Cherry has become an integral part of our gardens. This fruit tree has a wide variety of varieties. In this article we will talk about felt cherry. The felt cherry variety has its own characteristics and characteristics that made this tree important element many personal plots. This article will be devoted to a description of the felt cherry, its type and varieties.
Few people know that Chinese cherries belong to the Plum subfamily. For the first time, a Chinese woman was raised, as hard as it may be to guess, in China. But still, Korea, China and Mongolia are considered its homeland. The wild species of this tree grows here. Spread of felt cherry like cultural species happened in the middle of the twentieth century. During this period they began to grow it in Eastern Europe And North America. Today it is one of the most common species, which mainly grows in Ukraine and Russia. So, in the Moscow region there is a nursery where they grow a large number of varieties of this type of cherry.
Chinese cherry blossoms bloom beautifully and begin to bear fruit early. This type is very suitable for harsh conditions Siberia.
Felt cherry in appearance, it is more reminiscent of a bush than a tree. This is a fairly small shrub that can reach a length of approximately one and a half meters. But when proper care it can grow up to three meters in height. A photo of the felt cherry is shown below.
The branches, especially perennial ones, are gray-brown in color, thick and rough. But annual shoots are green or brown-green. The buds on the bush itself are located on bouquet and very short fruit twigs. On annual shoots they are collected together in groups of three. The buds that are located on the sides are fruitful, and the vegetative ones grow in the middle. Fruit formations live up to four years.
The leaves of the felt cherry are small and wrinkled, the leaf blade is smooth on top and pubescent below. Distinctive feature Felt cherry is the presence of a fleecy and fluffy crown. The shrub has a rather dense, spreading and oval crown. It was this crown that gave rise to the name of this cherry variety “felt”. Pubescence, to varying degrees, can be found on the leaves, peduncle, fruit skin and even on annual shoots.
Bloom
The blooming Chinese tree looks great. The pink china buds turn into white and pink flowers. This type begins to bloom approximately two weeks earlier than other varieties. The flowers are pink and begin to turn white towards the end of flowering. Flowers bloom in May (middle or end of the month, bloom profusely for two weeks. Due to the presence of a short stalk, during flowering it seems that the color is located directly on the branches. Cherry during this period resembles a huge, beautifully smelling bouquet.
Fruit
A distinctive feature of this species is its polymorphic berries. Also, this type of fruit tree differs from other cherries in having sweeter fruits. The berries are sweeter due to the fact that they contain significantly less acid. Their pulp contains a large amount of useful nutrients: vitamin C, polysaccharides, etc. The color of the fruits is red or pink, but sometimes they are also white or black (depending on the variety). The weight of one berry varies within 3 g. The first fruits on felt cherries appear in the second year after planting. The berries ripen at the end of June, and they can stay on the branches for a long time. The stone is very small and is quite difficult to separate from the pulp.
Eating berries of this type helps increase appetite, strengthens capillaries and improves digestion. They are suitable for preparing compotes, preserves, jellies, marmalade and other preservation options.
Felt cherry is often planted as decorative culture, although it has a fairly high fertility and in a season you can collect up to 12 kg, sometimes even 15 kg of fruit from one bush, and with proper care of the felt cherry you can get all 20 kg.
Growing conditions
This species is an absolutely unpretentious tree in terms of soil conditions. But it’s worth planting them in sufficient time sunny places. If planted in a dark area, as well as with frequent rains, the berries may rot directly on the branches.
One of the positive properties of felt cherry is that it has higher frost resistance compared to other varieties. Can tolerate temperature drops down to -40 degrees without problems. At lower temperatures, freezing of the cambium and pith may occur. In this case, these branches should be deleted. During the flowering period, sudden cold snaps can damage the flowers. A particularly important advantage is the greater resistance of this type of cherry to coccomycosis.
This type of fruit tree is self-sterile. This means that there are both male and female flowers on the same bush. For this reason, such cherries are planted close to each other and in quantities of no less than 3 to 5 bushes. In this case, pollinators are located very close, which will promote fruiting. It is characterized by education large number shoots, which are very convenient to plant. The only thing you need to make sure is that this growth does not spoil appearance garden
You can cross such cherries with peach, plum, apricot and cherry plum. But it cannot be crossed with an ordinary cherry, since genetically they are very far from each other.
Video “Felt cherries”
In the video below you can find out some details of the characteristics of the variety. In addition, this video contains information about the characteristics of the growth of felt cherry in Siberia.
Varieties
This type of cherry is characterized by the presence of a large varietal diversity, which have certain properties and features.
According to the ripening period, Chinese cherries are divided into 3 groups:
- precocious – Delight, Alice, Children’s;
- medium-fruited - Eastern, Okeanskaya Virovskaya, Skazka, Natalie, Tsarevna;
- late – Altana, Beauty, Summer.
