Contents
Cherry trees are a horticultural symbol of Our Country, but over the past half century, due to an unprecedented invasion of fungal infections, more than 2/3 of gardens across the country have been destroyed, and the old famous varieties cannot cope with the onslaught of diseases and pests. They are replaced by new varieties, and one of the outstanding creations of breeders was the Volochaevka cherry variety.
History of breeding
Cherry Volochaevka was obtained by a group of breeders led by Evstratov A.I., working at the All- Selection and Technological Institute of Horticulture and Nursery.
The institute is located in Moscow and Evstratov A.I. famous for the fact that numerous varieties of cherries came out of his hands, resistant to one of the terrible ills of cherry trees – coccomycosis, and also quite winter-hardy in the climate of the Moscow region and the entire Central region.
The variety was obtained back in the 80s of the last century, but due to the difficult economic and political situation in our country, it was registered in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Our Country only in 1997. The variety is officially approved for cultivation on the territory of the Central region, but this only means that it is in this region that all the fruit and yield properties of the Volochaevka cherry will be revealed in an optimal way. In reality, the Volochaevka variety is grown with pleasure by gardeners throughout Our Country, south of the Moscow region.
Description of the culture
Cherry trees of the Volochaevka variety can be classified as medium-sized, since they reach a height of 3 – 3,5 meters.
The crown of the trees has a beautiful rounded shape, the density of dark green rather large ovoid leaves with a crenate edge is slightly above average.
Shoots are straight, have a brown tint. A tree of this variety bears fruit on last year’s shoots and on bouquet branches. Young shoots of the current year bear only vegetative buds.
Judging by the many reviews of gardeners, the fruits of Volochaevka cherries are quite large in size, although in the description of the originator variety, the average weight of one fruit is about 3-4 grams.
Apparently, the size of the fruits, as well as their taste, is largely determined by the climatic conditions of the growing area and the composition of the soil.
Since half of the gardeners speak of Volochaevka cherries as very tasty, sweet, and even dessert, others consider them the most ordinary.
The color of the fruits, as well as their juice, is characterized by a rich red color. This means that the Volochaevka cherry can rightly be attributed to the group of morels or griots.
The pulp of the fruit is quite dense and at the same time very juicy. A small bone is easily separated from the rest of the fetus. Tasters evaluate the taste qualities of Volochaevka cherries at 4,7 on a five-point scale.
The fruits contain 15,6% solids, 10% sugar, 1,4% acid and 22 mg/% vitamin C.
Features
The characteristic of the Volochaevka cherry variety carries a lot of positive aspects for amateur gardeners and especially beginners in gardening.
Winter hardiness, drought resistance
Cherry Volochaevka has quite decent winter hardiness, at the level of one of its parents – Vladimir cherry. Frosts down to -30 ° C are tolerated relatively calmly, but the buds can be damaged by return spring frosts.
The drought resistance of this variety is average, however, when grown in the conditions of central Our Country, more will not be required. And for the southern hot and arid regions, there are varieties that are more suitable for this characteristic.
Pollination, flowering period and ripening period
One of the unique features of the Volochaevka cherry variety is its self-fertility. That is, in order for the cherry to form fruits after flowering, it does not need other varieties of cherries or cherries growing nearby. In addition, bees or bumblebees or other insects are essential for cross-pollination. But in recent years, due to the increasingly difficult environmental situation, bees and other insects are not always present in household plots. And the self-fertile cherry variety Volochaevka will be able to provide you with delicious fruits in any year and under any weather conditions, regardless of the presence of pollinating insects and other cherry trees nearby.
Therefore, this variety is just a godsend for owners of small plots or those who, due to the small free space, can afford to plant only one variety of cherry.
Cherry Volochaevka blooms in May, depending on the region of cultivation, the flowering period can be shifted to the first or second half of the month.
But in terms of ripening berries, most gardeners attribute it to mid-ripening varieties, while some even call it mid-late.
The fact is that the fruits of this variety usually ripen in the second half of July. In the southern regions, earlier ripening of berries is possible – in early July.
yield, fruiting
Cherry Volochaevka can be called a rather early-growing variety. After all, trees grow to a fairly decent size, and they begin to bear fruit already at 4-5 years of age, when the height of the tree reaches about three meters.
Moreover, the yield of a five-year-old tree can, under favorable conditions, be up to 10 kg of cherries. In this regard, the Volochaevka cherry is significantly ahead of its parents.
The maximum yield of mature Volochaevka cherry trees in gardens can be up to 12-15 kg per tree.
The average life expectancy of a tree is about 15 years, and in the southern regions, a cherry can bear fruit for more than 20 years.
Scope of berries
Berries of the Volochaevka variety are universal in use. Since they have a dessert, pronounced cherry flavor, they are consumed fresh with pleasure. But a variety of drinks and preparations for the winter are also good.
