting site - it has a pronounced thickening just above the root collar.
In addition, the tree must have a main conductor, which will subsequently become the main trunk, and pruning will be done with an eye on it. If there is no central conductor, then the result will be a highly branched plant with a high risk of breaking the crown during the fruiting period.
The root system should be 15 cm long, moist and without obvious damage. It is better to choose annual or biennial seedlings.
Immediately before planting, the plant is inspected again to identify any shortcomings and:
- remove “soaked” roots;
- trim very long root ends;
- cut off those roots that do not fit into the planting hole;
- tear off remaining foliage.
Under no circumstances should branches be cut, unless they are broken during transportation.
If there are dried roots, before planting they are placed in water for several hours (from 2 to 10) to become saturated with moisture.
When the seedlings are dealt with, you need to determine a favorable place for planting cherries. This should be a well-lit area, protected from the north wind.
Cherry does not “like” low-lying areas with high groundwater levels, clayey and acidic peat soil.
It “feels” best on loams and sandy loams with good aeration.
The planting site is carefully dug up, weeds removed, and leveled with a rake. Planting pits
are planned at a distance of 4-5 meters from each other. Their diameter and depth are 80-90 cm. When the cherry orchard is planned and the holes are ready, the following is added to them:
- humus - 3 buckets;
- ash – 1 l;
- superphosphate – 0.2 kg;
- potash fertilizers – 0.1 kg.
In addition, if the soil is clayey, a bucket of sand is poured into the hole; if the soil is sandy, a bucket of clay is poured into the hole. Mix everything with a shovel and form a small mound in the center for convenient placement of the roots.
Nitrogen fertilizers are not applied during autumn planting to avoid premature growth.
You can start planting. First, a support peg is stuck into the hole, then the seedling is placed strictly vertically and the roots are carefully straightened along the slopes of the mound. It is necessary to ensure that the root collar and place the scion (if any) was 3 cm above the ground surface. The roots are sprinkled with soil, periodically shaking the tree. When the process is half completed, a bucket of water is poured into the hole and planting is completed. The earth around is carefully compacted.
Then, they tie the plant to a support and, stepping 30 cm around the circumference from the trunk, make a small depression into which another bucket of water is poured. It is advisable to mulch the planting site with rotted sawdust or compost. If the soil settles after a few days, it should be added to the general level.
How to care for cherries
Caring for cherries after planting is practically not required:
- The main thing is to protect it from rodents, frostbite, damping off and sunburn. To do this, the trunk should be whitened, wrapped in burlap and pesticides should be spread out. In cold winters, it is better to add snow.
- In the spring, when the snow melts, the trunk and skeletal branches are whitened to reflect the sun's rays and to prevent disease.
- During the growing season, cherries require watering 1-2 times a month: young ones require 2 buckets, adults – 5-6 buckets of water.
- For the first 2-3 years, only nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the spring - they stimulate the growth of branches and green mass.
- Starting from the 4th year, the full mineral complex is added.
The soil under the trees can be mulched, turfed, or kept fallow.
Pruning and shaping cherries
One of the mandatory procedures for caring for cherries is pruning and shaping the tree. It allows you to achieve regular abundant harvests. Improper implementation of these measures inevitably leads to weakening and death of the plant.
Spring pruning of skeletal branches before the start of sap flow is preferable, since they are clearly visible, and with the onset of a warm period, the risk of freezing disappears. The wounds heal quickly.
For the middle zone, the optimal time for the procedure is the end of March-beginning of April. In the autumn, after leaf fall and until October, sanitary pruning is carried out and the crown is thinned out.
Young seedlings begin to form from the first year when they reach 50-55 cm. If the trees have not yet grown to this height, then pruning is postponed until next year. So:
It is not allowed to remove skeletal branches if they have active buds.
If all agrotechnical practices are followed and with proper formation, the cherry tree will delight you with its flowering and abundant harvests from year to year.
Reliable varieties
Fatezh
Chermashnaya
Leningradskaya black
Sinyavskaya
Tyutchevka
And the way
Tree size
Good placement.
