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The selection of fruit trees does not stand still – new varieties appear regularly. Cherry Gift to the Eagle is one of the newest varieties bred in recent years.
History of variety breeding
Sweet cherry, belonging to the category of trees with early ripening dates, was bred in 2010. So far, the variety is on state variety testing. The originators of sweet cherries are A.F. Kolesnikov and M.A. Makarkina, as well as E.N. Dzhigadlo and A.A. Gulyaev. Seedlings freely pollinated by Bigarro cherries served as the source for selection.
Description of the cherry variety Gift to the Eagle
The sweet cherry of this variety is a tree of medium height – usually no more than 3,2 m. The bark on the main trunk and skeletal branches is smooth, gray in color, and the shoots of the sweet cherry are straight, covered with brownish-brown bark. The crown of this variety of fruit tree is sparse and slightly spreading, raised, pyramidal in shape, with large green leaves common for sweet cherries, pointed at the edges.
In May Gift to the Eagle releases the first flowers – the variety belongs to the category of early flowering. In mid-June, sweet cherries bear fruit – heart-shaped rounded red berries, covered with a thin smooth skin. The average fruit weight of this variety is small – about 4 – 4,5 g. The berries taste sour-sweet, with pulp that easily separates from the stone. The tasting evaluation of the fruits of this variety is 4,6 points out of a possible 5.
It is recommended to grow sweet cherries in the Central region and the southern regions of the country.
Features
Since the Oryol cherry variety remains fairly new, not much information is known about it. But the basic information is available – and before purchasing a seedling for your garden, it will be useful to familiarize yourself with them.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
Drought tolerance in Gift to the Eagle is quite high – like many varieties of sweet cherries recommended for cultivation in the middle lane. During spring, summer and autumn, the fruit plant requires almost no watering, especially in the presence of natural precipitation. In the absence of a severe drought, abundant additional watering is required for a tree only three times a year – during the growing season, just before fruiting, and shortly before the onset of winter.
In the summer heat, in the absence of rain, you can water the sweet cherry in the amount of 2 – 4 buckets under the trunk once a month, during fruiting – once every 7 – 10 days.
The frost resistance of the variety is considered average. During the observation period, it was found that sweet cherries are able to tolerate negative temperatures up to -36 degrees, while the degree of freezing is only 2 points.
Pollination, pollinating varieties, flowering period and ripening period
A gift to the Eagle is a self-fertile variety of sweet cherry. In other words, for the appearance of fruits on the branches, it is necessary to plant pollinating varieties in the immediate vicinity.
Since cherry blossoms in early May, and bears fruit already in mid-June, only varieties with similar characteristics – early flowering and fruiting – are suitable for pollination. Among these cherries can be called:
- Bigaro – the cherry variety used for breeding is also suitable for pollination purposes. Bigarro blooms in early May, it can bear fruit around June 15th.
- Valery Chkalov – Another variety that blooms at the very beginning of May and bears fruit in the first decade of June.
- Ипуть – this variety also produces flowers in early May and brings the first berries in mid-late June.
In addition to those listed, other varieties can be used to pollinate the Gift to the Eagle. The main condition is to select trees with the same timing of flowering and fruiting.
Yield and fruiting
The average yield for a Gift to the Eagle is about 72 centners of fruits per hectare, or several tens of kilograms of berries from one tree.
For the first time, sweet cherries begin to bear fruit 3 years after the rooting of the seedling – provided that an annual tree was used. The variety bears fruit annually. With proper pollination and care, you can pick berries from the Gift to the Eagle from June 15 until the end of the month.
Scope of berries
The fruits of the Gift to the Eagle are not stored for a very long time – about 5 – 7 days. Accordingly, cherries are best suited for fresh consumption. You can also make jam from berries, prepare a tasty and healthy compote, squeeze juice.
Disease and pest resistance
Gift Orlu is considered a variety with a fairly high resistance to common fungal diseases – moniliosis and coccomycosis. However, the plant can suffer from the most dangerous insect pests for fruit trees – aphids, cherry flies and weevil.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Summarizing the information, the following advantages of the variety can be noted:
- high resistance to low temperatures;
- good drought tolerance;
- resistance to diseases of fungal origin;
- early ripening of tasty fruits.
But the variety also has disadvantages. Among them are the small size and weight of fruits, their short shelf life, and self-fertility.
Features of landing
Planting rules for Cherry Gift to the Eagle are quite standard, without unique features. However, it is worth recalling the main points.
Recommended dates
Although it is permissible to plant cherries both in spring and autumn, gardeners in the middle lane prefer to root seedlings in spring, shortly before the growing season. The fact is that young seedlings are more sensitive to frost, and autumn planting can adversely affect their health.
Choosing the right place
The main requirement for a landing site is good lighting. The fruit plant prefers loamy or sandy soil varieties, does not like excessive moisture.
What crops can and cannot be planted nearby
Variety Gift Orlu gets along extremely poorly with apple and pear trees. The best neighbors for the plant will be cherries or other cherries suitable for pollination.
Selection and preparation of planting material
The requirements for seedlings of the variety are simple. It is only important to check that the young plant has a dense and branched root system without damage.
Landing algorithm
In order for the seedling to take root well in the ground, it is necessary to dig a shallow hole – about 2 times larger in size than the volume of the root system. The bottom of the pit is filled with soil mixed with organic fertilizers. After that, the seedling is carefully lowered into the hole and sprinkled with earth.
Immediately after planting, the sweet cherry must be well watered, and then the earth around the trunk should be mulched. For even growth, the seedling can be tied to a support.
Culture aftercare
The rules for the care of the variety are standard. For the healthy development of cherries, the following measures must be taken.
- Pruning of branches is carried out for sanitary purposes – to remove dry and weakened shoots.
- Cherry watering is carried out as needed. In the presence of rain, Gift to the Eagle is watered in volumes of 2-4 buckets before flowering, before fruiting and in mid-autumn. In conditions of summer drought, it is recommended to supply cherries with water every 10 days.
- In the first three years of growth, a young tree does not require fertilizers, except for those that were originally applied. Subsequently, the Gift to the Eagle is recommended to be fed with nitrogenous fertilizers in the spring, substances containing potassium in the summer, and fluorine-containing mixtures before the onset of winter.
- In order for the plant not to be damaged by rodents, it is recommended to wrap the trunk with a dense material – for example, roofing material. Whitewashing the cherry with lime will also serve as a protective measure.
Preparing the tree for winter includes abundant watering at the end of September and fertilizing the sweet cherry with organic fertilizer. In winter, a dense snowdrift is formed around the trunk, and the snow around the tree is trampled down – this will protect the cherry from rodents and from freezing.
Diseases and pests, control and prevention measures
A gift to the Eagle is quite resistant to fruit rot and coccomycosis – you can protect the tree from fungal infections by timely sanitization.
Garden pests are more dangerous for the variety – cherry fly, weevil, aphid. Gardeners are advised to regularly inspect the cherry for harmful insects – and spray the tree with insecticides when they appear.
Conclusion
Cherry Podarok Orlu is a young but very promising cherry variety for central Our Country. In the presence of elementary care, the tree will produce stable high yields.
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