Before planting a tree, you need to read the description of a specific type of Chinese cherry in order to know all the features of the variety.
Southern varieties of felt cherries, like plum varieties, are characterized by early ripening and the formation of a large number of fruits that form on the tree during the fruiting period. In this case, the felt variety looks like a tree with a wide and spreading crown. These varieties have fruits that are very sweet and tasty. The content of useful substances (vitamins, microelements) in them is the highest. TO this type The following varieties include: felt cherry Natali, Tsarevna, Lyubskaya, Apukhtinskaya, Alisa, Bagryannaya.
Also, the differences between the varieties are in disease resistance. For example, the Malinovka variety, which belongs to early varieties, has the lowest susceptibility to coccomycosis. It is this property that increases the attractiveness of such species.
The most classic variety of felt cherry is Vladimirskaya, which is most widespread in Europe and East Asia. In the Moscow nursery you can find all of the above varieties.
Varieties that are intended for planting in middle lane, have increased winter hardiness. These include Mayak, Nezyabkaya, and Vole.
IN Lately is gaining great popularity new variety Chocolate plant, which can grow 2.5 meters in height. Its fruits are dark burgundy and sometimes almost black, which is what gave it its name.
Before planting this or that variety in your garden, you should familiarize yourself with its characteristics and beneficial properties.
Care
As mentioned above, this variety is an unpretentious tree to care for. The Chinese tree is easy to grow at home.
Caring for the felt cherry begins from the moment it is planted in your garden. Felt cherries can be planted in spring and autumn, and in rare cases - at the end of summer. It is best to plant felt cherries in light sandy and loamy soils. Do not plant it in peat bogs or waterlogged soils. The place where it is placed must be well lit, and stagnation of water must be prevented. If the cherry is in the shade, then its branches will lengthen, and the yield and quality of the fruit will decrease.
With proper care, felt cherries begin to bear fruit in the second or third year. But even with an abundant and high-quality harvest, caring for felt cherries should not be stopped. This tree will bear fruit annually, and its annual yield will average about 10 kg. But if the cultivation of felt cherries is correct, then you can expect a harvest of up to 14 kg.
Care for adult cherries should be done in autumn and spring, but only after flowering has completed. During this period, rejuvenating and formative pruning should be carried out, as well as necessary feeding. Do not forget about the prevention of various diseases and protection from pests.
The tree should be watered abundantly immediately after planting and during periods of drought. At other times, moderate watering is required.
By doing all this, you will not only be able to increase the yield of the tree, but also improve the characteristics of its fruits and significantly extend the fruiting period.
Trimming
It is important not to forget about pruning Chinese cherry trees. Pruning a bush or tree occurs in autumn or spring. It is carried out both for the purpose of thinning the crown and for rejuvenation. It is also produced with strong annual growth. The bush must have at least 6 strong skeletal branches. Annual shoots are shortened to 40 cm. The next year, the side branches are cut by 1/3. Broken, dried and diseased branches should be removed and burned to prevent infection. For better fruiting, pruning should be done every year.
Spring pruning is carried out, leaving 8 strong skeletal shoots.
Anti-aging pruning is carried out only on mature bushes or trees. During this process, the branches of the first and second rows that go up to the first branch are cut off. If there are a large number of branches, it can be carried out twice a year. But you should not get carried away with this process in order to prevent the cherries from freezing.
Top dressing
After the seedling has been planted, the fruit tree is fed annually. It consists of introducing organic and mineral fertilizers rich in nitrogen into the soil. The fertilizer is distributed around the perimeter of the tree trunk circle. The soil should be loosened to a depth of 5 cm. But this must be done carefully so as not to damage the roots.
In autumn, fertilizing is carried out using fertilizers that do not contain nitrogen, so as not to stimulate the growth of branches in winter period. In winter, Chinese cherries are not fertilized.
Reproduction
This type of cherry is propagated in the following ways:
- using seeds;
- vegetative;
- cuttings.
The most effective method is the stone fruit method, since the seedlings are already accustomed to environmental conditions. However, trees planted in this way are more susceptible to disease. Only large seeds are involved in planting. At the beginning of autumn they are subjected to stratification by placing them in damp sand.
First, the seeds are cleared of pulp and dried. Before planting, they should be stored in a cool and dark place.
At the end of autumn, they are planted in the ground at a shallow depth, at a distance of 2 cm from each other. They should be covered with sawdust, leaves and humus. After stratification, seeds should be planted on permanent place growth in early spring. During the summer, seedlings grow 1 cm. With proper care, they can reach 40 cm in one year. They are planted in spring or autumn.
When propagated by green cuttings, it turns out excellent varietal material. But this can only be achieved in a greenhouse that is equipped with a fogging unit.
As you can see, felt cherry, due to its characteristics and properties, will be a useful acquisition for your garden.
