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Popular plum fruit trees have one drawback – they are extremely sensitive to growing conditions. The plum-cherry hybrid has become one of the most useful results of breeding of different species – it combines the advantages of plum and cherry and is practically devoid of disadvantages.
General description of the plum-cherry hybrid
A mixture of plum and cherry called SVG is a garden plant that brings its first crop as early as 2 to 3 years of life. The plum-cherry hybrid successfully combines the positive qualities of plums and cherries – it gives large fruits, sweet fruits, but at the same time it is highly resistant to frost and damping, beautiful appearance and good immunity to diseases.
History of breeding
The plum-cherry hybrid was first developed in the United States. The progenitors for varieties Opata, Beta, Sapa were Japanese plum and American cherry Bessey.
As for the selection, the breeder A.S. Tolmacheva in Krasnoyarsk, SVG Chulyp, Bee and Zvezdochka were bred, by breeder N.N. Tikhonov in Primorye – SVG Avangard, Utah and Novinka, the progenitors of which were the same Bessey cherry and Ussuri plum. The plum-cherry variety Lyubitelsky was obtained by the breeder V.S. Putov in the Siberian Research Institute of Horticulture, several fruit plants were bred in the Crimea.
Characteristics of plum hybrids
Trees of plum-cherry hybrids are characterized by a small height. Most often, they grow only up to 1,5 m, in rare cases they can reach 2 m. This makes it easier to care for plants and collect fruits. The crown of hybrids can have a different shape – both creeping and pyramidal, but the leaves are always large and green, with jagged edges.
There are many hybrid varieties, and each of them has its own unique characteristics. But some points are the same for all SVGs and can characterize the hybrid culture as a whole.
- SVG have increased frost resistance – they take this quality from cherries. The roots of plum-cherry trees are always branched and powerful, so low temperatures and drought are easily tolerated by these trees.
- Plum-cherry hybrids perfectly tolerate late spring frosts, which are dangerous for ordinary cherries and plums.
- Fruiting in almost all plum-cherry varieties occurs late – in August or closer to autumn.
Resistance of hybrid culture to diseases
Plum-cherry trees are not too sensitive to diseases and pests. However, they also have weaknesses. In particular, moniliosis is dangerous for plum-cherry plants – a disease in which flowers, leaves and shoots suddenly begin to dry out.
To avoid monilial burns, it is customary to treat plum-cherry hybrid trees with Bordeaux liquid before the onset of the flowering period. In summer, the procedure can be repeated. If the symptoms of the disease still appear, all affected parts of the plum-cherry plant must be cut off.
Pollination of hybrids
Plum-cherry varieties are self-fertile. Another feature is that not any plum or cherry varieties are suitable for the role of pollinators, but only similar SVG hybrids or Bessey’s cherry, from which the breeding of many hybrid varieties began.
Fruiting SVG
Plum-cherry hybrids bear fruit much later than ordinary cherries or plums – in late August or even early autumn. But the plum-cherry bush will give the first harvest already for 2-3 years, depending on the particular variety, and the harvests will be annual. SVG hybrids bear fruit very abundantly, several tens of kilograms of berries are harvested from one plant.
In appearance, the fruits of the tree resemble rather plums. However, plum and cherry notes are also present in the taste. The berries may vary in color depending on the variety – different plum-cherry plants produce yellow-green, red, maroon fruits.
Scope of fruits
You can use berries for culinary purposes in any form. They are pleasant to eat fresh, freshly picked from the tree, and can also be used to prepare drinks and homemade desserts. Hybrids are versatile and suitable for free use in the kitchen.
In what regions can plum-cherry hybrids be grown
Plum-cherry trees perfectly take root in almost any climatic conditions. They are well suited for breeding in the Central region, grow well in the southern regions of the country. But of course, gardeners especially appreciate the plum-cherry hybrid in Siberia – the plants perfectly tolerate northern frosts.
Advantages and disadvantages of SVG
The benefits of hybrid trees are obvious. These include:
- frost resistance;
- good drought tolerance;
- stable high yield and early first fruiting;
- pleasant fruity taste.
The plum-cherry shrub has almost no drawbacks – especially when compared with ordinary plums or cherries. The only downside is self-infertility – pollinators are required to obtain crops.
Plum-cherry hybrid: varieties
If you are interested in the description of SVG varieties, then several main varieties can be distinguished.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Opata – a sprawling low plant up to 2 m, begins to bear fruit at 3 or 4 years of life, yields a crop of yellow-green large berries weighing up to 20 g.
