Sweet cherry is a fruit crop obtained as a result of pollinating cherries and cherries. Today, this thermophilic hybrid, thanks to selective selection, successfully bears fruit in regions with a harsh climate.
Features Duke
Hybrids of cherries and cherries in many ways differ from their "parents":
- Unlike parent couples, dukes are self-infertile. "Loneliness" is contraindicated for them. In order for the hybrids to bear fruit, zoned varieties of cherries and cherries, the so-called pollinators, are planted nearby.
- Dyki themselves as pollinators are ineffective.
- In the middle lane and in the Central Black Earth region, self-fertile cherries - Lyubskaya, Bulatnikovskaya, Molodezhnaya - are usually used for pollination of dykes.
- The best pollinator of dykes is cherry. Recommended pollinators for sweet cherry - “Donchanka”, “Homestead”, “Annushka” cherries. And the cherry Iput is considered ideal for pollination.
Read about the listed varieties of cherries in the next article.
- When buying duke seedlings, they simultaneously acquire a pollinator. A high-quality pollinator is able to pollinate more than a third of the flowers - this is enough for the tree to be covered with fruits.
- Dukes, compared with cherries, are more winter-hardy. And cherries, on the contrary, are inferior in winter hardiness. Because of this, in the northern regions they grow in the form of bushes - their gardeners shelter for the winter, saving from extremely low temperatures.
- Dukes, do not feed during life. Due to an excess of nutrients, the intensive development of the tree begins, which, spending energy on growth, does not have time to really get stronger and prepare for winter. This leads to the absence of fruits or to the death of the plant.
The second name of the cherry is duke. In the 17th century, a hybrid of cherries and cherries was bred in England; it was called May-Duke, which literally means "May Duke."
Description and specifications
The tree near the cherry is small, the crown is compact. Branches arranged symmetrically are covered with elongated glossy leaves. The inflorescences are white, and the fruits are red-cherry.
Duke, being an intermediate culture, combines the characteristics of two plants at once:
- Fruit. In appearance and taste, the fruits of the duke are closer to the cherry, but in size and sugar content they are similar to cherries.
- Leaves. Large, like cherries. Density, color and luster - like a cherry.
Characteristics of a cherry:
- The average weight of berries is 8-10 g.
- The taste is sweet, with a slight acidity.
- The first fruits appear in the 3rd year after planting.
- The average yield is 10-15 kg per tree per season.
Advantages and disadvantages of the hybrid
Each of the parent trees - cherries and cherries, is good in its own way, but their hybrid has enough advantages. Advantages of a cherry:
- Disease resistance. They are immune to moniliosis and coccomycosis - diseases due to which in many cherry orchards there is no harvest for years. There are dykes that are almost not affected by the cherry fly.
- High palatability. The fruits of dyukas have a wonderful taste - the unique cherry flavor combines favorably with sweet cherry.
- Large-fruited. The maximum fruit weight reaches 15-20 g.
- Frost resistance. The tree tolerates frosts up to 24-26 ° C
- Undemanding to leaving. Virtually no need for feeding. The amount of watering with age becomes minimal.
Cons of cherry:
- The kidneys do not tolerate frosts well enough - they are prone to freezing.
- Poor transportability.
- Needs regular pruning, as it is prone to overgrowth.
What are the varieties of cherry?
The first grade of red cherries - “Beauty of the North”, was bred by I. Michurin. The hybrid was distinguished by excellent winter hardiness. It has large - up to 10 g, pale scarlet berries with yellow-cream flesh. Following Michurin, other breeders continued to work on the cultivation of winter-hardy varieties of sweet cherry.
Today, there are dozens of varieties of dykes on the market that differ in ripening, berry size and frost resistance. Their productivity is approximately the same - 10-15 kg per tree, and it mainly depends on the growing conditions.
Consider the characteristics of the popular varieties of dykes in the table below.
Table 1
Grade | Ripening period | The weight of the fruit, g | Taste | Features |
Spectacular | middle | 6-8 | sweet and sour, with a cherry flavor | Good transportability. |
Superb Venyaminova | mid-late | 6-8 | sweet and sour, dessert flavor | Insufficient winter hardiness of flower buds. |
Wonder cherry | early | 9-10 | sweet, sour | The most popular variety. Most like cherries. Demanding on heat. It yields in winter hardiness to other varieties. |
Night | middle | 9-10 | sweet, with a slight acidity | Drought tolerance, high immunity to coccomycosis. |
Spartanka | middle | 5-6 | sweet, sour | Productivity is above average. High winter hardiness. |
Fesanna | middle | 9-10 | sweet, sour - excellent | It is distinguished by its special quality and taste of fruits - this is a reference duke. High decorative wood. |
Nurse | middle | 7-8 | sweet, with sourness - is considered a reference | High winter hardiness - both wood and flower buds are not afraid of frost. |
The appearance of these varieties of cherries can be estimated in the photo below:
Duke "Spectacular"
Duke "Excellent Venyaminova"
Duke "Miracle Cherry"
Duke "Night"
Duke "Spartan"
Duke "Fesanna"
Duke "Nurse"
Optimal regions for growing
Since breeders bred dozens of winter-hardy varieties of sweet cherry trees, they began to grow them in almost all regions of Russia. When choosing a variety for planting, it is important to correlate its frost resistance - the lowest temperature withstand, with winter temperatures characteristic of a particular region. Depending on climatic conditions, the appearance of the plant is formed - in the form of a tree or in the form of a bush.