By its nature and biological features felt cherry, like the common cherry, belongs to the extensive plum genus. It easily crosses with plum, peach, cherry plum and even apricot. The plant comes from Central China, hence another name - Chinese cherry. This shrub has a lot of advantages: decorativeness, unusually high frost resistance, stable yield, early fruiting. The fruits, which ripen a week and a half earlier than ordinary cherries, are convenient to collect, since the maximum height of the plants is 2.5–3 m, and they practically do not fall off.
Felt cherry berries on a branch. © Sue Content:Felt cherry (Prunus tomentosa, previously Cerasus tomentosa) - a type of cherry from the genus Plum ( Prunus).
Description of felt cherry
The homeland of the felt cherry is China, Korea and Mongolia, where it grows wild. From China, the culture spread throughout the world, and at the end of the 19th century it reached Russian borders. On Far East Until now, the concept of “cherry” is associated specifically with the felt cherry, and mostly ungrafted seedlings grow in gardens. Its appearance in the European part of our country is due to Ivan Michurin, who developed a large-fruited form and described it under the name “Ando”. It is called felt because of the pubescence that covers the shoots, leaves and even fruits.
The fruits of felt cherries are rich in carbohydrates, organic acids, vitamins B and PP. They contain 1.5–2 times more vitamin C than ordinary cherry varieties, and they exceed apples in the amount of iron.
In addition, felt cherry not only decorates the garden in early spring and bears fruit in summer, its bushes with a dense spreading crown are suitable for creating hedges, borders, and can be used to strengthen slopes.
The main disadvantage of felt cherry is its low life expectancy, only about 10 years. But with anti-aging pruning it can be extended up to 20 years.
Felt cherry bush with ripe berries. © Pauk Conditions for growing felt cherries
Felt cherry grows best on fertile and light (loamy, sandy loam), well-drained soil with a neutral reaction. Heavy waterlogged and peat bogs are not suitable for it. Excess moisture negatively affects growth, fruiting and overwintering, which leads to the death of bushes. It is advisable to lime acidic soil. The felt cherry needs a sunny place; it does not tolerate shading at all.
Depending on the self-fertility of the variety, for better cross-pollination on the site, it is advisable to plant either several seedlings or several varieties (at least three).
Self-fertile varieties of felt cherries: Delight, Oriental, Children's, Beauty, Summer, Dream, Light, Fairy Tale, Oriental Dark Woman, Triana, Princess, Anniversary.
Self-sterile varieties of felt cherry: Alisa, Natalie, Okeanskaya Virovskaya, Autumn Virovskaya
Planting felt cherry
You can plant 1-2 year old seedlings in autumn and spring. Best time planting - early spring, before buds open. You can plant felt cherries in the fall - in September, but no later. It is safer to bury seedlings purchased in mid-to-late October until spring.
In a planting hole or trench at least 60 cm wide and no more than 50 cm deep, you need to add soil mixture(per 1 m²): organic fertilizers - at least 3 buckets, lime - 400-800 g, phosphorus - 40-60, potassium - 20-30 g. Everything must be mixed evenly. The root system must be cut to 20-25 cm, treated with a clay mash and the bushes planted at the same depth as in the nursery. Under no circumstances should the root collar be buried - this will lead to the death of the plant. After planting, the soil should be compacted, watered abundantly and mulched with peat or organic fertilizers.
It is enough to plant 2-3 felt cherry plants on the site. From specific features growing felt cherries, the following can be noted. A more sparse planting scheme is used: 3-3.5 x 1-1.5 m. It is carried out with 1-2 year old seedlings at the same depth at which they grew before.
Young tomentose cherry bush. © F. D. Richards
Felt cherry propagation
The main method of propagation of the species (but not varieties!) of felt cherries is simply sowing seeds. The seeds are collected, washed and lightly dried in the shade. At the end of August they are mixed with wet sand and stored in a cool room until October, and then sown in a bed in furrows 2–3 cm deep.
In spring, friendly shoots appear. At good care Felt cherry seedlings grow quickly and already in the first year of life reach a height of 40–50 cm. They are planted in the autumn or spring of next year.
Propagation of felt cherries by green cuttings allows you to obtain varietal planting material. However, this type of reproduction requires the creation of specific conditions.
Cuttings are taken from shoots 10-15 cm long of the second or third orders of branching in this year. They are harvested with part of last year's wood up to 2 cm. The cuttings are treated with a growth regulator and buried according to the following scheme: 2 cm of lignified cuttings and 1 cm of green cuttings. The bed with cuttings is covered with film. It is necessary to ensure that on sunny days the greenhouse does not get too much sun (in this case, shading is necessary) and to maintain constant humidity inside - to prevent drying out.
Felt cherry can be propagated by layering. To do this, it is necessary to place last year's shoot in the groove in the spring and pin it.
Also, varieties of felt cherries can be grafted onto damsons, cherry plums and cherries of the “Vladimirskaya” variety.
