Sand cherry Besseya

Sand cherry has two varieties: eastern and western, called Bessey. The homeland of culture is the prairies of North America, where it grows along the banks of reservoirs. The western sand cherry is used as an ornamental and fruit shrub, the eastern one – only for decorating gardens and wind protection.

On the territory of Our Country, Bessey has become widespread in Siberia and the Far East. Less often it can be found in the Ural gardens.

History of breeding

Strictly speaking, calling Bessey a cherry is wrong. According to its biological parameters, it is much closer to the plum. With common cherries, steppes and sweet cherries, Bessey does not cross-pollinate, does not cross, they cannot even be grafted onto each other. But there are many hybrids of culture with plum, apricot. Bessey is usually referred to as microcherries (felt, glandular, etc.), when crossed with which many interesting varieties were obtained.

Bessei is actively selected in Canada and the USA. In our country, although Ivan Michurin paid attention to culture, only V. S. Putov from the Research Institute of Horticulture of Siberia named after I. M. A. Lisavenko. Until his death, he was engaged in Bessey’s cherry and brought out 5 elite forms with large sweet fruits: 14-29, 14-32a, 14-36, 14-36a, 14-40.

From time to time, sand cherry varieties appear, obtained by modern breeders. Much more often, Bessei is crossed with other cultures. The State Register includes 6 varieties of sand cherries:

Cherry sandy Bessey would be an ideal rootstock for plums, apricots, microcherries. But she has one significant drawback – poor anchoring. This means that the root of the culture weakly “clings” to the ground and an adult plant can tip over at any moment.

Description of the culture

As you can see in the photo of Bessey’s cherry, it is a shrub 1–1,5 m high, up to 2,0 m wide. It grows in several trunks. Old branches are painted dark gray, young ones are red-brown. At first, the shoots grow straight, then they droop, and by the age of seven they begin to spread along the ground.

Bessey’s cherry leaves are somewhat similar to willow: the same elongated, lanceolate. Their length can reach 6 cm. The upper part of the leathery leaf blade is bright green, the lower part is grayish-silver. In autumn, the bush turns red, which looks very beautiful.

Sometimes, even after the start of snowfalls, the cherry does not lose all the foliage.

At the end of spring, Bessey is literally wrapped in numerous flowers up to 1,5 cm in diameter, exuding a faint pleasant aroma. The fruits of the sand cherry are black, brown, rarely greenish-yellow. Their shape varies from round to oval. The weight of the berries is up to 2 g, in selected specimens it is about 3 g. Tender greenish, less often with reddish or burgundy streaks, Bessey’s flesh is sweet, tart, sometimes astringent. Sourness is present in the fruits, but it is barely noticeable. The selection of sand cherries is aimed at removing astringency.

Features

You cannot rely on the characteristics of Bessey’s sand cherry given by foreign sources. Varieties from the USA and Canada did not pass tests under our conditions.

Drought resistance, winter resistance

Cherry Bessey is a drought-resistant and frost-resistant crop. Its root system easily tolerates frost down to -26 ° C. In the conditions of the American prairies, the aerial part of the cherry tree can withstand up to -50 ° C; in our climate, without shelter, you can count on Bessey to withstand -40 ° C.

The difference is due to the fact that a high summer temperature is needed for sufficient aging of the wood. At home, sand cherry grows in the steppe zone. We have forest, taiga and forest-steppe at the same latitude as in North America. It is much cooler there in summer than on the prairies.

But Bessey’s cherry, even if frozen, quickly recovers. Young shoots grow from the area of ​​​​the root neck, which give a particularly plentiful harvest the next season.

Much more dangerous for Bessei is aging. If the root collar is damaged, the cherry will die. Therefore, in winter it is recommended to periodically pierce the snow cover in several places with a sharp stick or a metal rod.

Pollination, flowering period and ripening period

Varietal sand cherry is self-fertile. For species plants, it is necessary to have several specimens in the garden. Pollinators of Bessey’s cherry can be any other varieties of this crop.