- SVG Beta – low shrub up to 1,5 m, one of the highest yielding. It bears fruit with round maroon berries, the average weight is 15 g or a little more.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Samotsvet – a variety with an early yield, brings yellowish-green sweet fruits up to 20 g already in the 2nd year of growth. Reaches a height of 2,3 m, has a pyramidal crown shape.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Maynor – Another early-yielding, 2-year fruiting, weather-resistant variety of Canadian origin. Brings large maroon berries weighing up to 15, goes well with the Samotsvet variety as a pollinator.
- SVG Pyramidal – a hybrid with a crown of a pyramidal shape, which is displayed in the title. It begins to bear fruit for the first time after 2 or 3 years, gives yellow-green berries weighing about 15 g.
- SVG Omsk night – a very low variety, only up to 1,4 m in height. Brings the first crop in the 2nd year of life, gives fruits about 15 g in weight – dark, almost black.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Sapalta – medium-high variety with a rounded crown, with increased frost resistance, with purple sweet fruits.
- Plum Cherry Hybrid Hiawatha – a medium-sized variety with a high crown, bears fruit with dark purple rounded fruits up to 20 g in weight. The berries of the plant taste sweet with a slight sourness.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Compass – a hybrid with late May flowering and very small red-brown fruits weighing up to 15 g. Reaches 2 m in height, tolerates drought and freezing temperatures well.
Planting and caring for plum-cherry hybrids
Plum cherry trees can vary greatly in fruit color, size, and flavor. At the same time, planting a plum-cherry hybrid and the rules for care are approximately the same and quite simple, which makes growing SVG pleasant for gardeners.
Rules of landing
In order to successfully root a plum-cherry shrub, it is enough to adhere to the following simple rules.
- It is preferable to plant a plum-cherry shrub in the spring – especially in the northern regions. This is due to the fact that even seedlings of frost-resistant hybrids are very sensitive to frost – and the first winter during autumn planting may be too traumatic for them.
- The hybrid prefers sandy or loamy soil – just like ordinary plums and cherries. Excess moisture is especially dangerous for him – the plum-cherry shrub tolerates it worse than drought.
Planting a plum-cherry tree is carried out as standard. They dig a small hole, about twice the size of the roots of the seedling, and fertilizers are placed on its bottom. Next, the seedling is carefully placed in the center of the hole and sprinkled with soil, not forgetting to leave the root neck above the surface. 2 – 3 buckets of water are poured under the trunk, the moistened soil is mulched.
How to care for SVG
Caring for SVG – a plum-cherry hybrid – in general, resembles caring for a plum, with the difference that a plum-cherry hybrid is much less whimsical to growing conditions.
- Drought-tolerant trees need watering only as needed. In the absence of natural precipitation, 3-4 buckets of water can be poured under the tree trunk once a month, if the drought occurred during the harvest period – once every 10 days.
- A young plum-cherry hybrid is allowed to be fed with potassium fertilizers in the summer. Before the onset of winter, it is recommended to throw organic fertilizers under the trunk. But with nitrogenous substances, care should be taken – they can provoke too rapid growth of shoots, which will adversely affect yields.
- Pruning plum-cherry varieties require mainly sanitary – it is needed to get rid of dry branches, to thin out the crown. Also at the end of summer, it is recommended to pinch fast-growing branches.
- Mulching is carried out immediately after planting – and before the onset of winter. This will protect the soil from freezing. Also, the ground around the trunk before the cold weather can be covered with spruce branches.
How does GVG reproduce?
In order to increase the number of plum-cherry hybrids in your garden, it is not necessary to buy new seedlings. You can propagate existing hybrids – using cuttings or horizontal layering.
- In the first case, during the period of active growth in early summer, it is necessary to separate several shoots from a plum-cherry tree, cut and soak in a root-forming solution, and then root in a greenhouse until autumn. With the onset of September, the seedlings are dug up and sent for storage in a closed barn – a full planting is carried out only after 2 years.
- When propagating horizontal layers, suitable branches are bent to the ground, fixed and sprinkled with soil. When the cuttings take root and are well established in the ground, they can be separated from the mother plant.
Conclusion
Plum-cherry hybrid is a very interesting option for summer cottage cultivation. Caring for it is quite simple, and the tree gives large, sweet and plentiful fruits.
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