Felt cherry Tsarevna

Cherry felt Tsarevna is less whimsical in care than common cherries. This variety is highly resistant to diseases and climatic disasters, and high yields with relatively small bush sizes have long been the reason for the high popularity of this variety of crop among gardeners.

History of breeding

From the point of view of biology, this low tree is not a cherry, it belongs to the genus Prunus, the Pink family. Only its fruits are similar to the usual cherry.

The felt cherry variety Tsarevna, like many other excellent varieties, was obtained by breeders of the Far East, employees of the experimental station VNIIR V.P. Tsarenko and N.A. Tsarenko in 1977. Felt cherries Leto and Red sweet became the parents of the variety. The variety was registered in the State Register in 1999. A photo of felt cherry Tsarevna is presented below.

Description of the cherry variety Tsarevna

Cherry felt Tsarevna grows well and bears fruit well in any region of Our Country.

First of all, the Tsarevna cherry variety is a small bush with a height of only 1,2 to 1,4 m. Its crown is wide-oval, not very thickened. Perennial shoots of Tsarevna cherry grow straight and have a brown-gray color, on which light lentils are clearly visible. Peeling of the bark is common in this variety. Young red-brown branches of the Princess are pubescent. Medium-sized buds are arranged in groups, 3 pieces in each leaf axil.

Leaves

Small, pubescent and corrugated felt cherry leaves have the shape of a slightly elongated oval with a double-toothed edge. They taper to a sharp apex and base. The short petiole is also covered with fluff.

Flowers

The flowers of the Princess are not too large, about 2,5 cm in diameter. Five fairly loosely spaced white petals form a corolla. It has 24 stamens and 1 pistil, which has pubescence and an ovary. Its stigma rises above the anthers of the stamens. The calyx, shaped like an elongated oval, has a pronounced anthocyanin coloration and pubescence. During flowering, the Tsarevna cherry tree is a real decoration of the site, as it blooms very profusely and resembles a real princess in a snow-white outfit.

Fruit

The shoots of all ages at the Tsarevna cherry are completely covered with fruits. They are located on each fruit twig and bouquet branch.

For such a small tree as the Princess, the berry is quite large and can reach a weight of 4 g with a diameter of 1,7 cm. Its ovoid shape seems a little irregular due to the beveled top. At the stem you can see a tiny beak. A deep funnel is noted at the point of attachment of the berry to the stalk. The stripe on the berries is the abdominal seam that distinguishes this variety from others.

The berries of the Tsarevna cherry are shiny, slightly pubescent, which is typical for all varieties of this variety of culture. They delight with a bright pink color. The juice from them is light red, the same as the pulp of cherries. The stalk is short and does not even reach a centimeter in length, so it seems that the Tsarevna tree is covered with fruits. A small bone is not able to separate from the pulp. It is light brown, and its mass is only 1/20 of the total mass of the berry.

Cherry berries of the Tsarevna variety have a sweet and sour pleasant taste, as evidenced by the tasting score – 3,8 points out of a possible 5. The content of ascorbic acid reaches 18 mg per 100 g of the product, and there are much more sugars in them than acids: 8,2 and 0,67%, respectively.

The separation of the fruits is semi-dry, but it is impossible to harvest by mechanization. Therefore, this variety is rarely chosen for commercial cultivation.

Features

It is the characteristic of the felt cherry Tsarevna that will tell you the optimal conditions for the existence of the plant, the scope of the fruit.

Drought resistance, winter resistance

Moist soil is completely unsuitable for growing Tsarevna cherries, since the variety does not tolerate moist soil well. But it withstands drought very well. The variety is winter-hardy and frost-resistant. Due to the small size of the bushes, he will calmly endure the winter in any climatic conditions, hiding under the snow cover.

Pollination, flowering period and ripening period

Since the felt cherry belongs to the plum genus, it will not be pollinated by ordinary cherries.

Cherry flowers of this variety do not bloom at the same time. The flowering of the Princess lasts up to 2 weeks and falls on the second decade of May. But the fruits of cherries ripen almost simultaneously, in the third decade of July.

yield, fruiting

For such a miniature plant, the yield of the variety is very high. From each bush you can collect almost 10 kg of berries.

If the seedlings of the Princess are rooted, then the first harvest can be harvested in the fourth year. In grafted plants, this period is shorter. The first berries are plucked already in the second year after planting.

The duration of fruiting felt cherry is quite short compared to other types of plants. The durability of the Tsarevna bush is only 17 years, which is very good for felt cherries.

Scope of berries

The versatility of the use of cherries is another plus in the piggy bank of its merits. The fruits of the Princess can be eaten fresh, make any preparations and desserts. Winemakers often use it to make wine.

Disease and pest resistance

Felt cherry Tsarevna is a fairly resistant tree. But with good resistance to coccomycosis and relative resistance to clasterosporiasis, it can suffer from moniliosis. Trees growing on moist soil are especially affected by it.

Among the pests of felt cherries, rodents take the first place, which in winter gnaw at the bark at the base of the trunks, which leads to the death of the tree.

