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Bird cherry Late joy is a relatively young highly decorative hybrid of domestic selection. The variety is among the varieties of medium late flowering and is highly valued for its resistance to low temperatures, which allows the tree to be grown in most of the country. Positive feedback from gardeners also earned the consistently high yield of the hybrid and its undemanding to growing conditions.
History of breeding
The originators of the hybrid Late Joy are the specialists of the Central Siberian Botanical Garden of the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences – V. S. Simagin, O. V. Simagina and V. P. Belousova. As parent varieties during breeding work, bird cherry was used Kistevaya and Virginskaya.
Bird cherry Late joy was included in the State Register of the Federation in 2002 and recommended for cultivation in the West Siberian region. Plants of this variety are adapted for cultivation on the territory of all regions of Our Country, with the exception of the Nenets, Yamalo-Nenets, Khanty-Mansiysk and Chukotka Autonomous Okrugs.
Description of bird cherry Late joy
In the most favorable conditions, the hybrid grows up to 8 m in height. The crown of the tree is dense, narrow pyramidal type. The bark of bird cherry varieties Late joy is grayish-brown, rough to the touch. The branches of the tree grow upwards.
The leaf plate of the tree has an ovoid shape with a sharp tip. Its length is about 7 cm, width – 4 cm. The leaves are slightly serrated along the edge.
Shoots form dense racemose inflorescences up to 15 cm long. Each of them has from 20 to 40 small white flowers. Flowering occurs on annual shoots. The fruits of the variety, as they ripen, change color from light brown to black. The photo above shows ripe bird cherry berries of the Late Joy variety.
The average weight of berries is 0,5-0,7 g. The shape of the fruit is round, smooth. The flesh is colored in yellowish-green tones. The advantages of bird cherry variety Late joy include a pleasant sweet and sour taste of ripe berries. On a tasting scale, it was rated 4,8 out of 5.
Characteristics of a variety
Bird cherry Late joy favorably differs from many other varieties in its unpretentiousness. In particular, the hybrid is undemanding to the composition of the soil and the level of its fertility. The tree bears fruit well both on neutral soils and on moderately acid soils, tolerates short-term stagnation of moisture in the soil and drought well. The tree of the Late Joy variety shows the best yields when grown on loamy, well-lit areas, however, it can also be grown in the shade in the same way – a shade-tolerant hybrid.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
Frost resistance of bird cherry variety Late joy is at the level from -30°С to -40°С. The tree tolerates long frosts well, however, the flowers of the hybrid can be damaged by spring return frosts, as a result of which fruiting does not occur during this season.
The resistance of the variety to drought and heat is average. Bird cherry Late joy well withstands a short moisture deficit, however, long dry periods adversely affect the development of the tree.
Yield and fruiting
Bird cherry Late joy – a variety of medium-late fruit ripening. Flowering and fruiting are very abundant. Harvest is usually collected in early August.
The average lifespan of a tree is 25-30 years, during which it retains its productivity. The hybrid is weakly self-fertile, so it is recommended to plant other mid-late varieties bred in the TsSBS near it.
The crop yield of the Late Joy variety averages 20-25 kg per tree.
Scope of fruits
Hybrid Late joy is classified as a universal variety. Its fruits are used both for fresh consumption and for drying for the winter. In addition, part of the harvest goes to the production of juices and compotes.
Late joy resistance to fruit cracking is high, which makes it suitable for transportation.
Disease and pest resistance
Bird cherry varieties Late joy practically does not attract pests. Occasionally, the plant can be affected by the following insects:
- aphid;
- slimy sawfly;
- hawthorn;
- cherry elephant;
- bird cherry elephant.
Bird cherry is sick Late joy is rare, however, the variety is vulnerable to leaf spot.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The advantages of bird cherry varieties Late joy include the following characteristics:
- resistance to low temperatures;
- pleasant taste of berries;
- consistently high yields;
- resistance to cracking berries;
- shade tolerance;
- unpretentiousness;
- versatility of the use of fruits;
- undemanding to the composition of the soil.
Disadvantages of the variety include:
- small weight of berries;
- tall tree, which complicates harvesting;
- tendency to thicken the crown;
- average drought tolerance.
Rules of landing
Bird cherry varieties Late joy can be planted in open ground both in spring and autumn. The survival rate of planting material is very high. When planting in the autumn months, seedlings can not be covered for the winter, as even young plants are resistant to low temperatures.
Immediately before planting, it is necessary to carefully inspect the planting material. On the leaves and bark of seedlings there should be no white bloom, spotty stains, as well as mechanical damage. If the root system of the plant is too developed, long roots should be cut. Weak and broken roots are also removed. In addition, moderate pruning has a beneficial effect on the development of seedlings – it is recommended to cut off all weak shoots, leaving only 2-3 of the strongest ones.