Felt cherry flowers on a branch. © KENPEI Felt cherry care
Fertilize the plants immediately after flowering, adding 5–7 kg along the edges of the trunk circles. organic fertilizers, 20 g potassium, 30 g nitrogen, 70 g phosphorus. The soil is limed once every five years.
The felt cherry bears fruit abundantly, usually already in the third year, and every year. At correct landing And proper care the yield can reach 4 kg per plant. The fruits ripen almost simultaneously, they are juicy, aromatic and sweet. The color, depending on the variety, ranges from light pink to dark red.
When fresh, felt cherry fruits are poorly transported and stored (that’s why they are not available for sale). If you plan to transport it, then it is better not to wait for full ripening, but to collect it as soon as the fruits reach maximum sizes and almost completely colored.
Felt cherry pruning
The center of the felt cherry crown must be thinned out annually, leaving 10–12 strong shoots. Annual shoots that bear the bulk of the crop are cut by one third only if their length exceeds 60 cm.
Every four to five years, to enhance growth, rejuvenating pruning of the felt cherry is carried out. At the same time, the center of the crown and peripheral skeletal shoots are lightened. Several side shoots are removed “on a ring”. As a result, annual shoots appear not far from the place of shortening. All parts of the old crown located above them must be removed.
The same pruning is used for frozen bushes.
Felt cherry berries. © Mezhenskyj Felt cherry varieties
Felt cherry varieties can be divided into three groups: early, medium and late ripening. Cherry varieties also differ in color. Their color is so varied that it is impossible to identify a characteristic color for felt cherry: from white to red-black. Below are the most promising varieties.
Early varieties of felt cherries
Natalie. Bush with a wide crown, vigorous, medium density. Large flowers Pink colour. The fruits are dark red in color, sweet and sour in taste, weighing 4-4.5 g. The fruit pulp is dense and gristly. The peduncle is 0.5 cm long, detached from the branch semi-dry. Saved in room temperature up to three, and in the refrigerator for up to six days without loss of quality. The yield from an adult bush is about 7 kg.
Children's. The shape of the bush is wide oval, with medium density. The fruits are bright red in color with dense, gristly pulp, weighing 3.5-4.0 g. The taste is sweet and sour. The length of the stalk is 0.5 cm, with a semi-dry tear. Characterized by high yield - up to 15 kg.
Fabulous. The bush is wide and spreading. The color of the fruit is dark burgundy with a glossy sheen. Fruit weight is 3.0-4.0 g. The pulp is fibrous, dense. Sweet and sour taste. The length of the stalk is 0.5 cm, with a semi-dry tear. Productivity is average - up to 12 kg.
Fairy tale. The shape of the bush is oval, medium thick. The fruits are dark burgundy in color, weighing 3.0-4.0 g with dense, gristly pulp. The taste is sweet and sour. The length of the stalk is 0.5 cm with a semi-dry tear. Productivity is average - up to 10 kg.
Harvest. The bush is spreading and wide. The fruits are dark pink in color, weighing 2.6-2.7 g with dense, gristly pulp. The taste is sweet and sour. The length of the stalk is 0.4 cm with a semi-dry tear. Productivity is average - up to 12 kg.
Medium varieties of felt cherries
Eastern dark-skinned woman. The bush is wide-spreading, low-growing. The fruits are dark burgundy in color, weighing 2.7-2.9 g with tender pulp. The taste is sweet and sour. The length of the stalk is 0.7 cm. The yield is below average - up to 7 kg.
Anniversary. Bush oval shape, vigorous, medium density. The fruits are dark red in color, weighing 3.5-4.3 g with juicy, fibrous pulp. Productivity up to 8.5 kg.
White. Bush medium height, spreading crown. Fruit weight is 1.6-1.9 g. The color is matte white, the flesh is white, very juicy. The taste is sweet and sour. The stalk is short - 0.3 cm. The yield is average - up to 10 kg.
Late variety of felt cherry
Okeanskaya Virovskaya. The bush is compact, vigorous, of medium density. The fruits are dark burgundy in color, weighing 3.0-3.6 g with dense, gristly pulp. The taste is sweet and sour. The length of the stalk is 0.4 cm with a semi-dry tear. Productivity is average - up to 9 kg.
Felt cherry blossoms in May. © Pauk Monilial burn of felt cherry
Unlike other types of cherries, felt cherries are very resistant to coccomycosis. However, it is susceptible to moniliosis or monilial blight, a fungal disease that affects cherries during flowering. Its spores land on the pistil of the flower and germinate there. Then the mycelium penetrates the branch through the peduncle, developing further inside the wood and destroying it. As a result, by the end of May - beginning of June, massive drying out of the branches on the tree is observed. Externally, such branches look like burnt ones, hence the name of the disease - monilial burn.