Resistance to diseases, pests
Initially, the Volochaevka cherry variety was bred as resistant to coccomycosis. Indeed, his resistance to this disease is above average. Although in particularly rainy years, trees may still be affected by this disease, they recover after appropriate treatments.
To other diseases and pests, the Volochaevka variety has an average resistance, and preventive spring treatments can help protect trees from trouble.
Advantages and disadvantages
| Advantages of the variety | Disadvantages of cherry Volochaevka |
| Self-fertility | Average resistance to many diseases |
| Large and tasty berries | |
| Good yield | |
Features of landing
Cherry Volochaevka is an unpretentious variety, but planting must be carried out in accordance with all the rules in order to get the maximum of what it is capable of from the tree.
Recommended dates
In most regions of the middle lane, for which the cultivation of cherries of this variety is recommended, it is better to determine a seedling for a permanent place in the spring, around April, even before bud break. Only residents of the southern regions can afford to plant cherries in autumn. If the seedling was only obtained in the autumn, then it is better for gardeners of the middle lane to dig a cherry tree in a secluded place in the garden, spudding it on all sides with earth.
Choosing the right place
An ideal place for planting cherries would be a southeast or south slope, as much as possible illuminated by the sun. Volochaevka will be able to grow in partial shade, but this will certainly not be reflected in the best way on the taste of berries.
Groundwater should be at a considerable depth, at least 1,5 meters. In extreme cases, cherries can be planted on a small artificial mound. Soils should be well-drained and fertile. Usually, having dug a hole in advance for planting a tree, they interfere with the earth with sand, wood ash, humus and a complex of fertilizers, and only then the roots of the seedling are covered with this mixture.
What cultures are friends or enemies with cherries
For cherries, the neighborhood with representatives of the stone fruit family will be very favorable: cherries, plums, cherry plums, and thorns. But peach and apricot are better planted away.
From shrubs, honeysuckle will make a good neighbor, but it is better to plant raspberries, currants and gooseberries at a considerable distance from cherries, since they have many common enemies. For the same reason, the neighborhood with vegetables from the nightshade family will be unfavorable: peppers, tomatoes, eggplants.
Large trees with a huge root system can shade cherries and take away nutrients from them, so cherries are planted at a great distance from birch, spruce, oak, linden, poplar. Apple and pear trees are also best planted at a distance of at least 10 meters from the cherry.
But mountain ash, hawthorn, elderberry and grapes will be good neighbors for cherries.
Selection and preparation of planting material
Choose seedlings only in garden centers, where you will be provided with detailed information about the variety, type of rootstock, age.
The root system should be well developed with a sufficient number of thin suction roots. There should be no damage to the bark on the shoots.
6-8 hours before planting, place the cherry roots in a solution with root.
Landing algorithm
It is advisable to dig a hole for planting in advance, even in the fall. On heavy clay soils, it is necessary to arrange a drainage layer of gravel or sand at the bottom of the planting pit with a height of at least 8-10 cm. A column is first strengthened in the center of the pit, then straightened roots of a cherry seedling are placed around it. They begin to gradually fall asleep with the prepared earth mixture. The root neck and grafting site of grafted seedlings should not be sunk into the ground, so it is best to leave them slightly up. After backfilling the hole, pour 1-2 buckets of water over the planting site and compact the soil between the roots.
It is better to immediately mulch the landing site with organic matter and maintain this layer by adding mulch 1-2 times per season.
Culture aftercare
In the middle lane, additional watering of Volochaevka cherries is required only during the first year after planting, or if the weather is especially dry and hot.
Top dressing should be started only from the beginning of the fruiting period. Usually they are carried out twice per season – during the flowering period or immediately after and during the formation of fruits. You can fertilize with humus or a complex of mineral fertilizers with trace elements in the form of chelates.
Cherry pruning consists of sanitary, aimed at removing dry and damaged branches, and forming. It is most convenient to form the crown of a tree in the form of a ball, cutting out all the branches that thicken the crown.
In late autumn, tree trunks are coated with garden paint to protect against sunburn and rodents.
In the conditions of the middle zone, no additional protection for the winter period is provided for the Volochaevka cherry.
Pests and diseases
| Type of problem | Way to fight |
| Fungal diseases | It is safer to use biopreparations. An effective mixture of Trichodermin and Baksis (1: 1). Treat all summer after reaching a temperature of around +12°+15°C In autumn, after harvesting, spray the trees with 1% Bordeaux liquid. |
| vermin | In autumn, after the first frosts, they are sprayed with a 5% solution of urea, and starting from early spring, every 25 days they are treated with Fitoverm, Akarin biological products. |
Conclusion
Try planting Volochaevka cherries in your garden and with minimal care, you will harvest a voluminous harvest of sweet and large berries every year, from which you can make many delicious preparations for the winter.
Reviews
Reviews of gardeners about the Volochaevka cherry agree on one thing – everyone is satisfied with the yield and taste of the berries of this variety. There are some complaints about the stability and size of the berries, but a lot depends on the growing conditions of the cherry.