Strengthen the trunk.
growing cherries
Cherries growing cherries
Fig.1 Cherry blossoms
2. Planting cherries
The best time for planting cherries
3. Cherry feeding
The first years after planting cherries
Carry out crown formation cherries
planting cherries.
Choosing a cherry seedling
Choosing a landing site
Soil preparation
Watering and weeding
Pollination
Preparing cherries for wintering
Autumn whitewashing of cherries
Young seedlings need shelter. You should not wrap them with artificial materials (lutrasil, spunbond). It is better to give preference to spruce branches or burlap, under which the trees breathe in winter and will not rot.
Even inexperienced gardeners can grow cherries in central Russia and other regions. By choosing the right seedling and planting site, as well as following simple care rules, you can harvest an excellent harvest of juicy and sweet berries every year.
Categories:// from 09/10/201910 Sep
How to grow cherries in central Russia
Once upon a time, these sweet fruits were the privilege of southerners. But nowadays, summer residents Central Russia They can also grow cherries.
In recent years, the dreams of many summer residents of Central Russia about their own cherries have become a reality: after all, winter-resistant varieties of cherries have already been bred and successfully “tested”, and agricultural technology has been worked out.
Reliable varieties
In the Moscow region, the Fatezh, Sinyavskaya and Chermashnaya varieties bred in VSTISP (Moscow) proved to be the most persistent, grateful and attractive to gardeners. Iput, Tyutchevka, Revna, obtained at the Lupine Research Institute (Bryansk), are also good. Leningradskaya black, Mulatka, Teremoshka, and Severnaya also show good winter hardiness in our conditions.
Fatezh- the most winter-hardy cherry variety. Thanks to this remarkable quality, it bears fruit in all years favorable for cherry harvest. Produces amber-pink fruits average size(up to 4.5 g), very tasty, with sweet, juicy cartilaginous pulp.
It quickly begins to bear fruit and produces a high yield in the presence of pollinators (any simultaneously flowering cherry varieties will do). The trees are quite compact, with a spreading crown, and fit well into the landscape of even small summer cottages.
Chermashnaya- the earliest ripening variety, ripens in the Moscow region as early as June 15–20. The fruits are bright yellow, with juicy melting pulp, and taste like sweet grapes.
Plants with increased winter hardiness are resistant to fungal diseases. They bear fruit well only when pollinated by suitable varieties (Fatezh, Iput). Birds love this variety: a week before ripening, the trees must be covered with fine mesh.
Leningradskaya black- winter-hardy variety of medium ripening period. Needs a pollinator. The fruits are dark cherry, almost black. The pulp is dark, tender, sweet, with slight acidity and noticeable bitterness, with a pleasant taste.
A good variety for growing in the south of the Non-Black Earth Region and the north of the Central Black Earth Zone. The variety is winter-hardy, weakly affected by diseases and pests. The tree is medium-sized, productive.
Sinyavskaya- the largest-fruited variety of Moscow selection. The fruits are dark red, with colored juice, with a small seed, and a sweet, rich taste. In terms of taste and impressive fruit size, the variety is close to southern cherries.
Less winter-hardy than previous varieties, but has a high regenerative ability. In favorable years without severe winter frosts and spring frosts and in the presence of pollinators, it shows very high yields - up to 30 kg per tree. Due to its vigorous growth, annual pruning and the formation of a compact crown are very important for this variety.
Tyutchevka- one of the most winter-hardy varieties of Bryansk selection. The fruits are quite large, dark red, almost black when fully ripe, with a sweet dessert taste, in some years with a slight bitterness. In the conditions of the Moscow region it shows good stable yield - 10–15 kg per tree from the 5th year after planting. Trees of this variety are unusually beautiful during the flowering period and when the fruits ripen.
And the way- an early variety, ripens in the Moscow region in the third decade of June. The fruits are dark red, quite large, with dense pulp of sweet taste. As with other early varieties, timely protection of the crop from birds is necessary. Heavy rains during ripening can cause massive cracking of the fruit.
