Contents
- Is there a columnar cherry
- Description of the columnar cherry
- Columnar cherry: description of varieties with photos
- Varieties of columnar cherries for regions
- Columnar cherry: planting and care
- Pruning columnar cherries
- How to grow columnar cherries in a container
- Advantages and disadvantages of columnar cherries
- Conclusion
- Reviews
Columnar cherry is a compact plant that will produce a sufficient number of berries, and take up much less space than a regular one. It will not be superfluous to plant them on your site.
Is there a columnar cherry
Modern farmers use the column shape for various fruit trees. This trend did not bypass the cherry. For the first time in Canada in 1964, an apple tree with a similar mutation was discovered. European breeders took this into service and began to conduct experiments with other fruit crops.
Description of the columnar cherry
Columnar cherry trees are formed in the shape of a cylinder. The crown grows upward, the side branches are cut off, forming a column with a meter in diameter.
What does a columnar cherry look like?
The plant is small in size. The circumference of the crown is one meter, the height of the columnar cherry is 2-3 meters. The plant is strewn with berries, little leafy.
The root system of the columnar cherry
The roots are of sufficient depth, but they do not grow in breadth beyond the crown.
Productivity
Each plant provides 15 kg of berries depending on the species. The cherries cover the trunk, making it look like a corncob.
Resistance to diseases, pests, frost
Culture loves a warm climate. The southern and central regions of Our Country are suitable for her. In northern latitudes, winter shelter should be taken care of.
Breeders give varieties immunity to diseases and pests. Nevertheless, there are cases of damage by coccomycosis and insects.
Columnar cherry: description of varieties with photos
This plant is less recognized in Our Country than apple and pear trees. There are varieties that are grown in different regions of the country, depending on their quality.
Popular varieties of columnar cherries:
- Helena;
- Sylvia;
- Sam;
- Queen Mary;
- Black;
- Little Sylvia;
- Jealous;
- Sabrina.
Below are their characteristics.
Helena
Dessert, bright red berries, weight 2-14 g. The tree is tall, up to 3,5 meters, the crown is 15 meter in diameter. High-yielding species, bears fruit from June 20-20 within a week. Continues to bear fruit up to XNUMX years.
Silvia
Similar in characteristics to Helena. The size of the tree and fruit, yield and taste are the same. Selenium early ripening – from June 12-18. She has a shorter fruiting period – 15 years.
There is a variety of Little Sylvia with a height of no more than 2 m.
Below is a photo of the red columnar cherry Sylvia.
Sam
The earliest variety. It becomes ripe until June 12, the weight of the berries is 12 g, the fruiting period is 15 years. Serves as a pollinator for different varieties of this crop.
Queen Mary
Dessert, not too cold hardy. Grown in the middle lane. Annual harvest – 15 kg.
black cherry
The columnar black cherry is famous for its high yield, large berries and frost resistance. Unpretentious appearance, compact, not higher than 2 meters.
Revna
She has sweet juicy berries. They are well stored and transported. Frost resistant variety. The disadvantage is a smallish berry – 8 g. It ripens in early July.
Sabrina
It is a self-pollinating columnar cherry. Tall voluminous tree. Productive variety, sweet berries. Cold hardiness is low. Good resistance to diseases and pests.
Varieties of columnar cherries for regions
To wait for the harvest of berries, you need to choose the right variety for the place where it is grown. The main thing is its frost resistance and the period of picking berries.
Columnar cherry for the Moscow region
Suitable varieties are quite frost-resistant, with low requirements for growing conditions. This is Sam, Sylvia, Helena, Black, Revna.
Varieties of columnar cherries for Siberia
In Siberia, cold-resistant varieties Revna, Chernaya are planted. They are immune to disease and are rarely attacked by pests. In this region, you need to plant columnar cherries in the spring.
Columnar cherry for the Urals
The climate in the Urals and Siberia is quite similar, so they choose the same varieties – Revna and Chernaya.
What varieties of columnar cherries are suitable for central Our Country
Here varieties are grown that are not very cold-resistant, but at the same time quite unpretentious.
