Contents
Of the 150 types of cherries, only 5 are edible – steppe, felt, Magaleb, ordinary, not found in nature today, and sweet cherries. All varieties are bred by selective selection or cross-pollination of wild relatives. It is not known for certain how many cultivars exist today, new ones constantly appear, and the old ones “go out of circulation” as unpromising or are destroyed by coccomycosis. Cherry Uralskaya Ruby is an old variety that will remain in demand in the north of Our Country for many decades to come.
History of breeding
The Uralskaya Rubinovaya variety was created by the Sverdlovsk Horticulture Selection Station in 1954. In 1955, the cherry was transferred to the State Variety Test, and after another 4 years (1959) it was accepted by the State Register. The developers of the variety are S. V. Zhukov and N. I. Gvozdyukova.
Ural Ruby is a hybrid of steppe cherries, obtained by crossing the Ideal variety with other Michurin cultivars. It was bred specifically for the cold climate of Siberia and the Urals. Today, the variety is used to create new varieties, acting as a donor of productivity, short stature, resistance to frost and drought.
Description of the culture
The Ural Ruby variety, like other steppe cherries, grows not as a tree, but as a shrub. It reaches a height of 1,5 m. The shape of the crown is wide-round, with spreading, drooping branches. Young shoots are painted green, then turn purple-brown and become bare. The leaves are obovate, with a sharp tip and serrated edges. The upper part is dark green, the lower part is light. Flowers are formed on annual shoots or bouquet twigs.
The fruits of the Ural Ruby cherry are medium in size, dark red, rounded, weighing up to 3,5 g each. The variety belongs to the morels (griots). This means that its pulp and juice are colored red. The taste of the fruit is satisfactory, sweet and sour. The stone is small, it separates well from the pulp. The stalk of medium length is firmly attached to the cherry and does not allow it to crumble after full ripening.
The Uralskaya Rubinovaya variety is approved for cultivation in all regions. Cherry feels best in regions with more than a cool climate – the Volga-Vyatka, Urals, West Siberian.
Features
Less than 30 varieties of steppe cherries are included in the State Register of the Federation, one of them is Uralskaya Ruby. Despite almost seven decades that have passed since registration, seedlings of this cultivar continue to be in demand.
Drought resistance, winter resistance
Cherry variety Uralskaya Rubinovaya was bred specifically for growing in areas with severe winters. It is believed that it is able to adapt to any weather conditions, including prolonged drought. Buds and wood are able to withstand frosts below 35 degrees. To a large extent, the variety owes its resistance to freezing to its small size – this shrub cherry in winter is 2/3 covered with snow.
Pollination, flowering and maturation period
Ural Ruby belongs to late varieties – depending on weather conditions and the region, it blooms in the last days of May – the first decade of June. Fruiting begins in the second half of August. Thanks to the strong attachment of the berry to the stalk, you can wait not for technical, but for full ripeness, without fear that the cherry will crumble.
Late flowering periods allow not only to get away from spring frosts in the northern regions, but also to wait for the departure of beneficial insects. This is especially important because the plant is self-infertile. The best pollinators for Uralskaya Ruby cherries are Polevka, Alatyrskaya, Mayak, Schedraya, Zagrebinskaya.
Many amateur gardeners plant the Ural Ruby not only because of the berries. This cherry is an excellent pollinator for almost all late varieties.
yield, fruiting
Ural Ruby is characterized by stable fruiting, that is, it gives a good harvest every year. Berries ripen at the same time, they can be harvested in one go. An adult bush, under favorable weather conditions and satisfactory care, can give up to 10 kg. In any case, the weight of the harvested fruits is rarely less than 6 kg. In industrial cultivation, 60-90 centners of berries are harvested per hectare annually.
The Ural Ruby enters fruiting early, approximately in the third year after planting. It consistently gives a high yield for 13-15 years. Then the number of fruits gradually decreases, but if you grow cherries not for sale, but for your own needs, a tree can be considered productive up to 25-30 years.
Scope of berries
When planting Ural Ruby cherries, it should be borne in mind that this is a technical variety. It is not intended for fresh consumption. Juices are made from berries, jams, compotes, marshmallows and other sweets are made. This does not mean that cherries cannot be eaten fresh. They just have an average taste, if other varieties grow nearby, preference is given to their berries.
Like all griots, the Ural Ruby Griot can be harvested not fully ripened – the fruits reach during storage. Overripe cherries of this variety tend to crack, which should be taken into account by gardeners who grow berries for sale.
Disease and pest resistance
In recent years, coccomycosis has become a real death for cherry orchards. When the Ural Ruby was created, it did not pose such a danger. The technical description of the variety indicates that it has an average resistance to fungal diseases.