The first cherries did not feel comfortable even in the middle lane, and today's varieties, hardy and hardy, have advanced far north. Today, dykes grow and bear fruit in the Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, and Novosibirsk regions, in Siberia, and in the Far East.
Landing
The main features of the correct planting of saplings of sweet cherry are observing the intervals between neighboring plants and preparing the pit. All other agricultural activities are the same as for other fruit trees.
Seat selection
When creating plantings of dykes, cherries and cherries, it is recommended to select a site that meets the following requirements:
- Sunlight all day. There should not be a shadow, but partial shade is allowed.
- The soil must be nutritious. Wetlands excluded.
- Preferred elevations, the occurrence of groundwater should not be higher than 2 m.
- Protection from drafts and winds.
- Cherry and / or cherry trees should be nearby for pollination.
- The minimum distance to neighboring crops is 5 m.
Dukes do not land in the lowlands. In winter, cold masses are concentrated here, and in summer there is too high humidity. The best option for dykes - areas with sandy loamy soils and indirect, diffused light.
Acidic soils neutralize with chalk - contribute 1.5 kg per 1 sq. Km. m. Heavy clay soils are replaced during planting with fertile soil and sand mixed in equal parts.
When preparing the soil for planting, it is necessary to maintain the fertilizer standards for dykes - they do not like too nutritious soils.
Purchase and preparation of seedlings
Saplings of sweet cherry are prepared for planting just like any other planting material of fruit trees. Seedlings are soaked in water a day before planting, and then pruned with a secateurs all damaged roots.
When buying seedlings of dykes, pay attention to:
- age and time of landing;
- variety;
- pollinators.
The best survival are considered seedlings 2-3 years old. Other recommendations for choosing planting material:
- the presence of a label indicating the age of the seedling, variety, pollinating varieties and other details of agricultural technology;
- the trunk is straight;
- the root system is developed, without signs of disease;
- shoots are painted evenly, without gum and damage;
- the height of the main trunk is about 60 cm, the branches are shortened by a third - such signs indicate correctly prepared planting material;
- the variety must be regionalized in the region and suitable for specific climatic conditions.
The health of the roots of the seedlings is evidenced by the white color of their sections.
Seedlings of dykes should be bought in nurseries or specialized farms that professionally plant fruit trees.
Landing
Dukes are best planted in early spring, when the soil warms up to the desired temperature. If you plant seedlings in the fall, they can die without being acclimated. Autumn planting is suitable only for regions with a warm climate.
Features of planting duke seedlings:
- A pit is prepared a month before planting.
- The distance between neighboring pits - if 2 or more saplings of red cherry trees are planted, 4-5 m. This is enough so that the trees, as adults, do not interfere with each other.
- The dimensions of the pit should be such that the root system fits freely in it.
- Drainage is necessarily laid at the bottom of the pit - to prevent stagnation of water near the root system. Make a drainage layer of stones or broken brick.
- A manure-soil mixture is poured onto the drainage. The mixture includes a fertile layer.
- The soil obtained by digging a pit is mixed with superphosphate (300-400 g), potassium sulfate (250-300 g) and ash (2-3 glasses).
- If planting is carried out in poor, depleted soil, compost or humus is introduced into the pit - one bucket.
- The seedling is placed in a hole, its roots are straightened. Sprinkle with soil so that the root neck and the surface of the earth are at the same level. It is impossible to deepen the seedling too much - rot may develop, which will lead to the death of the young tree.
- When a seedling is planted, water is poured under the root - 2 buckets.
Cherish Care
Caring for hybrids of cherries and cherries is not difficult even for beginner gardeners. Paying a minimum of time to this unpretentious tree, get large yields of delicious berries. Unlike other fruit trees, dukes do not need top dressing, which further simplifies maintenance.
Irrigation regularity
Planted young growth is recommended to be watered every week. It is watered abundantly, the water taken is settled, not cold. The older the tree becomes, the less watering is possible. Watering for dukes - regardless of age, a must. An adult tree requires approximately 20-40 liters of water. During periods of prolonged droughts, the displacement is increased.
Like all stone fruits, red cherries do not like frequent and plentiful irrigation. Overmoistening leads to rotting of the roots and to cracking of the bark of the trunk and skeletal branches. Trees need more watering up to 5 years, and then the frequency of irrigation is reduced, focusing on the weather.
The need for digging and mulching
To make the root system feel comfortable, two loosening per season is enough. Loosening saturates the soil with oxygen, and at the same time removes weeds. Loosening the soil in near-stem circles is recommended after watering. Often, gardeners sow green manure in gardens - to fertilize the soil, for dykes this option is allowed, but with one condition - the trunk circle should only be under black steam.
