Contents
Cherry varieties Vocation combines compact growth with high yields. It is unpretentious in care, frost-resistant, and its berries are very tasty. From the article you can find out why cherries with such attractive characteristics are not particularly popular among summer residents and gardeners.
History of breeding
Cherry variety Vocation was obtained within the walls of the Ukrainian Research Institute of Irrigated Horticulture, which is located in the city of Melitopol, Zaporozhye region. The author of the variety is the famous breeder N.I. Turovtsev, behind whom is the experience of breeding several dozen varieties of cherries. The second name of the variety is Rosinka and it was obtained by crossing Melitopol Dessert and Samsonovka cherries. Perhaps, thanks to this fact, the cherry variety received another name among the people – Samsonovka Melitopolskaya. Apparently, Vocation cherry is a rather old variety, at least it existed back in the 80s of the last century, but the exact date of its breeding is unknown.
Description of the culture
Plants of the Vocation variety grow small in size, they reach a height of only 2-2,5 meters. Nevertheless, the Vocation variety is not a shrub cherry, it looks like a real tree with a dense and rounded shape, only a dwarf one.
Dwarf cherry Vocation is grown mainly on the territory of Ukraine and in the south of Our Country: from Voronezh and to the south, although it is able to withstand frosts down to -25 ° C.
The fruits of this variety have a flat-round shape and a rather large size. The weight of one cherry on average fluctuates between 5 and 6 grams.
The color of the cherries is rich, red-burgundy. The core is juicy, the juice is also characterized by a red tint. A small oval stone is easily separated from the pulp, especially when the cherry is fully ripe.
The taste of the fruit is rich sweet, has a slight sourness harmoniously shading it. According to professional tasters, the taste of cherries received a score of 4,6 points.
The fruits contain:
- 16,48% dry matter
- 10% sugars
- 0,96% acid
Features
Most of the characteristics that distinguish Vocation cherry varieties can satisfy the tastes of the most fastidious gardeners.
Drought resistance, winter resistance
The variety can be characterized as winter-hardy, since the trees can easily withstand winter temperatures down to -25 ° C, and the buds in spring with repeated frosts can retain up to 65% of flowers. But still, for most regions of central Our Country and to the north, where frosts in winter can go off scale for -30 ° C, growing the Vocation variety will be problematic.
But such a characteristic as drought resistance, the cherry of this variety deserves 100%. With insufficient watering, the berries will only dry out slightly on the trees, and the harvest for the next season will not be laid so intensively, but otherwise the tree will cope with adverse conditions quite well. Although, if possible, it is better not to subject the trees to such tests.
yield, fruiting
Variety Vocation is characterized by early fruiting, it is able to start producing the first crops already 2-3 years after planting. Every year the number of berries brought increases, and an 8-10-year-old tree is quite capable of bestowing buckets of berries on its owner, which in total will weigh up to 30 kg. For a dwarf tree, this is a very good indicator.
Scope of berries
Cherry variety Vocation can be called universal, since its berries have a good taste. This means that you can cook fragrant cherry jam from them, prepare compotes for the winter and gourmet liqueurs. Berries can also be dried, frozen, made into candies, marshmallows, and more.
Disease and pest resistance
Cherry Vocation is also distinguished by its resistance to many pests and pathogens. The variety is perfectly able to resist the brown hawthorn mite, shows good resistance to common cherry diseases such as monoliosis and coccomycosis.
Pollination, flowering period and ripening period
In terms of fruit ripening, in the descriptions of various sources, cherries of this variety are sometimes referred to as early, sometimes as middle varieties.
The flowering period of the Vocation variety falls around the beginning of May. And here lies the main trouble. The fact is that the Vocation variety is self-fertile. That is, for pollination and obtaining good yields, it needs at least two other varieties of cherries or sweet cherries to grow nearby (at a distance of no more than 300-400 meters).
In addition, they must match the Vocation cherry in terms of flowering. It turns out that the owners of small plots who want to plant a dwarf tree of Rosinka for their decoration should definitely buy two other varieties of cherries, preferably self-pollinated, for it.