Revna is a reliable variety of medium-late ripening. The fruits are medium-sized, dark red, with colored juice, with a pleasant sweet taste. Valued for its high yield and taste. Due to its late ripening, this variety suffers less than others from birds, but can be damaged by cherry flies.
Northern cherries have the same sweet and tasty fruits as the southern ones, but they are somewhat smaller and ripen later than the southern ones. The earliest varieties of cherries near Moscow (Chermashnaya and Iput) begin to ripen in mid-June.
You can enjoy them until the end of June, and in early July they are replaced by the Sinyavskaya, Leningradskaya Chernaya and Fatezh varieties. The fruits of the Revna and Tyutchevka varieties ripen simultaneously with mid-ripening cherry varieties.
Tree size
Many potential owners are concerned that the cherry will grow very tall tree. Indeed, in the south it can grow up to 10 m and even more. But in the conditions of the Moscow region, without pruning, cherry trees can grow up to 5–6 m. Which is also a lot - the harvest from such giants is available only to birds.
If you want small-sized cherries, ask for seedlings on weak-growing clonal rootstocks LTs52 or VSL2. Next, you will have to systematically prune and form a compact crown - it is easier to harvest from trees up to 2.5–3 m high and protect it from birds.
Four conditions for growing cherries
Sweet cherries in Central Russia require more careful attention from gardeners than traditional fruit crops. To “make friends” with her, you need to fulfill 4 important conditions.
Choose the right variety and rootstock. In the garden you need to plant several mutually pollinating and simultaneously flowering varieties (at least 2-3), because it is very important that the flowers are pollinated. For successful overwintering and abundant fruiting, you need to choose seedlings of recommended varieties with an increased reserve of winter hardiness, grafted onto frost-resistant clonal rootstocks.
Cherry trees grafted on clonal Izmailovsky rootstock grow well and bear fruit regularly. They do not sprout, thus do not clog the site, and their lifespan is at least 20 years.
Good placement. It is very important to choose the right place for planting: it should be located at the top of a gentle slope in a southern or western direction. There should be enough sun and protection from strong winds.
Strengthen the trunk. When planting, be sure to drive a strong stake into the soil and tie the seedling to it. In the first years, the above-ground part of the cherry tree grows very quickly, and the root system cannot keep up with it.
In the second half of summer, long shoots with large leaves enhance the windiness of young trees. Without additional strengthening, the plants bend and, with strong gusts of wind, can break at the surface of the soil (a perfectly fused grafting site does not prevent this from happening). If the planting site is poorly protected from the winds, then it is advisable to preserve the supports until the trees are 4-6 years old.
Protect from winter sunburn. To protect it from the winter sun, the trunk will have to be whitened or wrapped with white non-woven material before wintering.
Cherry is considered a fairly demanding plant in terms of light and heat. It is afraid of cold air and favors sunny places at higher elevations. The site must be protected from northeastern and northern winds. The best place for growing cherries there will be a south and southwest side of the buildings. She will also feel comfortable among mature trees.
Cherries prefers warm sandy loam fertile soils and grows very poorly on peat bog, heavy loamy, gley soils. It is worth noting that for growing cherries Acidic soils are completely unsuitable. Neutral, slightly alkaline (pH 7-7.3) and slightly acidic are much more suitable for her. Cherry does not tolerate stagnation of water, but at the same time it loves a large amount of moisture. Does not survive well in the presence of close groundwater.
1. Cherry varieties most suitable for central Russia
Breeders have created a fairly large number of cherry varieties that grow well and bear fruit in the middle zone. It includes the Moscow, Bryansk, Kaluga, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tula, Vladimir and Ivanovo regions.
1.1 Early ripening varieties of cherries:
Iput is a self-sterile variety whose pollinators are Revna, Raditsa, Bryanskaya rozovaya and Tyutchivka. It has high winter hardiness of flower buds. The fruits are very sweet and juicy and almost black in color. Their weight reaches almost 10 grams.
Raditsa. Pollinators for it are Iput, Revna and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and juicy, dark red in color, weighing up to 5.8 grams.
