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Red bird cherry, like about 200 other species of the Plum family, is found throughout Eurasia and northern Africa. The tree is grown both for ornamental purposes and for the purpose of picking berries.
Is there a red bird cherry
In different gardens you can find not only black, but also red bird cherry. The latter is usually called Virginskaya. This is due to the place where the culture grows: the tree was brought from Virginia.
Red bird cherry differs from ordinary varieties in the color of berries and leaf plates: the fruits acquire a scarlet hue as they ripen, and the green mass of the tree becomes bright red.
The culture is found mainly in America, where it grows wild. In Our Country (southern latitudes and the Caucasus), the culture is planted in household plots.
Description of the variety
Red bird cherry comes in different varieties. The culture quickly adapts to external conditions, bears fruit well, looks like an ordinary bird cherry.
In North America, a tree can grow up to 12-15 m, in Our Country it reaches 5-7 m, it is a shrub.
Young shoots of a brown shade, buds of the same color, oval or conical in shape, up to 5 mm long.
The leaf plates are dense, with a shiny surface, up to 10 cm long. More often they are oval in shape, with notches along the edges. The inside of the leaf is lighter than the outside.
The main flowering period is at the end of May or the beginning of June in regions where low temperatures prevail. The flowers are white in color, two-toed in shape, collected in fluffy brushes, each of which has 15-30 pieces.
Bird cherry Schubert is often distinguished among the varieties. The culture is known for its decorative effect: a tree, 5-10 m high with a wide crown, pleases with pink flowers in spring, and in autumn with burgundy-purple leaf plates. The fruits of bird cherry are red, as they ripen, they acquire a crimson hue. Ripe berries with juicy pulp appear in mid-August.
The tree is shade-tolerant, but grows faster in sunny places. It is undemanding to the soil, bears fruit well on moist, mineral-rich lands.
When planting a tree for decorative purposes, it is necessary to identify it on fertile and well-lit soil. In the lowlands, the plant does not bear fruit well and grows due to the accumulation of cold air and spring frosts.
Separately, the bird cherry variety Canada Red is distinguished. The tree, 4-5 m high, is highly resistant to low temperatures, has a conical crown.
In spring and summer, the leaf plates are bright green, turning brown in autumn. Ripe fruits are almost black in color, have a tart taste. The plant is unpretentious, but when favorable conditions are created, it blooms more abundantly and bears fruit.
There are other varieties of red bird cherry:
- Narym and Taiga: bushes with dense foliage, up to 4 m high. it is necessary to plant varieties in several pieces, because they are self-fertile. The berries are large, red.
- Dawn: the height of the red bird cherry is up to 3 m, the variety is characterized by early fruiting.
- Self fertile: adult trees reach 6-7 m, a plant with large leaf plates and powerful branches that form a pyramidal crown. During flowering, large brushes are formed, ripe berries are almost black in color.
The yield and fruiting of a variety, as well as its decorative appearance and resistance to adverse factors, depend not only on the region of cultivation, but also on compliance with the planting and care algorithm.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The variety of red bird cherry tolerates low temperatures very well (up to -45 ° C). Spring frosts are not terrible for the tree, but the flowers may suffer, which will adversely affect the harvest.
The plant is undemanding to watering, but planting bird cherry in loamy soils with a source of groundwater will provide the tree with the necessary amount of moisture.
Young shrubs and seedlings are distinguished by good shade tolerance, but over time this property decreases.
Yield and fruiting
The yield and the nature of fruiting depends on the variety of red bird cherry. Taiga and Narym have very large fruits, red in color with yellow flesh inside. From one bush you can collect up to 5 kg of berries.
The early variety Dawn allows you to get up to 10 kg of fruit per plant. The berries are characterized by a dark red color, the presence of sourness and astringency. It is possible to collect up to 20 kg of fruits from one Self-fertile hybrid, which have a more pronounced sweetness than Rassvet or Taiga.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before planting red bird cherry, you should objectively evaluate the benefits of the plant:
- unpretentiousness to care;
- shade tolerance;
- yield (depending on the variety);
- decorative;
- frost resistance;
- a wide range of crop applications.