Infection occurs especially intensively in humid rainy weather during flowering and in summer during the ripening period of fruits, when due to excess moisture they crack. Therefore, moniliosis poses a particular threat to regions with wet, rainy springs and summers. First of all, these are the North-West, Non-Black Earth Region, northern and western regions of the Black Earth Zone, as well as the south-western regions North Caucasus. With the massive development of moniliosis, the crop is completely destroyed and the tree is greatly weakened. If this happens for several years in a row, the tree dries out.
The massive spread of moniliosis, currently, the accumulation of infection in gardens has led to the fact that cherries (including felt cherries) are grown as fruit crop without treatment with fungicides it is almost impossible.
In the spring, during the period of swelling of the buds, it is recommended to spray with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture (300 g/10 liters) or 0.5% - copper sulfate(50 g/10 l). In the subsequent period, it will be necessary to repeat treatments with copper-containing preparations several times.
Gardening tips: if the cherry doesn’t bloomFor several decades now, in the middle zone, it has become the custom that cherries bear fruit very poorly.
There are good varieties good rules agricultural technology too - why is there no harvest?
Let’s immediately leave the talk about coccomycosis and moniliosis - diseases that are usually blamed for the disappearance of berries on cherry trees.
Firstly, the disease is a consequence of cherry suppression, and not the cause.
Therefore, I propose to discuss not ways to combat this disease, but how a cherry tree should grow so that it is not affected by diseases and so that it bears a lot of fruit.
A cherry from a root shoot or from a pit still grows into a full-fledged cherry.
If you have ever picked cherries in village gardens black earth belt (Voronezh, Tambov regions), where it grows without any care, reproduces by shoots and bears fruit beautifully every year, then you might have noticed that on all trees the berries have the same taste, and there are simply no trees with unsuitable berries. This is the case with the “folk” cherry. Scientists are doing even better with cherries.
Suffice it to say that in Moscow and St. Petersburg in horticulture institutes, varietal demonstration trees (Rusinka, Fatezh, Kharitonovskaya and many others) give at a young age 8-10 kilograms of berries, every year.
As they say, the same tree makes both your jam and your liqueur. True, these varieties require grafting.
Let me explain: when we are dealing with cucumbers, asters or juniper, we are dealing with a whole plant, and a varietal cherry, or an apple tree, or a pear consists of a rootstock and a scion.
What is the difference?
Just imagine that a person has been transplanted with some kind of organ - how much more difficult is it for this organ to work than for the previous native one: it cannot be given the same loads, it requires a special diet, etc. Because otherwise rejection is possible. The connection between the tissues is incomplete, the metabolism goes back and forth with interference... Grafted plants are in exactly the same position: they cannot be grown “like everyone else,” they require the most optimal conditions.
Otherwise, when pumping any unfavorable factor vaccine rejection will occur.
We don’t understand well that when a fruit tree gets sick with black canker, or its branches dry out, or a tinder fungus settles on it, or it freezes, or a disease like moniliosis is attached to it—all these are forms of graft rejection.
Fruit trees refuse to bear fruit, left to their own devices, that is, growing without care: they are busy surviving, where should they bear fruit...
1. SUNNY PLACE.
Grafted cherry trees, like all grafted plants in general, must be abundantly provided with carbohydrates, which are produced in the leaves during photosynthesis in direct sun.
For them, you need to choose a place where direct sunlight falls from early morning and lasts at least until the afternoon, and even better - until the evening.
2. PRESENCE OF LIMESTONE IN THE SOIL.
It must be said that in the old days all the problems of this tree were solved with the help of manure.
Manure perfectly eliminates soil acidity and contains calcium, so with its constant application, cherries flourished throughout the middle zone. Today, in gardens where manure is applied, it still produces a harvest. If there is no manure, it can be replaced by limestone flour in large quantities: it must be scattered annually far beyond the tree trunk circle in the doses indicated on the packaging (approximately 1 kg per 3 square meters). When planting seedlings, I would advise placing large and small pieces of concrete in the planting hole. In this case, the hole does not need to be made deep; on the contrary, it is imperative to raise the root collar above the soil level by at least 15-20 cm, since cherries do not tolerate the root collar getting wet, much less its “freezing” into a puddle. Fertilizer for cherries should be as soft as possible and in small quantities; it is best to use humus obtained from decomposed grass. It is scattered on the surface of the soil, you can dig it shallowly - a third of the bayonet of a shovel. Mineral fertilizers are permissible only in small quantities and only those that do not acidify the soil.
3. PRESENCE OF FRIENDLY COMPANION PLANTS.
The following have a beneficial effect on cherries and significantly enhance them: jasmine (mock orange), antirrinum, gladioli, marigolds, primrose, rose, hosta, lupine, strawberries, raspberries, joshta (a hybrid of gooseberries and currants), turnips, peas - these plants I would I gave it a rating of 4+.