Among the pests, cherry aphids and sawflies should be distinguished. The variety is rarely affected by these insects, but it is better to treat the cherry with insecticides without waiting for problems to arise.
Advantages and disadvantages
If we do not forget that the Ural Ruby is a technical variety, not a dessert one, it can be considered one of the best. The advantages include:
- Early entry into fruiting. The first crop is harvested 3 years after the laying of the garden.
- Durability. Fruiting lasts about 30.
- Frost resistance. The variety can withstand temperatures down to 35 degrees.
- Drought tolerance.
- Due to the small size of the bush, it is convenient to harvest.
- The variety grows well in regions with a cold climate.
- High content of vitamins and microelements in fruits.
- Ease of care.
Among the shortcomings of the variety should be called:
- Late maturation. Berries can be harvested only in the second half of August.
- Low yield.
- Technical grade. Fresh berries do not taste good.
- Self-infertility. However, this can be attributed to almost all varieties.
- Low resistance to coccomycosis.
Features of landing
Although the Ural Ruby cherry is approved for cultivation throughout the Federation, it feels best in a cool climate. In the southern regions, the variety behaves worse.
Dates and place of landing
The best time for planting cherries in northern latitudes is early spring. The tree must be placed on the site before bud break. Autumn planting is possible, but survival will be worse – the plant will not have time to get stronger and take root before the onset of frost.
It is best to place the cherry on a well-lit hill, choosing a gentle western, northwestern or southwestern slope. On flat areas, it grows worse, and in the lowland it will simply die or will constantly get sick and will not give a good harvest.
The soil should be loose, with a neutral reaction, fertile. Light loams work well. Groundwater should not come closer to the surface than 2 m.
Selection and preparation of planting material
The choice of cherry seedlings must be approached responsibly. Buy planting material only in nurseries or large garden centers. Choose varieties that are suitable for growing in your area. If the cherry is grafted, the stock must also be zoned, otherwise the plant will die in the very first winter.
One-year-olds should not be higher than 80 cm, two-year-olds – 110 cm. If the seedling has grown to 150 cm or more, then it is overfed with nitrogen. The same is indicated by the green color of the bark – in a well-ripened shoot it is brown. Pay attention to the root system – it must be healthy and well developed.
Landing algorithm
Cherries should not be planted close to each other – this will reduce the illumination of the bushes, which will lead to a decrease in yield. In addition, heap placement will increase the likelihood of infection with coccomycosis or other disease. The optimal scheme for a cherry orchard is 4,0×2,5-3,0 m.
Landing is carried out in the following sequence:
- The roots of seedlings are soaked in water for at least 3 hours.
- They dig holes measuring 50x50x50 cm, add a bucket of humus to each, 50 g of potassium salts and superphosphate each.
- Too clayey soil is improved with sand, and acidic soil is improved with dolomite flour or lime.
- Cherries are planted so that the root neck rises above the soil surface by about 5 cm.
- The pit is covered with a nutrient mixture, gently tamping the soil as it is filled.
- Cherries are watered, spending 2-3 buckets per bush.
- The trunk circle is enclosed with an earthen roller and mulched.
Culture aftercare
In the first year after planting, cherries need regular watering. Then the trunk circle is mulched, weeds are removed. Water the bushes only in dry weather. Cherries need the most water at the beginning of the growing season and after the formation of ovaries. Stop watering 2-3 weeks before harvest. In a dry autumn, moisture charging is necessarily carried out, which will help the tree to winter safely.
Cherries need high doses of nitrogen and potassium, phosphorus – less. You can simply put a bucket of humus and a jar of ash under each root at the end of the season.
Cherry is carried out not only sanitary pruning, but also forming. It consists in shortening upward growing shoots. In adult plants, the oldest skeletal branches should be removed one by one.
To protect the cherry from hares or other rodents, the stems are tied after leaf fall, but before the onset of frost. In this case, they use reeds, straw, burlap or spruce branches. This material allows air to pass through and at the same time serves as protection against severe frosts.
Diseases and pests
The Uralskaya Ruby cherry variety is rarely affected by pests, but it often suffers from coccomycosis and moniliosis. To avoid this, in early spring and immediately after flowering, the bush is treated with a copper-containing preparation, and after leaf fall – with iron sulphate.
If a sawfly or aphid still appears on the cherry, the plant is sprayed twice with insecticides with an interval of 2 weeks.
There are no perfect cherry varieties. Ural Ruby is an excellent industrial crop designed for growing in cold climates. If it is timely treated for coccomycosis, fed, it will provide you with berries for jams and pollinate dessert varieties.
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