The disadvantages of the plant include the need for regular pruning and shaping: the tree grows rapidly. Do not eat red bird cherry for young children and pregnant women.
Planting and caring for red cherry
The best time to transfer seedlings to the soil is autumn or spring. The distance between plants is at least 5 m, so that the shrubs form a full-fledged root system and do not shade each other.
On the site, it is necessary to choose an illuminated area with slightly alkaline or neutral soil. It is recommended to dilute heavy soil with sand or peat, add superphosphate to the planting pit.
Landing algorithm:
- A pit is prepared, at the bottom of which fertilizer is placed.
- The seedling is placed in the hole, the roots are straightened.
- The plant is covered with earth, the soil is mulched and watered abundantly.
- If necessary, put a support for a young bird cherry.
Reproduction of red bird cherry is possible with bones. This is a long procedure: the plant will bear fruit 6-7 years after planting. For planting, a bone is used, which in the fall is placed in the soil to a depth of 6 cm and sprinkled with earth. The emerging sprout is watered and fertilized in a timely manner, covered for the winter until the bird cherry gets stronger.
It is possible to plant bird cherry red by cuttings. To do this, green shoots are cut, leaf plates are removed from them, leaving a few pieces at the top, after which the branches are placed and left in a stimulating solution for a day. After the time has elapsed, it is necessary to transfer the cuttings to the ground to a depth of 3 cm, cover with a film.
Young plants are transferred to open ground after the formation of the root system.
Red bird cherry is undemanding to care, but loves loose and moist soil, therefore, in natural conditions, it often grows near rivers.
Abundant watering is required for the culture only immediately after planting: the soil is saturated with water to a depth of 25-30 cm, the procedure is repeated up to 3 times per season. Increase the frequency of watering during dry periods.
The appearance of bird cherry depends on the timely pruning of the shrub. To form a lush crown, the seedling is cut by 50 cm after being transferred to the ground.
It is important to ensure air circulation in the root system, so it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil and clean it of weeds. Carry out this procedure before feeding, the measure allows nutrients to penetrate deeper.
As additives, it is recommended to use manure, which is applied to the soil every 3 years. Fertilizes the soil and mulch, which is the role of fallen leaves.
To prepare the red bird cherry for winter, the bush must be watered in the fall, whitened before the onset of frost. Mature plants do not need shelter; small or weakened seedlings are wrapped in cloth and covered with snow.
Fighting diseases and pests
Due to the presence of immunity, preventive measures are required only from the bird cherry moth. To do this, the shrub is treated with tobacco or lavender infusion, a soap solution.
From numerous insects that flock to the red bird cherry during flowering, it is recommended to use chemical agents: Aktara, Karbofos.
When a marsupial fungus appears on the trunk, it must be removed along with the damaged area.
A weakened or damaged plant is often affected by Fusarium, therefore, in order to prevent the disease, it is important to fertilize the soil in a timely manner, pruning and shaping.
What can be done from red cherry
The most common way to use berries is to eat them fresh. They make tinctures, compotes, jelly and jams from red bird cherry, use them as a filling for pies.
If it is necessary to store and transport the berries, after picking they are laid out on the surface and dried in a ventilated room so that they are not exposed to open sunlight. Dried fruits are collected and stored in a cloth bag.
There are a huge number of videos on the use of red bird cherry: its berries, leaves and even bark with a healing and healing purpose, so the plant is grown in gardens and as a medicine.
Conclusion
Red bird cherry is a very unpretentious and hardy plant with strong immunity. The culture is widespread everywhere and can safely bear fruit even in latitudes with severe winters. Due to its properties, the shrub performs not only a decorative purpose, but is also used in cooking, folk recipes.