Sadko. Pollinators for it are Iput, Revna and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and rarely crack, reaching a weight of up to 8 grams. It has a dark red color.
1.2 Mid-early and mid-ripening varieties of cherries:
Revna. Its pollinators are Iput, Raditsa and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and juicy, dark red in color, weighing up to 7.8 grams.
Tyutchivka. Its pollinators are Iput, Raditsa, Revna and Ovstuzhenka. The fruits are sweet and juicy, dark red in color, weighing up to 5.4 grams. In years with high humidity, the fruits may crack.
Astakhov's favorite. Its pollinators are Iput, Raditsa and Tyutchivka. It is also considered partially self-fertile. The fruits are sweet and juicy, dark red in color, weighing more than 5 grams.
1.3 Late-ripening varieties of cherries:
Lena. Pollinators for it are Iput, Revna and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and obtusely heart-shaped, dark red in color, weighing up to 8 grams.
Bryanochka. Pollinators for it are Iput, Revna and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and juicy, dark red in color, weighing up to 7 grams.
Bryansk pink. Pollinators for it are Iput, Revna and Tyutchivka. The fruits are sweet and juicy, pink in color, weighing up to 5 grams.
All varieties begin to bear fruit 3-5 years after planting. They are also winter-hardy and resistant to coccomycosis and some other fungal diseases. For full fruiting, it is necessary to have at least 3 varieties of cherries in one area.
Fig.1 Cherry blossoms
2. Planting cherries
The best time for planting cherries It is early spring, until the buds open. Thanks to this, the seedling will have time to take root well and gain vitality to survive the first winter.
The planting hole should be dug 10-12 days before planting in the spring or prepared in the fall. The optimal depth is 60-75 cm, and the width is 70-80 cm. The dug-out fertile soil layer is mixed with humus and superphosphate (200 g) and potassium sulfate (100 g) are added to it. The hole is then filled with this mixture.
It is very important to remember that cherries do not tolerate deepening of the root collar. Therefore, when planting, it is worth raising it by 3-4 centimeters, because in the near future the soil will settle and the root collar will deepen a little.
After planting, you need to form a moat around the cherry seedling and water it generously with a bucket of water. It is advisable to re-water after a week.
Fig. 2 How to properly deepen the root collar of cherries
3. Cherry feeding
The first years after planting cherries there is no need to apply fertilizer, since everything necessary was placed in the hole along with the soil. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizing begins in the 3rd year after planting. Superphosphate (40-60 g/m2) and potassium chloride (20-30 grams) are added once every 3 years when digging the trunk circle no later than mid-September.
Nitrogen fertilizers are applied every spring, starting from the 3rd year after planting cherries. These include ammonium nitrate (20 g/m2) or urea (15 g/m2). You can learn more about mineral fertilizers here.
Organic matter should be added once every 2 years, 3-4 kg per m2. This is best done in the spring when loosening the tree trunk circle. If you apply these fertilizers later, the growth of new shoots may stop, and they will not have time to get stronger before the onset of cold weather.
Also, after fruiting, you can sow green manure plants around the tree trunk, which, together with the soil, will be dug up in the spring and, thus, all the necessary substances will begin to nourish the tree much earlier, especially considering the fact that they will begin to overheat under the snow. You can find out more interesting information about green manure plants from this article.
4. Pruning cherries and crown formation
Carry out crown formation cherries It is advisable in early spring, before the buds swell. At the same time, one should not forget about treating all cuts with garden varnish. This must be done in order to prevent gum growth, which can lead to infection with various kinds of diseases and even death of the tree. Also, don’t forget about whitewashing the tree trunk in spring, and you can find out how to do it correctly here.
The cherry tree has a natural crown shape - from pyramidal to round, but when pruned it is most often made into a sparsely tiered crown with a trunk height of 60 to 80 centimeters. The first pruning of shoots should be carried out a year after planting cherries.
During this period, a crown of 5-6 skeletal branches (first order) is formed. In the first tier, 3 branches are left, 2 of which can be placed adjacent, and the third is 20-25 centimeters higher than the first two.