This is Sabrina, Queen Mary, Little Sylvia.
Yellow columnar cherries bear fruit abundantly.
Columnar cherry: planting and care
You can plant in spring or autumn.
Planting columnar cherries in spring
Rules for planting columnar cherries in spring:
- The best place will be a flat area, not shaded by buildings or tall plants. Low swampy places with close groundwater are not suitable.
- The soil needs sandy loam, fertilized with humus, with low soil acidity. Lime or dolomite flour is added to acidic soil.
- Pits are made 50 x 50 x 60 cm, with a mound of fertile land in the center. A seedling is placed on a mound, spreading the roots.
- The roots are covered with earth and watered. The surface is mulched to avoid crusting. Columnar cherries are planted at a distance of one and a half meters. Neighboring rows are placed after three meters.
Growing columnar cherries
Caring for columnar cherries is common for fruit trees. Basic top dressing is done twice a season. The first is done at the end of March with dry fertilizers in the snow. Make a full complex fertilizer. In August, top dressing is done with mixtures that do not contain nitrogen.
Irrigation is important. This plant requires a lot of water to form berries. It is important to monitor the condition of the soil around the tree. To preserve moisture, the soil around the tree is mulched or tinned.
Pruning columnar cherries
In the first year of growth, the top of the seedling is cut off, leaving a growth of 20 cm, side shoots are cut at a distance of 12 cm from the trunk. Leave the same distance between them. The columnar formation of sweet cherry is made in July.
In the 2nd year, shoots are pinched 20 cm from the trunk, it is given an increase of 30 cm.
In the third year, the side shoots are pinched again, stepping back from the trunk 35-40 cm. The central shoot is allowed to grow by 25 cm and in July the top is cut off.
In the 4th year, in the spring, you need to cut the columnar cherry, thinning out the side branches, cut out thin and growing inside.
By the 5th year, the tree should reach a height of 2-3 meters, further growth is limited. In July, pinch the green side shoots and thin them out.
Starting from the age of 6, sanitary pruning of columnar cherries is done every three years in the spring.
Treatment of columnar cherries from diseases and pests
For prevention, in April, the kidneys are sprayed with a Bordeaux mixture (1% solution). This will protect against fungal diseases. The treatment is repeated after flowering in May.
Summer treatment with iron sulphate is protection against pests and diseases, top dressing with microelements. It is good to use the preparations “Horus”, “Skor” for the treatment of clasterosporiosis. Sprayed at the beginning of budding, repeat after flowering.
In autumn, before leaf fall, the near-stem zone of the tree is treated with urea (0,6 kg / 10 l of water). The leaves are collected and burned.
How to grow columnar cherries in a container
Seedlings are planted in a pot of 15 liters. The soil is made loose and light, arrange drainage in a pot. The soil mixture is enriched with mineral fertilizers.
A tree planted in the spring will begin to bear fruit the next year. Of the first flowers, the largest are left after 10 cm. For containers, a self-fertile columnar cherry is used.
Produce pruning and the formation of container plants. The size of the tree should be smaller than in the ground. The maximum height is one and a half meters. Lateral shoots are left no more than half a meter long.
Water the plant as the soil dries up, feed every 10 days during the growing season. In winter, container trees are placed in a cool room, rarely watered. Take them outside in the spring. For growing in containers, low-growing varieties are used. A good choice would be Little Sylvia.
Advantages and disadvantages of columnar cherries
The pros and cons of a columnar black cherry, like any plant, exist.
The advantages are the following:
- Compactness. From a smaller area, you can get a good harvest of berries.
- Decorative. A tree looks very unusual, in which red berries are scattered right along the trunk.
- These are mostly early ripening varieties, tasty fruits can be obtained in early summer.
- Ease of picking berries.
The disadvantages include the complexity of care, which consists in the need for annual tree crown formation in the first years of development, as well as a relatively low yield in relation to the area occupied.
Conclusion
The columnar cherry is just beginning to gain popularity among gardeners. But who tried to do it, will not refuse it. This is a good solution for small garden plots.