Barberries and dessert grapes deserve a rating of 5, and hazel grouse (bulbous) deserve a 5+.
Here, instead of grass and weeds in the tree trunk circle cherry tree It is better to plant some of these plants.
In addition, it is quite possible to plant crops next to cherries that do not cause harm and do not bring noticeable benefits: columbine, lilac, clematis, garlic, onions, cucumbers, pumpkin, lettuce, corn, beets.
It is undesirable to place near cherries (ratings 2 and 3): all conifers, apple trees, honeysuckle, lilies, foxgloves, daffodils, tulips, pansies, irises, spirea, carrots, parsley, celery.
4. PRESENCE OF POLLINATOR.
Cherries are known for their self-sterility. Its fruits are borne from pollen of a different variety.
Sometimes the pollinator variety is not so easy to guess, so even if you have 2-3 different varieties growing, they may not set well. Find old cherry trees somewhere within the city (they were left on the site of abandoned orchards), dig up coppice trees near them, plant them next to your cherry trees to the side, 3-4 meters away, and wait for them to bloom. If you bring these trees from different places, there is a good chance that your varietal cherries will receive the pollinator they need. As for the crown, fruit growers are careful not to trim cherries, since the cuts do not overgrow well and can become infected. Young trees can be left alone with pruning shears for up to 15-20 years. In order for the crown to rejuvenate better, it will be necessary to remove old thickening branches from it from time to time; the covering of the cuts must always be thorough.
Consulted by Pavel Trannoy.
Candidate of Biological Sciences N. TSARENKO, Doctor of Biological Sciences V. TSARENKO (Far Eastern Experimental Station VNIIR named after N. I. Vavilov, Vladivostok).
Many gardeners have appreciated and successfully grown a distant relative of the common cherry - the felt cherry. Thanks to its annual abundant fruiting, winter hardiness, and ability to easily reproduce, it has become widespread both in Russia and in neighboring countries. Felt cherry has long been cultivated in Japan, China, and Korea. From these countries it was introduced to the northern part of the USA and Canada.
Felt cherry is extremely beautiful during flowering: the bush is completely covered with pinkish flowers and resembles a huge bouquet.
The branches of the felt cherry seem to be covered with fruits. In the photo - Urozhaynaya cherry variety.
Cherry variety Damanka. (Breeders G. Kazmin, V. Marusich.) In terms of taste - best variety felt cherries. Fruit weight - 3-3.8 g. Average yield per bush - 8 kg.
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Felt cherry varieties early date maturation (July 15-25): Natalie (1), Children's (2), Fairytale (3), Fairy Tale (4).
Cherry fruit felt grade White are distinguished by their rare white color.
Science and life // Illustrations
Varieties of felt cherries of medium ripening (July 16-26): Eastern Smuglyanka (above), Yubileinaya.
From the end of June to the end of July (depending on climatic conditions), felt cherries begin to ripen in the gardens of our country. Feature of this plant is a felt-like pubescence of varying degrees of intensity, covering annual shoots, leaves, pedicels and even the skin of the fruit.
Felt cherry (Cerasus tomentosa) belongs to the genus of small-fruited cherries (microcherries), Microcerasus Webb.emend.Spach - species M. tomentosa (Thunb). Despite the external similarity of the fruits, common cherries and felt cherries are genetically very distant from each other and cannot be crossed. Felt cherry is crossed with plum, peach, cherry plum and apricot.
Externally, the plant is a small shrub or tree 1-3 m high with a dense, wide-spreading crown, often oval, less often flattened. Perennial branches are gray-brown, rough, thick. The buds on them are located on short fruit twigs or bouquet branches. Annual shoots are greenish or greenish-brown. The buds on annual shoots are collected in threes together: fruit buds on the sides, vegetative buds in the middle. The lifespan of fruit formations is 3-4 years.
The leaves are small, with a wrinkled and corrugated surface. The flowers are pink, turning white towards the end of flowering, and bloom in the middle - end of May at the same time as the leaves. Flowering is abundant and long (10-15 days). Due to the short stalk, the flowers almost sit on the shoot, and during flowering the bush turns into a huge bouquet, attracting a lot of bees. Flowers tolerate frosts down to -3°C.
According to the timing of flowering of felt cherries, early-blooming, mid-blooming and late-blooming varieties were distinguished. In the area where return frosts are observed, it is not advisable to plant early-flowering varieties in the garden.
The fruits of the felt cherry are unusually polymorphic. Morphological characteristics are determined individual characteristics varieties and seedlings: fruit weight of seedlings ranges from 0.6 to 1.1 g; in the best, selected forms - from 1.2 to 2 g; in varieties - from 2 to 4.5 g. During dry periods, the fruits become smaller, but do not fall off.