In the third year, it is advisable to lay the second tier of skeletal branches at a distance of at least 60 cm from the upper branch of the first tier. In the same year, 2 second-order branches should be formed on each first-order shoot. To form second-order branches, it is necessary to shorten the first-order branches by approximately 20 centimeters after their length reaches 70 centimeters. Second-order branches are located at a distance of at least 50 centimeters from the trunk and from each other.
The third tier is usually formed from a single shoot at a distance of at least 30 centimeters from the second tier. In this case, it is recommended to cut the central conductor above the branch of the third tier no earlier than a year after its formation.
Cherries are valued by gardeners for their high yield and unsurpassed taste of the berries. Many people consider this crop to be too demanding in terms of growing conditions, but this is a misconception. In order for cherries to develop well and bear fruit abundantly, the planting and care of which are covered in detail in our material, you only need to choose the right variety, protect it from frost and ensure timely watering and fertilization.
Sweet cherry is the closest relative of the sour cherry. Thanks to new, cold-resistant varieties, it is possible to grow cherries in central Russia and northern regions, despite the southern origin of the crop.
Choosing a cherry seedling
To plant on the site, you should select several varieties of cherries for cross-pollination. In the middle zone and the Moscow region, the following varieties produce good harvests: Cheremashnaya, Krymskaya, Iput, Bryansk pink, Fatezh, Tyutchevka.
Externally, cherry seedlings are very similar to cherries, but upon closer inspection, it is not difficult to distinguish them:
- Cherry trees are taller with erect branches;
- The bark of cherry seedlings is brown with a reddish tint, while the bark of cherry seedlings is gray-brown.
Growing cherries will be successful if the seedling for planting is chosen correctly. His age should not exceed three years (optimally two years). The recommended height of the purchased seedling is at least 80 cm, and it has 3-4 strong shoots. There must be a grafting site on the trunk, which indicates the varietal identity of the seedling. The bark of a healthy plant is smooth, without signs of disease or freezing.
Cherry seedlings from the nursery prepared for transplanting
The root system of cherry planting material is well developed and has 3-4 branches 20 cm long. Specimens with dried, rotten or frozen roots should not be purchased - they are not viable. If the root system of the seedling is very dry—a light brown core is visible when cut—the seedling can be revived. To do this, the roots are placed in a container with water for a day.
Choosing a location and planting cherries
Improper planting of cherries can lead to the death of the seedling, so this stage must be approached responsibly.
Choosing a landing site
Cherry prefers areas on the south or southwest side, not blown by north winds. It is allowed to plant trees near the southern walls of the house and on gentle slopes.
Cherries bear fruit well in a sunny area on the south side
This fruit crop does not tolerate stagnation of moisture, even short-term. Planting cherries in central Russia should be carried out in areas with deep groundwater. Otherwise, soaking the roots will lead to a delay in the development of the tree, and subsequently to its death.
Soil preparation
Cherries develop and bear fruit well on fertile loams and sandy loams with neutral acidity. The soil should be well aerated and saturated with moisture. Peat bogs, deep sandstones and heavy clay soils are not suitable for growing cherries.
It is necessary to prepare the area where you plan to plant the tree in advance. The site is dug up in the fall, adding organic matter (manure or compost) and mineral fertilizers (superphosphate and sodium sulfate). If you need to lower the pH level of the soil, add about 500 g of lime or chalk.
Planting seedlings in open ground
Sweet cherries take root and develop well, the cultivation and care of which are planned in advance, and the rules and planting dates are followed. In the southern regions, planting is done in the fall and they have time to get stronger before the onset of cold weather. In the conditions of the Moscow region and the middle zone, transplantation should be postponed until spring. The optimal time for spring planting in open ground is the end of April, before the buds swell.
When planting a cherry orchard, a distance of at least 3 meters must be maintained between plants. A hole for planting is dug two weeks before planting so that the soil is sufficiently settled. The fertile layer of surface soil is tilted in one direction, and the deep layer in the other. The size of the hole should ensure free placement of the root system in it - a depth of approximately 60 cm and a width of 60-100 cm. It is not recommended to add nitrogen-containing fertilizers and lime to the planting hole, which can cause burns to the roots.