So that the roots of the tree do not overheat, and moisture from the soil does not evaporate too quickly, the trunk circle is mulched. The recommended mulch is hay. It is forbidden to throw mulch on dry ground.
Top dressing
Lack of need for top dressing - an important advantage of dyuk. Fertilizers are applied only when planting a seedling. In the future, the gardener is relieved of top dressing - dykes develop better and bear fruit in soils of medium nutritional value.
Cropping and shaping the crown
The first time they cut the sweet cherry immediately after planting. From the surface of the earth to the point of cutting - 0.6 m. Cutting the top, cut off the skeletal branches. On seedlings 2 years old, the side branches are cut by 1/3.
While there is no harvest, young growth is intensively growing. And as soon as the first berries appear, growth activity decreases. Crones are thinned out in a timely manner - their thickening leads to a decrease in yield. Cutting off the branches, take into account the angle at which they depart from the trunk - the sharper it is, the smaller the cut end.
In old trees, anti-aging pruning is performed every 5 years - sprouts are removed throughout the crown to the level of four-year-old trees.
Diseases and Pests
Among the fungal diseases that threaten dykes, the most dangerous and common are in table 2.
table 2
Pests and diseases | Symptoms of lesion | Control measures |
Fruit rot | On the fruits - characteristic putrefactive spots. It develops when the integrity of the surface of the berries is violated - for example, after hail or due to pest damage. | Spray fungicides 1-4 times for 7-10 days. For example, Topaz ”,“ Previkur ”,“ Skor ”and others. Or use folk remedies - ash, soda, infusion of garlic, etc. |
Powdery mildew | White plaque appears on the leaves - they deform, change color, and then fall off. | Prevent fruit damage. Perform preventive spraying with Fitosporin-M. A solution of iodine - 10 ml per 10 l of water also helps. Spray the whole tree, repeating the event after 3 days. |
Leaflet | Gnawed and twisted leaves. | They are treated with biological insecticides (Bitoxibacillin, Lepidocide) or chemicals (Ditox, Karbofos, Fufanon). |
Cherry fly | The fruits develop larvae that eat away the flesh. | Processing with universal chemicals ("Sigmaen", "Fufanon" and others) or folk remedies. They scare away herbal plants, spray them with fragrant infusions, and catch them with sticky traps. |
Winter preparations
Modern varieties of dyuks are quite frost-resistant, so they do not need insulation for the winter - just mulching the trunk circle. As mulch use hay or fallen foliage. Varieties that are not particularly resistant to frost, grown in regions with harsh winters, are better insulated. Seedlings that have not reached 5 years of age are insulated for the winter, regardless of the region of cultivation.
Dukes insulation:
- the crown is covered with thick and dense polyethylene;
- tree trunk covered with snow.
Many gardeners wrap fruit tree trunks, including dykes, with burlap. Or encircled with spruce branches. This method of shelter allows you to solve two problems - to save the tree from frost and from rodents. Hares are a terrible danger to young trees, and the smell of needles effectively scares them away.
Harvesting and storage
The fruits of the cherry are ready for harvest in June or July - it all depends on the climatic characteristics of the region and the ripening time of a particular variety. The harsher the region’s climate, the later the harvest.
The berries are removed without interrupting the stalks - this extends the shelf life and allows you to transport the crop. The transportability of dukes is unimportant, it is not recommended to store berries - it is advisable to put them into processing as soon as possible.
If you can’t immediately process the fruits, you can extend their life by placing them in the refrigerator. You do not need to wash them before storing them. containers do not cover. Store cherry berries for no longer than two weeks. From the berries make candied fruit, pastille, boil jam, prepare liqueurs. Fruits can also be dried and frozen.
What is useful cherry?
The fruits of the cherry, in addition to high taste characteristics, have several important beneficial properties, they;
- have an antibacterial effect;
- beneficial effect on the digestive tract;
- inhibit the growth of malignant neoplasms.
Gardeners reviews
When deciding to plant a cherry or not, and if you plant it, which variety, it is important to read reviews - about hybrids in general, and then about varieties separately.
Nikolay Elnikov, Kursk region In the garden, I grow a variety of Miracle Cherry. Her berries ripen very early, the tree practically does not get sick with anything - the simplest preventive measures help. The ubiquitous cherry fly is not particularly interested in my duke. Harvesting - 12-15 kg. Of the minuses - the presence of a pollinator, the need for crown formation. The tree was planted 8 years ago. Berries are much sweeter than cherries, sourness is barely noticeable. The taste is such that you won’t immediately understand what it looks like more - like cherries or cherries.
Lyudmila L., Murom. Planted sapling cultivar Excellent Venyaminova. Perhaps it was necessary to choose a more frost-resistant variety. The berries were very tasty, and they appeared two years after planting. Each crop was larger than before. But our winters are cold, although they covered the tree for the winter, it still froze in the eighth year and never recovered.
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Add your review
Duke is a great opportunity to experiment and add variety to your garden. Thanks to the new frost-resistant varieties, dykes confidently move to the north, becoming accessible to gardeners from regions with a harsh climate. This unpretentious and hardy hybrid with abundant harvests is a welcome trophy for any garden.
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