Planting bird cherry varieties Late joy is carried out according to the following scheme:
- At the selected site, they dig a hole 50 cm deep and 50-60 cm wide. In this case, one should also focus on the size of the root system of the seedling – the roots should be freely placed inside the planting hole.
- For group plantings, the pits are located at a distance of 5 m from each other in order to avoid thickening of the crowns of adult trees.
- It is not necessary to lay a fertile soil mixture at the bottom of the planting pit – planting material takes root well in open ground without additional feeding. If desired, you can sprinkle the bottom with a mixture of dry foliage, peat and humus, however, it is not recommended to abuse organic fertilizers. Excess nitrogen in the soil negatively affects the condition of the bird cherry bark.
- The soil mixture is sprinkled with a thin layer of soil from the surface of the site, after which a seedling is placed on it. The root system is evenly distributed along the bottom of the pit.
- The pit is gradually covered with earth, periodically tamping. This is necessary in order to remove possible voids and layers of air.
- Then planting material is abundantly watered. When the water goes into the ground, the near-trunk circle of bird cherry is mulched. For these purposes, sawdust, peat or dry grass are suitable. The optimal thickness of the mulching layer is 8-10 cm, no more.
Aftercare
Hybrid Late joy is considered one of the most unpretentious varieties of bird cherry. This is an undemanding tree to grow, which even a beginner in gardening can grow.
Young trees are sensitive to soil moisture, so they are often watered, preventing the topsoil from drying out. Adult bird cherry does not need a lot of moisture. The tree is abundantly watered no more than 2 times a month. If the weather is hot and there is little rain, the frequency of watering can be increased to 3-4 times a month. In case of prolonged rains, watering is stopped.
Bird cherry seedlings respond well to sprinkling, however, it is better not to carry out such watering during flowering.
In order to improve the supply of oxygen to the roots of the tree, it is necessary to periodically loosen the near-stem circle, but no more than on the bayonet of a shovel. This procedure can be combined with sanitary weeding of the soil near the bird cherry. If, when planting bird cherry, the near-trunk circle was sprinkled with mulch, there is no need for weeding – the presence of a mulching layer inhibits the growth of weeds.
As the soil is depleted, the plantings are fed. You can use both root and foliar top dressing, while organic fertilizers must be alternated with mineral ones. Every spring, it is recommended to feed bird cherry varieties Late Joy with ammonium nitrate – 30 g per tree. After flowering, Kemira Universal fertilizer is applied to the soil – about 20 g per plant.
In addition, adult bird cherry needs sanitary and formative pruning. Every year, it is necessary to remove all broken or diseased branches, as well as cut off root suckers and shoots. Slices are recommended to be treated with garden pitch for prevention purposes.
Diseases and pests
Bird cherry practically does not affect diseases, however, the Late Joy variety is vulnerable to leaf spot. These include:
- polystigmosis (also rubella, red spotting);
- cercosporosis;
- coniothyroidism.
Polystigmosis in bird cherry is diagnosed by the presence of small spots of saturated red color, which are rapidly spreading over the leaf plate. At the first signs of the disease, before flowering, it is necessary to spray the area of u3buXNUMXbthe near-stem circle and the plant itself with a solution of Nitrafen. If necessary, you can replace this drug with a solution of copper sulfate, a concentration of not more than XNUMX%.
After flowering, bird cherry is sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
Cercosporosis is a disease in which bird cherry leaves are covered with small white necrosis on the upper side and brown below. Sick trees are treated by spraying with Topaz.
Coniothyroidism affects not only the leaves, but also the bark and berries of the bird cherry. The first signs of the disease are yellow-brown necrosis with orange edges. The fight against infection is carried out by means of any fungicide.
Of the pests, aphids are the most dangerous for bird cherry varieties Late Joy. Any insecticide can be used against it. The drugs “Iskra”, “Fitoverm” and “Decis” have proven themselves well.
In order to prevent pests, it is possible to treat plantings with Karbofos solution twice a season. Proportions of the solution: 50 g of the substance per 10 liters of water. On one tree spend no more than 2 liters of solution.
Conclusion
Bird cherry Late joy is not only a high-yielding fruit tree, but also a highly decorative garden culture that can decorate any garden. Caring for a hybrid is simple, so even a novice gardener can plant it. Most importantly, adhere to the rules of agricultural technology and take preventive measures in a timely manner.
You can learn more about how to plant bird cherry of the Late Joy variety from the video below:
