Contents
Sweet cherry Mayskaya grows mainly in the south of Our Country, in the republics of Transcaucasia, in Ukraine in Moldova. In the spring it blooms among the first. At the end of May, gardeners get the opportunity to enjoy the first tender berries with a sweet and sour taste.
History of breeding
It is known that the wild-growing plant of the species Cerasus avium is 2 thousand years old. It was called the bird’s cherry because the birds are happy to eat the fruits, preventing them from ripening. Subsequently, some gardeners, in order not to be completely without a crop, remove the berries before they have time to fill with sweetness.
Thanks to migratory sweet tooth, cherry pits from Greece and the Caucasus were brought to central Europe and took root there.
The main breeding work was aimed at obtaining frost-resistant varieties. They crossed with cherries, with other varieties of cherries obtained earlier. Gardeners have noticed that a tree growing alone is not very fertile. To obtain good yields, 2-3 seedlings of different varieties are planted. So there was an unplanned selection. Systematic breeding work with cherries began to be carried out in the XNUMXth century. In Our Country, their founder can be called the famous breeder I.V. Michurin.
Early varieties were obtained successfully. Frost resistance in the southern berry remains limited. In central Our Country, cherries are grown due to global warming than successful breeding.
Description of the culture
When the May cherry ripens, leaf buds are just beginning to swell on most trees. Considering the fact that breeders have bred 2 varieties of May cherries, the description of the varieties will briefly talk about their features:
- May red, characterized by a sour taste;
- Cherry Mayskaya black has a maroon color and a sweet taste.
Trees aspire to height, grow up to 10 meters, and have a peaked crown. Spreading crown becomes a result of competent pruning. The leaves are larger and longer than cherry ones, although the fruits are somewhat similar to each other.
Description of May red and black cherries
With excessive moisture, the fruits taste watery, with low sugar content. Ripe berries are dark, but the flesh of red cherries is red, with light streaks. The juice is also red. A relatively small bone easily lags behind the pulp.
Ripe berries of the May black cherry have a dark, almost black color. The berries are larger than those of early red, rounded and slightly flattened. The pulp is dense, with a characteristic aroma and sweet taste.
Features
Drought resistance, winter resistance
May cherry does not tolerate frost well. The tree, of course, will not die, but it will not give a harvest. It also does not tolerate moisture well. During the rains, the berries on the trees crack and rot. Much easier to tolerate drought. True, the fruits with a lack of moisture will be smaller and drier.
Pollination, flowering period and ripening period
The flowers of the red May cherry are snow-white, in the black May berry variety they have a pale pink hue. The pollination of this plant is cross-pollinated.
In the southern regions of the Federation, the variety lives up to its name – the first fruits suitable for food appear at the end of May. In central Our Country, the fruits ripen in the first half of June.
yield, fruiting
May sweet cherry begins to bear fruit from 4 years. Her berries are small – 2-4 grams. One tree produces an average of up to 40 kg of fruit.
Disease and pest resistance
Judging by the description of the early May cherry variety, it still remains a capricious berry that requires preventive measures. A fruit plant is attacked at different times:
- Aphids affecting leaves and young shoots;
- An elephant that takes up residence in developing fruits;
- Winter moth eating pistil with ovary.
Advantages and disadvantages
T-shirt red is characterized by high productivity, but is not stored for a long time. The Maiskaya cherry variety is also of little use for canning and transportation. Its advantage lies in the fact that it is one of the first fresh fruits, ready to make up for the deficiency of vitamins and microelements. All other fruits – apricots, plums, especially peaches, apples will appear in a month and a half. Although this berry may not seem tasty enough, watery, the human body, yearning for vitamins over the winter, is grateful to it for its mere existence.
The description of the May cherry, reviews of its cultivation in different regions of the country are contradictory. This is due to two reasons:
- In some regions, the Mayka cherry variety manifests itself ambiguously. This is due to the peculiarities of the climate, the characteristics of the soil;
- Gardeners do not always have the right idea about the varieties, giving out one variety of fruit after another.
Conclusion
Cherry Mayskaya continues to develop through the efforts of breeders and gardeners. Taste characteristics of fruits, viability, productivity improve. The geography of its distribution is expanding.
Reviews
