If you want to turn your garden into a cherry tree, this is feasible. The main thing is to choose a variety, plant a tree correctly and take care of it, which you will learn from our article. Gone are the days when cherries were grown only in the southern regions. Now varieties have been developed that allow residents of the Moscow region and even the Leningrad region to feast on berries from their garden.
Read about the beneficial properties of cherries
Choosing cherry varieties
When solving this important issue, it is necessary to pay attention to the flowering period of the tree and the fact that many varieties are self-fertile. That is, for a good fruit setting, it is necessary to plant not one, but at least 2 trees of different varieties that would bloom at the same time. To see what this beautiful tree looks like, a photo will help, although who has not seen it live …
In the southern regions, warmth sets in early, so flowering trees there practically do not fall under frost. In cooler areas, early ripening varieties can be exposed to this trouble, as cherries bloom in spring. But, if you want to taste the berries as early as possible, then, during frosts, you can cover cherry trees with non-woven material, make smoke fires near them, etc.
Here are the early varieties of cherries that are recommended for growing in the Middle Lane:
- Backyard yellow. Yielding, winter-hardy sweet cherry. The fruits have a sweet and sour taste. The variety is self-fertile.
- Orlovskaya amber. Average winter hardiness, the variety has a good yield, resistant to coccomycosis. The average mass of tasty, large yellow-pink fruits is 5, 5 g.
- Iput has excellent winter hardiness, is resistant to coccomycosis, and is partially self-fertile. Fruits weighing 6-9 g, dark red, almost black in color. The cultivation of sweet cherries of the Iput variety is preferred by many gardeners.
- Raditsa. The fruits ripen very early. The variety is winter-hardy, high-yielding. To obtain fruits that are dark red in color, it is necessary to plant a pollinator next to it, since this variety is self-fertile. The tree is weak, has a compact crown.
- Chermashnaya has high winter hardiness. Fruits weighing up to four and a half grams are yellow in color. The berries are sweet, juicy. The variety is self-infertile, has good indicators of resistance to fungal diseases.
- Trees of the sweet cherry variety Ovstuzhenka are low, with a dense spherical crown. Fruits with an average weight of 5 grams are dark red. The variety is winter-hardy, fruitful.
Mid-season cherry varieties:
- Fatezh. Winter-hardy, high-yielding variety. The tree is medium-sized, self-fruitless, with a spherical, spreading, drooping crown. The fruits are pink-red, shiny. The taste is sweet and sour.
- Pobeda is a fruitful variety that is resistant to fungal diseases. Good winter hardiness. The fruits are large, of excellent taste, red in color.
- Cherry variety Revna is winter-hardy, partially self-fertile, has excellent resistance to coccomycosis. Fruits of sweet taste are dark red, almost black, when ripening, they do not crack.
Late-ripening cherries, varieties:
- Tyutchevka is winter-hardy, resistant to moniliosis. Medium-tall tree with a spherical semi-spreading crown. Fruits of a dark red color are large, weigh 5, 5-6 g, excellent taste.
- Revna is a partially self-fertile variety, highly resistant to coccomycosis. The tree is pyramidal in shape and medium-sized. Fruits are almost black in color - dark burgundy, have an excellent taste.
- Bryansk pink is one of the latest varieties. Disease resistant. In the fifth year, it begins to bear fruit. The tree grows to medium size. Fruits are pink on the outside and light yellow on the inside, do not crack.
Planting cherries
Like many fruit trees, cherries can be planted in fall and spring. Each term has its own advantages and minor disadvantages. In the spring, you need to have time to plant a cherry seedling before the onset of heat. In the Middle Lane - this is the end of April. That is, the term is short. But in the fall it is longer. At this time, cherries are planted from early September to late October. It is necessary that the seedling has time to take root before the onset of frost, then it will winter better. It is important to choose the most optimal location in the garden. Since cherries are a guest who came to us from the south, it is necessary to plant them where they will be warm. It is necessary to choose a place that is not blown by cold northerly winds. It is best to place the seedling on the south side of other garden trees. Also, on the north side, a tree can cover the wall of a building, a fence. The place for growing cherries should be well warmed up by the sun, it is impossible for it to be shadowed by other trees.