Advantages and disadvantages

The variety has a high production rating due to such advantages as:

• productivity;
• ease of reproduction;
• unpretentiousness in care;
• good taste and considerable fruit size;
• excellent winter hardiness of the variety;
• frost resistance.

The disadvantages of the variety include the fact that with a high workload of the bush, the berries become smaller. Low resistance to moniliosis will also require additional protective measures from gardeners.

Features of planting cherries varieties Tsarevna

A good harvest and disease resistance will be demonstrated only by a tree planted correctly and on time.

Recommended dates

For the Princess, both spring and autumn planting is possible. In autumn, the tree is planted after the end of leaf fall, but a month before the onset of persistent frosts. It will take this time for it to take root.

In the spring, the Princess is planted before the buds begin to swell.

If you purchased seedlings with a closed root system, then there are no restrictions on planting dates during the growing season.

Choosing the right place

On soils with high groundwater, this plant may simply die. Too much moisture causes root rot. Not suitable for felt cherries and a lowland in which water stagnates. Key conditions for successful growth:

• well-lit place;
• drained, loamy or sandy, humus-rich, non-acidic soil.

What crops can and cannot be planted next to cherries

This low bush does not like shading, so the proximity to large seed crops (apple or pear) is undesirable for him.

Felt cherry Tsarevna gets along well with cherries or cherries if they grow on the north side. But all nearby crops must be resistant to moniliosis, so as not to infect felt cherries. She is friends with grapes, mountain ash, hawthorn, provided that they do not shade her.

Selection and preparation of planting material

Felt cherry is an early crop. The optimal material for planting is one-year-old or two-year-old.

It is desirable that the height of the seedling of the Princess should not be more than a meter. When choosing them, you need to pay attention to the condition of the roots and trunk.

• At the age of two, they should have several side branches.
• The bark is not dry and undamaged.
• The root system is well developed, with a sufficient number of lateral, suction roots.

Before planting, it will be useful to keep them in water with a root stimulator, which is dissolved in accordance with the instructions. Experienced gardeners advise cutting the roots before planting, leaving them 25 cm long. In this case, the plant will develop a fibrous root system with a large number of lateral suction roots. Slices must be treated with crushed charcoal or clay mash.

Landing algorithm

Proper fit is the key to longevity and health of felt cherries Tsarevna. Before planting, the soil must be fertilized. For 1 m² they contribute:

• up to 3 buckets of organic matter, but not fresh manure;
• on acidic soils – up to 800 g of lime;
• phosphate fertilizers – up to 60 g;
• potassium – up to 30.

We plant correctly:

• the depth and width of the pit is 60 cm, since the root system of the cherry develops in the surface layer of the soil;
• pour fertile soil at the bottom so that a mound is obtained;
• place the seedling, gently straightening the roots;
• sprinkle the root system with the same soil, making sure that there are no voids in it;
  Warning! It is unacceptable to deepen the root collar.
• Lightly compact the soil;
• water, spending from 1 to 2 buckets of water for each seedling;
• mulch the trunk circle, it is better if humus or peat is used for this.

Planted trees should be watered once a week. When planting, do not forget to shorten the branches by about a third in order to balance the aboveground and underground parts.

Culture aftercare

Felt cherry care Tsarevna consists of fertilizing, watering, pruning.

A necessary operation for her will be the prevention of moniliosis.

In the first year after planting, it is not necessary to feed the Tsarevna cherry. Starting next year, the following fertilizers are applied to the near-stem circle (along the crown perimeter) after the end of flowering:

• a bucket of organics;
• 70 g of phosphate fertilizers;
• 30 g – nitrogen;
• 20 g – potassium.

Liming of the soil is carried out every 5 years.

The princess is drought tolerant, so watering is required only if there is no rain for a long time. It is also needed at the time of pouring berries.

Felt cherry pruning is annual and rejuvenating. It is done every 5 years – this is exactly the life span of fruit-bearing shoots.

With annual pruning, 10 to 12 of the strongest shoots should be left. If the growth of annual branches is too strong (more than 60 cm per season), they are shortened by a third.

Anti-aging pruning is a more complex procedure. It will be necessary to lighten the center of the crown and the skeletal branches along the periphery. Part of the side shoots are cut into a ring. All this contributes to the growth of young branches.

Cherry Tsarevna is a fairly winter-hardy crop. Preparation for winter consists in the introduction of potassium-phosphorus top dressing in September and water-charging watering after leaf fall.

The protection of cherries from rodents needs to be taken care of more thoroughly. With the help of special nets or spruce spruce branches, they protect the lower part of the stems. Poisoned baits or just a rag soaked in kerosene are placed next to the bushes. Rodents do not like strong odors.

For more information about the intricacies of growing felt cherries, look at the video:

Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention

The main enemies of the Tsarevna cherry are fungal infections. Information about them can be found in the table.

The hard, pubescent leaves of the Tsarevna cherry are not very popular with pests, so they usually do not appear on it. The main enemies are rodents. How to deal with them is described above.

Conclusion

Cherry felt Tsarevna has a lot of advantages, among which one can note unpretentiousness in care, a fairly high yield with a relatively small size of the bush, and excellent taste of berries. a wide scope of ripe fruits allows not only to enjoy fresh cherries, but also to prepare them for the winter.

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