Preparing a planting hole for cherries
At the bottom of the planting hole, a mound of fertile soil is formed, on which the seedling is placed. The root neck of the cherry tree should not be deepened. It should be at ground level or slightly higher. After planting, you need to water the tree abundantly and mulch the tree trunk.
Cherry - care after planting and before harvesting
Caring for cherries in the first year of planting does not take much effort. It is enough to water the plant in a timely manner and remove weeds in the tree trunk circle. In the future, the tree needs additional care.
Watering and weeding
Watering an adult tree is carried out three times a season, adding 20-30 liters of water. In dry summers, the amount of watering can be increased. You should avoid excess moisture, as cherry roots are prone to rotting. The growth of weeds in the tree trunk circle is unacceptable, so they are regularly removed, the soil is loosened and mulched.
Pollination
For fruiting, you need to ensure good pollination of the cherry during flowering. Cherries of other varieties or cherries will become cross pollinators. To attract bees, cherry flowers can be irrigated with honey or sugar dissolved in water.
It is recommended to grow several varieties of cherries for cross-pollination.
Fertilizing cherries in spring and pre-winter
If the soil was well fertilized when planting, additional fertilizing is not needed for the first 3-5 years. Caring for cherries in central Russia in the future includes the application of organic fertilizers, which are applied in the spring: 10 kg of compost or rotted manure. Mineral fertilizers (superphosphate) will help the tree prepare for winter. They are brought in no later than September.
Formative and sanitary pruning of cherries
In the year of planting, you need to shorten the side branches to 40 cm. The intensive growth of cherry shoots needs to be restrained. To do this, formative pruning is carried out in the spring before the buds swell.
Cherry trees are pruned in the spring before the buds swell.
In subsequent years, pruning is carried out to form a tiered crown, shortening last year's shoots. At a height of 3-3.5 m, the growth of the main conductor is restrained by pruning. In the spring, sanitary pruning is also carried out, removing damaged and improperly growing branches.
Harvesting and subsequent care of cherries
Cherries begin to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting. The ripening period of berries may vary depending on the variety. Berry picking often occurs in June and July. Berries with stalks are picked in dry weather.
During the ripening period, starlings and other birds like to feast on the berries. To deter them, you can buy special nets for fruit trees; summer residents also attach rustling and shiny objects to trees. More reliable means of protection are non-woven material or electronic repellers.
Protecting cherry fruits from birds using old computer disks
Caring for cherries after harvest is not difficult. It is necessary to monitor the health of the tree and regularly clean the tree trunk from fallen plant debris. During this period, the amount and rate of watering can be reduced.
Diseases and pests of cherries, and their control
To protect cherries, early spring (during bud swelling) spraying with a urea solution is used as a preventative measure. Prepare a solution from 10 liters of water and 500-600 g of urea. They treat not only the branches, but also the soil in the tree trunk circle, thereby destroying the insects wintering there.
To combat fungi and moss, treat the trunk and crown with a 5% solution of iron sulfate before sap flow begins. Such treatment is sufficient once every few years.
Cherry affected by clasterosporiosis
To combat the main pests: sawfly, mites, aphids, they are treated with Karbofos, Askarin, Fitoverm, Novaktion. Spray the trees during the period of bud opening and bouquet separation. During the same period, prevention of clasterosporiasis, moniliosis and other diseases is carried out with a 5% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
After flowering, prevention of flying pests begins. To do this, spray with Karbofos or Novaktion. The last treatment should be carried out no later than 20 days before the crop ripens.
Preparing cherries for wintering
Mature cherries, planted and cared for according to the rules, tolerate winter well without shelter. It is enough to whiten the base of the trunk and skeletal branches, add 150 g of superphosphate to the soil in September, and mulch the tree trunk circle with peat. Also in the fall it is necessary to carry out abundant saturating watering.