The color of the fruits ranges from pink to almost black (as a rule, these are hybrids of felt cherries and sand cherries) and very rarely white. The pulp is juicy and tender. IN last years varieties have been created with dense, gristly pulp, like cherries. The taste is pleasant, from sour to sweet. The stone is small and does not separate from the pulp.
The average duration of cherry ripening is 10 days, but the fruits can remain on the branches for a long time.
Felt cherry helps increase appetite, improves digestion, is consumed fresh, and is used to make delicious jam, jam, jams, marshmallows, compote, wine, juice.
Fresh fruits contain: sugars - 4.1-9.1%, acids - 0.3-1.3%, dry matter - 8.0-15.2%, ascorbic acid- 11.3-32.6 mg/100 g. Felt cherry is rich in biologically active polyphenols that strengthen capillaries.
The average yield from one bush is 5.5-14 kg, depending on the variety and weather conditions. With good care, in some years amateur gardeners receive 15-20 kg or more per bush.
Seedlings begin to bear fruit very early, in the fourth year of life; seedlings from green cuttings - on the third; seedlings grafted with lignified cuttings - on the second. For better cross-pollination, several varieties should be planted in the garden. Having selected early, middle and late date ripening, you can have fresh fruit for a month or more.
In years with long warm autumns, the growth of annual shoots of felt cherries is delayed and they do not have time to fully ripen; unripe parts die from freezing or winter drying, but this does not have a significant effect on the vegetation and productivity of the bush.
Felt cherry is one of the winter-hardy crops; tolerates temperatures down to -40°C. In severe winters, the core and cambium of perennial branches freeze. Such branches have to be deleted.
TIPS FOR GROWING AND CARE
The agricultural technology for growing felt cherries is similar to the agricultural technology for berry crops.
Plants are light-loving. In the shade or with dense plantings, the branches become very elongated, fruiting worsens, and the period of fruit ripening is extended.
Seedlings are planted at a distance of 1.5-2 m from one another. By 8-10 years, the crown of the bushes closes. The best time for planting is early spring, before the buds open. In autumn, bushes are not planted; they are dug in. Cherries prefer light, loamy, sandy, well-drained soils. Heavy, clayey soils, low terrain, and peat bogs are unsuitable for cultivation. The plant does not tolerate prolonged waterlogging of the soil. Root system superficial, located in the soil horizon at a depth of 30-35 cm.
Felt cherry is characterized by intensive growth, begins to bear fruit early and ages quickly. When cutting shoots in the year of planting to 1/3-1/4 of the length, the main skeleton of the bush is formed in the seedling already in the second or third year. The early onset of fruiting causes active growth of branches in the first years, on which a large number of fruit buds are laid annually.
After flowering, fertilizers are applied along the edges of the tree trunk circles; for each meter of area, 5-7 kg of organic fertilizers, 70 g of phosphorus, 30 g of nitrogen and 20 g of potassium are required. The effectiveness of applied fertilizers is higher if the soil is limed once every five years: apply 200-300 g lime fertilizer on square meter under digging.
In an adult felt cherry bush, no more than 10-12 strong shoots are left. The bushes are prone to excessive thickening, so to create an optimal lighting regime, the center of the crown is thinned out annually. Annual shoots bearing the bulk of the crop are pruned by one third only if their length exceeds 60 cm. When fatty shoots appear inside the crown from dormant buds and the growth of shoots of skeletal branches stops, rejuvenating pruning is carried out. When carrying out anti-aging pruning, the center of the crown and peripheral skeletal shoots are lightened. Several side shoots are removed “on a ring”. As a result, annual shoots appear not far from the place of shortening. All parts of the old crown located above them are removed. The same pruning is used every four to five years to enhance growth, as well as to restore the crown of frozen bushes.
The main method of propagation of varietal felt cherries is green cuttings. Cuttings using lignified cuttings and layering are used much less frequently. They also use grafting: with an eye (budding) and with a cutting. However, in the European part of Russia, seedlings grown from green cuttings and layering may have their root collars buried to the height of the snow cover. In this case, it is recommended to plant seedlings in the garden, grafted above the snow cover or into the crown of the plant. The cuttings are grafted onto clonal rootstock VBA-1 or plum and apricot seedlings.
Cherry is beautiful tree, which pleases with tasty and healthy fruits in the second half of summer. Gardeners make compotes, preserves, jams, and wine from cherries. But what to do if the cherries do not bear fruit or produce a meager harvest?
In order not to lose juicy berries, you need to properly care for the trees. If you are still new to this business, read our article 7 most important questions about growing cherries. Perhaps thanks to this useful information you will not face the problem of your tree’s crop failure. But if the cherry does not bear fruit well, then you need to figure out why this happened.
Reason 1: cherry diseases
The lack of berries may be to blame moniliosis And coccomycosis. With the first disease, flowers, ovaries, fruits, young leaves and shoot tips dry out, and the branches seem burnt. The disease develops rapidly during flowering in conditions of high humidity.
