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Duke Cherry Nurse is a stone fruit culture, which is a hybrid of cherries and sweet cherries with the best qualities taken from parent plants. Refers to the hybrids of the latest generation, the author is A. I. Sychev.
Description of the sweet cherry Nurse
Duke’s life form Nurse is a tree. Growth strength is average. The bark of young shoots has a gray tint, which becomes darker with further growth.
The fruiting of the sweet cherry is mixed, the main occurs on the bouquet branches
The leaves are large, dark green in color, elongated oval, more like cherry. Duke cherry x sweet cherry Nurse is suitable for growing in central Our Country.
The height and dimensions of the sweet cherry Nurse
Nurse cherry grows into a low compact tree up to 4 m in size. At a young age, the crown resembles the shape of a pyramid due to the fact that the skeletal branches are more tightly pressed to the trunk. With age, the crown becomes more rounded.
Description of fruits
Cherevishny Nurse is distinguished by large fruits, the weight of each reaches 7-8 g. According to the photo and description of the Nurse cherry variety, the abdominal seam of the fruit is medium-sized, weakly expressed. The berries are dark red in color and have a round shape.
The pulp is dense, dark-colored, tender, with a delicate aroma of cherries. The sweet taste of the fruit is marked as a reference. Tasting score – 4,8 points. When overripe, the color of the berries becomes rich dark, and the taste is sweeter.
Pollinators for Duke Nurse
Duke Nurse is self-fertile. It is also not pollinated by other cherries. The culture is planted in a separate group with cherries and sweet cherries, while maintaining a distance of 3-4 m between plants. In a close landing, it is not recommended to include plums and apple trees.
Cherry pollinators:
- Lyubskaya;
- Bead;
- Youth;
- Bulatnikovskaya.
Cherry pollinators:
- Ипуть;
- Revna;
- Ovstuzhenka.
It is important that the pollinators of the Nurse cherry coincide with the flowering time, which occurs in the culture in May.
The main characteristics of the Nurse cherry
Duke Nurse with a compact tree shape has a high yield. It has a well developed root system and resistance to drought and frost. Cherry does not require complex care, it is immune to the main diseases of stone fruit crops.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
According to research conducted in 2005-2006. winter, when the air temperature in the experimental area dropped to critical -40,5 ° C, the eight-year-old duke cherry-cherry variety Kormilitsa endured in a satisfactory condition. Wood damage amounted to 3,5-4 points. Flower buds are completely dead.
The winter hardiness of Duke Nurse is rated higher than that of sweet cherries, but lower than that of cherries. The flower buds of the crop can also be damaged during milder winters if there is a sudden or short-term drop in temperature.
The drought resistance of the sweet cherry Nurse is high. The culture in adulthood tolerates long periods of drought well and does not require special additional watering.
Productivity
The ripening period of the cherry-cherry hybrid Nurse is medium, the berries turn red depending on the growing region in late June – early July. The first crop is harvested in the third year after planting. An adult tree brings about 13 kg of berries. Productivity largely depends on successful pollination. The fruits are suitable for fresh consumption, in compotes and jams. Less suitable for freezing.
Cherries are large-fruited
The grade has average characteristics of transportability. Fresh berries ripen well on the tree, collected and stored for a week.
Advantages and disadvantages
Duke Nurse has a higher frost resistance than cherries, so it is suitable for growing in cold regions. Berries of excellent taste and large size. One of the advantages of cherries also include resistance to diseases and pests, minimal care.
The disadvantage or feature of the duke is its self-fertility and the need for pollinating trees.
Duke Landing Rules Nurse
For planting choose one- or two-year-old seedlings with a closed root system. Simultaneously with the planting of a cherry-cherry hybrid or VCHG Nurse, it is necessary to plant a pollinator with a simultaneous flowering period.
Recommended dates
A favorable time for planting cherries is early spring before the awakening of the plant, which occurs among stone fruits one of the first. The period from snow melt to bud break is usually short, so it is important not to miss it. In the southern regions, it is possible to plant the Nurse Duke in the fall after the foliage has fallen. But with spring planting, the culture shows a higher survival rate.
Site selection and soil preparation
A place for planting cherries is chosen sunny, excluding areas with drafts and sharp gusts of cold winds. For successful cultivation, it is important that groundwater does not lie close and rainwater does not stagnate on the site. For landing, flat places on a hill are suitable. The soil for the garden should have a neutral acidity. In unsuitable soil, lime is added from the previous season. Heavy soils are improved by diluting with sand.
How to plant
The site for planting cherry-cherry seedlings is prepared in advance. The soil is dug up and loosened. A landing hole is dug 70 by 70 cm in size. The excavated earth is mixed with organic fertilizers. In the future, the seedling is covered with this mixture, the soil is rammed and well shed.
After planting, the shoots are shortened in order to balance the volume of the crown with the size of the roots for their best development.
Features of care
The peculiarity of caring for the Cherry Nurse includes proper shaping pruning, moderate top dressing and shelter for the trunk for the winter. The soil under the tree is periodically loosened, kept clean from weeds. Otherwise, the culture is unpretentious and suitable for cultivation even by inexperienced gardeners.
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Cherry cherry is additionally watered only after planting and at a young age. An adult tree does not require special watering and is even contraindicated. Waterlogging adversely affects the root system, leading to cracking of the bark.
Duke is watered according to the projection of the crown
Top dressing for the Duke must be carried out in small quantities, which is associated with the peculiarity of the crown of the hybrid. Abundant fertilizer provokes the growth of shoots, in which the wood does not have time to mature and is severely damaged in winter. Fertilizers applied during planting are enough for several years.
Trimming
Cherry cherry is recommended to be formed in the form of a low tree, which favorably affects fruiting and ease of harvesting. Formative pruning for the Duke variety Nurse is carried out annually up to 5 years of age. At the same time, it is important not to leave a high trunk, which is the most vulnerable in the tree during the cold season. For sweet cherry, sparse-tiered pruning is suitable.
With this procedure, the growth of branches is directed to the sides. To prevent the tree from growing in height, the upper central branch is cut at the level of the last tier. Shoots below the skeletal cut off completely.
During sanitary pruning, branches that are intertwined and compete with each other are removed. A feature of the sweet cherry is that it does not form lateral shoots.
Preparation for winter
In winter, the cherry trunk suffers from frost cracks. In order to protect the tree, the trunk and skeletal branches are whitewashed or wrapped with burlap, as well as other light-colored material. Young trees are covered completely, for this the branches are pressed against the trunk, and a bag or other covering material is thrown on top.
Diseases and pests
Cherry has a high resistance to coccomycosis and moniliosis. According to the description and reviews of the Duke variety Nurse, the culture has strong immunity and is little exposed to other diseases characteristic of cherries and cherries. Pest damage is also not seen on the tree and fruits.
Conclusion
Cherry Duke Nurse, like other sweet cherries, has not yet been isolated as a separate culture. But they are considered promising for planting in the middle lane and getting sweeter and larger berries than cherries. The culture is easy to care for and has a high yield.