Some of the best pollinators for cherries Vocation will be varieties:
- Yenikeyev’s memory
- Sania
- Youth
- Chocolate Girl
- Baby
- Griot of Moscow
Many of them are also small in size and can fit into the dimensions of a small garden. But those who choose for themselves one, the only variety, Cherry Vocation can scare away.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages | Disadvantages |
High yield – up to 30 kg per tree | Self-infertile – two more varieties of cherries need to be planted |
Great berry flavor | Insufficient frost resistance for the northern regions |
The small size of the trees makes it easy to harvest and process. |
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Skoroplodnost |
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Versatile grade in use |
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Disease and pest resistance |
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Drought tolerance |
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Features of landing
In order for a cherry tree to please you for many years, pay attention to the following nuances when planting.
Recommended dates
You can plant plants with an open root system both in autumn and in spring, only in autumn there is usually more choice and seedlings look healthier. But in regions with severe winters, autumn planting can lead to freezing of young seedlings, so the spring period is more preferable.
Choosing the right place
The choice of a sunny and calm place for planting is the key to a long life and abundant fruiting of tiny cherry trees.
Heavy soils are diluted with sand, and acidic soils are diluted with wood ash in the planting pit. Groundwater should be at a depth of at least 1,5-2 meters.
What crops can and cannot be planted next to cherries
Among the crops, the neighborhood of which is undesirable next to cherries, can be listed:
- Vegetables from the nightshade family: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and tobacco, due to common pests and diseases.
- Trees with an extensive root system like: oak, birch, poplar, linden, spruce, pine.
- Shrubs like raspberries, gooseberries, currants, sea buckthorn – because of common diseases.
- Apricots and peaches – due to other agricultural care practices
But very favorable neighbors for cherries will be:
- Cherry – can help with pollination
- Plum, cherry plum, turn – the same care
- Honeysuckle
- Elderberry – protects against fruit aphids
- Hawthorn, mountain ash, grapes.
Selection and preparation of planting material
Saplings of the Vocation variety can be sold both with open roots and in closed containers. The open root system should be quite branched, at least 20-30 cm long, without dry and dark areas. The height of the shoots should be about 100 cm. Check that there are no signs of disease or damage on the bark and on the leaves.
Before planting, the roots of the seedling are usually soaked for several hours in a Maxim fungicide solution.
Landing algorithm
In the spring, when planting a cherry seedling, the buds should not be blooming – this will improve its survival. Between the trees keep a distance of 3-4 meters for better illumination. A peg is installed in the center of the dug hole according to the size of the root system, and the roots are straightened around it, which are gradually covered with the prepared soil mixture. The root neck should be directly at ground level. The earth around the roots is compacted, and the shoot is tied to a peg. The seedling is watered, immediately mulched, and during the first season after planting, watering should be regular – about 1 time in 10-15 days, depending on the weather.
Culture aftercare
Growing cherries The vocation is simple – watering, top dressing, pruning, protection from pests and diseases.
It is necessary to water the cherry so that the ground under it remains moderately moist, but the cherry does not tolerate excess moisture. You can start fertilizing trees from the beginning of the fruiting period. In spring and early summer, fertilizing is used, mainly containing nitrogen, and closer to autumn, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are needed.
Pruning for cherry trees allows you to remove the thickening of the crown, serves to prevent fungal diseases and improves the quality of ripening berries. It is best done in early spring, a few weeks before bud break. Be sure to remove all damaged and dry branches, as well as those that cross each other and grow towards the center of the crown.
To protect against rodents and frost holes, the tree trunk is painted with garden whitewash before branching. In order for the cherry to survive the winter better, in the autumn, after the leaves fall, the soil around the trunk must be shed well (about 8-10 liters per seedling) and the trunk circle should be mulched.
Diseases and pests
Description of the problem | Prevention | Ways of solution |
Fungal diseases | In autumn, 2 weeks before leaf fall, spray with a solution of urea (1,5 tablespoons per 10 liters of water), and after the leaves fall, treat with 1% Bordeaux mixture | In the spring, during bud opening, spraying with 3% Bordeaux mixture, and after flowering, treatment with Skor, Horus, Topsin-M
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vermin | In spring, double spraying with Fitoverm or tobacco dust solution | During budding, treatment with a systemic insecticide: Aktara, Konfidor and others |
Conclusion
Cherry Vocation is a productive and tasty variety with easy care, and if you solve the problem of pollination by planting additional varieties of cherries, you can enjoy an annual harvest of dessert and healthy berries in your garden.
Reviews
Reviews of gardeners about cherry Vocations are few, but everyone speaks warmly about this variety.