Symptoms of coccomycosis: small red-brown spots that appear on cherry leaves in late May - early June. Gradually, diseased leaves turn yellow, curl and fall off.
To prevent the spread of diseases, thin out the crowns in a timely manner and rejuvenate old trees. Don't let mechanical damage plants, regularly remove all plant debris and growth from the site, loosen the row spacing. Water and fertilize in a timely manner.
In early spring, trim and destroy dried branches affected by pests and diseases, clean off old dead bark on trunks and skeletal branches, remove and burn pest nests.
Reason 2: shadow and bad place for cherries
All fruit trees need sunlight. If you plant cherries in a well-lit area, they will reward you with a rich harvest. The fact is that the crop needs carbohydrates, which are actively produced during the process of photosynthesis under direct sun rays. Therefore, the ideal place for cherries is where the sun shines from early morning until at least mid-day.
Reason 3: nutrient deficiency and increased soil acidity
Cherry does not tolerate acidic soil; in such soil the tree develops poorly and often gets sick. You can accurately determine the acidity level of the soil in your area using a pH meter. But if you don’t have such a device, you can use litmus paper or regular alcohol vinegar.
Limestone (dolomite) flour will help deoxidize the soil. Scatter it in the tree trunk circle. Add 0.5 kg to acidic soil dolomite flour per 1 sq.m, in soil with a moderately acidic reaction - 0.4 kg per 1 sq.m, and with a slightly acidic reaction of the substrate - 0.3-0.4 kg per 1 sq.m.
Also, do not forget about regular feeding. For cherries it is better to use liquid mineral fertilizers and only in small doses.
In spring, give preference to nitrogen-containing fertilizing (15-20 g of urea or ammonium nitrate is diluted in 10 liters of water and applied per 1 sq.m of tree trunk circle in the crown projection zone). In the fall, feed the trees by adding superphosphate (20-30 g per 1 sq.m.), potassium chloride (10-15 g per 1 sq.m.) or 200 g of wood ash before digging.
If you have compost or humus, you can use them (for trees from 1 to 7 years old - 1.5-2 kg per 1 sq.m of trunk circle, for trees older than 7 years - 2.5-3 kg).
Reason 4: Unsuitable neighbors
Cherry is picky in choosing neighbors. If placed next to it conifer tree of any kind, it will not give the desired harvest. Also, cherry does not accept proximity to apple trees and honeysuckle. Lilies, daffodils, tulips, pansies and irises are also not recommended to be planted nearby.
The same cannot be said about barberry, grapes or hazel grouse. Cherry will happily accept such a neighborhood. In addition, you can plant onions, corn, beets, cucumbers, pumpkins and lettuce nearby. She will also be happy to grow next to lilac, jasmine, raspberry, strawberry, rose and primrose.
You can plant hazel grouse, lupine, marigolds, gladioli, turnips or peas in the circles of cherry trees.
Reason 5: lack of pollinators
If the cherry blossoms but does not bear fruit, then there is a high probability that the reason for this lies in the absence of the pollination process. Most cherry varieties are self-sterile, so you need at least one tree of a different variety to produce fruit.
Self-sterility means that when a flower is pollinated with its own pollen and pollen from a cherry of the same variety, the tree sets no more than 5% of the fruit.
Sometimes it can be quite difficult to find a pollinator. It happens that in one garden several grow different varieties cherries, but the fruits still set poorly. In this case, it is better to check with a specialist which varieties pollinate each other well, and purchase necessary plant for your trees.
And in the spring it will not be a bad idea to attract pollinating insects to the cherry orchard. This is very simple to do: during flowering, spray the trees (in particular, their flowers) with sweet water. To do this, dissolve 10-20 g of sugar (or 1 tablespoon of honey) in 1 liter of water.
Reason 6: Improper pruning of cherries
You can often come across advice not to prune this crop at all until the age of 20, because it reacts painfully to this procedure. There is a high probability of infection, since cherry cuts take a very long time to heal. But if you do everything according to the rules, then such troubles will not arise. And with proper pruning, the tree will bear fruit better.
Reason 7: freezing of fruit buds
Autumn and spring frosts are dangerous for cherry buds. To protect the plant, in the fall, exclude nitrogen-rich fertilizers, which can contribute to the freezing of fruit buds during the first autumn frosts. Also late autumn watering should be stopped.
If the trees have bloomed and the air temperature drops below zero at night, water the cherry orchard generously and throw covering material (lutrasil, spunbond, etc.) over the trees. In addition, to improve plant resistance to adverse weather conditions, even before the start of frost, spray the cherries with Epin-Extra or Novosil.
As you can see, for active growth cherries need a lot of light, non-acidic soil, good neighbors and a pollinator variety. Now you know how to make cherries bear fruit. By following all the recommendations, you can get a rich harvest of juicy berries.