In the lowland, the tree will feel uncomfortable. Usually there is a high level of groundwater, so the roots of the tree will undermine, and the tree itself may die.
After you have decided on the place, you need to think over the timing of planting cherries. Even winter-hardy varieties cannot be planted if the air temperature is below 0 ° C. At the same time, during spring planting, it is necessary to carry out work before the buds swell. Therefore, the autumn planting is the most optimal. However, if you purchased a young seedling with a closed root system, then it can be planted almost at any time - from the end of April to the end of October, but it is better to do this when there is no extreme heat, then the cherries will take root better. A seedling hole is dug in advance, this will allow the earth to settle. It is made large - with a diameter of 1 m and a depth of 70 cm. 2 × 3 buckets of well-ripened compost, humus are poured here, or these organic fertilizers are combined. Mineral also needs to be added. Pour 200 g of double superphosphate and 150 g of potassium sulfate into the pit. Mix mineral fertilizers with organic fertilizers, give humus, compost the shape of a mound. Place a seedling on it, spreading the roots. Drive in a peg next to it, tie a tree to it.
Cover the hole with fertile turf soil. Gently pour 2 × 3 buckets of water over the cherry seedling, then cover the tree trunk with peat. Place your foot around this place, placing the sole perpendicular to the seedling - with the toe to it. Make sure that the root collar is at the level of the soil.
This completes the planting of cherries. Of course, it is better to carry it out in cloudy weather, if the next morning after planting it is hot, cover the seedling with non-woven material. If you are planting multiple trees, keep a distance of 3 m between them.
Formative cherry pruning
It is necessary to cut off excess branches, to form a tree annually, since sweet cherry is distinguished by its rapid growth. This is done only in early spring, while the buds have not yet blossomed.
Until the tree begins to bear fruit, its annual shoots are annually shortened by 1/5 of the height. When the cherry enters the fruiting stage, the shortening pruning is stopped. Only branches that grow incorrectly are cut out - directed towards the crown, half of the shoot is removed if the two branches form an angle of less than 50 °. It is necessary to cut out diseased, dry branches.
In order for the yield to be higher, such a technique is carried out: sharp-growing branches are bent so that they become at an angle of 90 ° from the trunk. To do this, weights are hung on the branches of a young tree or the ends of the branches are tied to pegs driven into the ground.
The photo shows how to prune cherries like the Spanish bush
Cherry care
It is imperative to weed the ground under the crown, since cherries do not like weeds. Gradually increase the diameter of the trunk circle. In the second year, it should be 1 meter, after another 3 years, 150 cm. This entire area should be cleared of weeds.
The cherries are watered and then fed three times a season. This should be done like this: first, loosen the soil of the trunk circle, while picking out weeds. Then pour the sun-heated water over the tree in a few steps, then pour the nutrient solution over it.
In the initial period of budding, 5–8 g of urea is dissolved in 10 liters of water, and the tree is watered with this fertilizer. You can notice this organic top dressing, diluting 800 g of manure in 10 liters. water. Make sure that the fertilizer does not get on the root collar, otherwise it may rot.
The next are 2 mineral dressings of cherries - the first - during the budding period, the second - at the beginning of fruit setting. For such a fertilizer, 1 glass of ash and 30 g of double superphosphate in 10 liters are diluted. water.
For better pollination, you can spray the flowers with a sweet solution, placing 1 tbsp. l. liquid honey in 1 liter. water. The bees will flock to the smell, and the harvest will be plentiful.
When the cherry is at the ripening stage, it is better to wrap the tree with a fabric net or oilcloth (as in the photo above), or wrap branches with tinsel (rain for a Christmas tree). In this way, you can protect the berries from birds, otherwise they will eat more than half, and what they do not eat will spoil! As you can see, planting, caring for a sweet cherry tree does not present any particular difficulties. But your concern for the troubles will be rewarded - you can already taste juicy berries at the beginning of summer and make various preparations for the winter from them.
Video about growing cherries in the Middle Lane and forming a tree like a Spanish bush:
Photos of cherry cultivation in Georgia, USA (Mercier Orchards growers do not use chemicals to repel pests):
