Cherry: how to grow a good harvest

Common cherry, the same one that is now grown in all gardens, has been known in Our Country since ancient times. However, it does not come from our places – in nature, this species lived in Asia Minor, on the South-Eastern coast of the Black Sea. There it was grown in gardens and loved very much.

In Europe, they learned about it in the XNUMXst century BC. – According to the ancient Roman writer Pliny, the commander Lucullus brought her to Rome. From there, it spread throughout Europe, and in Our Country they learned about it only in the XNUMXnd century AD. The first cherry orchards appeared near Moscow – they were founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky. Then gardens appeared in Veliky Novgorod, at the Valdai monks on Ladoga, and gradually began to appear in all gardens.

Currently, more than 1 varieties of cherries are known and their number is growing every year, so there is plenty to choose from. However, choosing a variety is only half the battle. It is important to properly plant a tree and properly care for it.

Planting a cherry

– The main problem of cherries is diseases, the most dangerous of which are moniliosis and coccomycosis, – says agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova. “They can destroy trees in just a couple of years. The fungi that cause these diseases thrive in a humid and cool environment, so when planting, you need to choose a place where the chances of pathogens will be minimal.

Here it is important to observe 2 conditions:

• warm place – the site should warm up in the sun and be protected from cold northern winds;
• rare plantings – there should be good ventilation between cherry trees so that the air does not stagnate, so trees should be planted at a distance of 4 m from each other.

The dimensions of planting pits for cherries depend on the type of soil (the first number is the diameter of the pit, the second is the depth):

• loose, fertile – 80 x 40 cm;
• clay – 120 x 40 cm;
• sandy or rocky – 160 x 60 cm.

Fill the pit after planting a tree with a fertile mixture – the top layer of earth in half with humus or compost. It is also useful to add 3 tbsp. spoons of nitroammophoska.

It is better to plant seedlings with an open root system in the spring, in mid-April. Plants in containers can be planted from April to mid-October.

When planting, it is important to ensure that the root collar is at ground level. If it is higher or lower, cherries will grow poorly, often get sick and suffer from gum disease.

cherry care

Watering. During the season, cherries, like most fruit trees, need 3 waterings:

• before bud break (in the event that the snow melted early and the spring is dry);
• 2 weeks after flowering;
• 2 weeks before harvest.

The norm is 10 buckets per adult tree.

Feeding. Excess nitrogen is contraindicated for cherries – it causes rapid growth of shoots, and flower buds are not laid. So don’t get carried away. Better yet, follow the classic scheme – 3 top dressing per season:

• after flowering: 5 liters of mullein infusion and 1 kg of ash (10 glasses) per 50 liters of water, insist 5 days – 10 liters per tree;
• 2 weeks after the first: 10 g of urea (1 tablespoon), 20 g of potassium sulfate (1 tablespoon) 25 g of superphosphate (1,5 tablespoons) per 10 liters of water – 1 bucket per tree;
• in mid-September: 200 g of superphosphate (1 cup) and 60 g of potassium sulfate (3 tablespoons) – evenly scatter in the near-stem circle along the diameter of the crown and pour.

By the way, surface fertilization is the easiest option. And it gives a yield increase of 34%. But it is much more efficient to apply dry fertilizers to wells 30 cm deep – this method gives a yield increase of 68% (1).

And once again, in 4 years, it is useful to bring rotted manure under cherries – 5 buckets under a tree.

Cherries should be fertilized from 3 years after planting – they do not need top dressing in the first 2 years.

Pruning of cherries

You need to cut cherries every spring, in the first half of March (2), before the start of sap flow.

The first step is to cut out all the dried and broken branches. Then – skeletal, which rub against each other and thicken the crown – it must be sparse so that it is well ventilated. The shoots must be cut into a ring so that there are no stumps left, and it is imperative to cover the wounds with plasticine, garden pitch or oil paint on natural drying oil – this will help to avoid gum leakage.

“In bush varieties of cherries, in no case should you shorten the shoots – all their flower buds are at the ends of the branches,” says agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova. “If you cut them off, there will be no harvest.

And it is also important to remove all shoots in a timely manner – it is a breeding ground for diseases and pests, for example, aphids.

Cherry varieties

In order for cherries to give large yields, one tree is not enough. Even if it is very productive. The fact is that most varieties are self-fertile. For the formation of ovaries, they need pollinating varieties. Usually, in the description of the variety, it is always indicated which varieties are best suited for pollination. But if there is no such information, just plant at least 2 different ones. But it is better if you have 3-4 varieties of cherries in your garden.

“It is best to choose varieties taking into account their zoning,” recommends agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. – If in other cultures these recommendations can sometimes be neglected, then it is better not to experiment with cherries. For example, if a variety is recommended for hot and dry southern regions, then in a cool region it will most likely be heavily affected by diseases, the same moniliosis.

In general, it is better to choose varieties that are resistant to disease. True, there are not many of them – out of 96 varieties of cherries, which are listed in the State Register of Breeding Achievements, only 17 are immune to pathogenic fungi.

If we take into account the increased resistance to moniliosis and coccomycosis, very good (tasting score 4,4 – 4,7 points) or excellent taste (4,8 – 5 points) and high winter hardiness, then only 7 varieties meet these criteria:

• Dubovochka;
• Igritskaya;
• Loznovskaya;
• Favorite;
• Melody;
• Peskovatskaya;        
• Seedling Lyubskoy.

How to pick cherries

Cherry, unlike, for example, apples and pears, does not ripen during storage, so it must be harvested in full ripeness.

If the fruits are intended for processing, you can pick them without the stalks, but you need to use it as quickly as possible – the juice starts to ferment very quickly, and if the stalk comes off, it often stands out from the wound.

For storage, cherries must be collected along with the stalks. And do it better in sunny dry weather.

By the way, birds are very fond of cherries, and sometimes they eat a significant part of the crop. Therefore, it is important to protect against them. There are special nets that can be thrown over a tree. Or put bird scarers in the garden.

She made cherry meals

Fresh cherries can be stored in the refrigerator, but they will last no more than a week. It is important that there is no damage to the fruits. And they must be dry; you can’t wash cherries in the refrigerator before sending them.

To keep cherries longer, you can freeze them. For compotes – along with the bones. For pies – pitted.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about growing cherries with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Rubin S.S. Fertilizer of fruit and berry crops // M., “Kolos”, 1974 – 224 p.
2. Sergeev I.V. ABC gardener (2nd edition, additional and revised) // M .: “Kolos”, 1977 – 320 p.