It blooms late, for example, in the Barnaul region, by the end of May. Thanks to this, Bessey easily escapes from return frosts. Sand cherry flowers are decorative and last for about 20 days. Fruiting begins at the end of August.

yield, fruiting

Bessey enters fruiting very early. Even on cherry seedlings, the first berries appear in the second or third year after germination. Fruiting occurs only on young annual shoots. They grow well exclusively on branches whose age does not exceed 5 years of age. Therefore, to obtain a good harvest, regular rejuvenating pruning of cherries is needed.

The life span of Bessey’s cherry is 10–12 years. During this period, each bush is able to produce up to 30 kg of fruit annually. It is noteworthy that they do not crumble at all. If you overexpose them on cherries in a warm autumn, the berries will dry out and become only tastier.

Scope of berries

Bessey can be eaten fresh. But only varietal or selected specimens of cherries will have tasty berries. If the fruits are tart, they can be used for jam, wine, juices, compotes. Bessey is especially good in various fruit mixtures.

Disease and pest resistance

Sand cherry is remarkable in that it is almost not affected by diseases and pests. Only occasionally does she suffer from clasterosporiasis.

Advantages and disadvantages

Photos and descriptions of sand cherries characterize it as an exceptionally productive crop. In addition, the advantages of Bessey include:

1. Annual fruiting.
2. Resistance to diseases and pests.
3. High drought tolerance.
4. An extremely extended fruiting period of the Bessey sand cherry. Her berries can even wither right on the bush, which makes their taste better.
5. High frost resistance. It surpasses all other stone fruits.
6. Ease of reproduction.
7. High decorative plant.
8. Early fruiting.
9. Fast recovery after frost.

Culture Disadvantages:

1. Short life span of cherries (up to 12 years).
2. Small fruits.
3. Low resistance to clasterosporiosis.
4. The fruits of Bessei do not have a very good taste.
5. Instability of cherries to decay.

Features of landing

Bessei’s requirements for the place and landing conditions are not very different from other cherries. But there is a difference and it cannot be ignored.

Recommended dates

It is best to plant Bessey in the spring, after the soil has warmed up a bit. In places where the summer is not too hot, container cherries can be placed on the site all season.

Choosing the right place

The main thing is that the place for planting Bessey’s sand cherry should be sunny, protected from the wind and not get wet. In no case should it be placed in hollows or in wetlands. The culture is very sensitive to decay and stagnation of water at the roots. An ideal place for a sand cherry would be a hill.

Any soil is suitable for Bessei: it grows even on alkaline soils. But it is best to plant it in soil rich in sand and organic matter.

What crops can and cannot be planted next to cherries

When planting Bessey on the site, you need to remember that the culture is low – any tree can shade it. Nearby it is better to have other sand cherries. Even under an adult tree, ground covers should not be planted.

It is not necessary that oak, birch, walnut, raspberry or sea buckthorn grow next to Bessey. Neighborhood with blackcurrant will not bring anything good to any of the crops.

Selection and preparation of planting material

If possible, it is better to grow planting material yourself. If necessary, seedlings are bought from nurseries or garden centers that value their reputation.

The root system of the sand cherry should be well developed, and the shoots should be red-brown. The presence of cracks or other damage on the branches is unacceptable.

Landing algorithm

After a sunny, elevated place, protected from the wind, has been chosen for Bessey’s cherry, you can start planting.

• First, a fertile mixture is made: the top layer of soil, humus, dolomite flour, ash and a handful of superphosphate are combined.
• A landing pit is prepared with a size of 40x40x40 cm. If the groundwater comes close to the surface of the soil, the depth is increased and broken red brick, crushed stone are placed on the bottom and covered with sand.

It should be borne in mind that the distance between the bushes should not be less than 2 m. Then Bessey is planted like this:

1. A layer of fertile soil is covered at the bottom of the pit.
2. A seedling is placed in the middle.
3. The cherry root is gradually covered with a mixture prepared in advance, constantly compacting to avoid the formation of voids.
4. After planting around the bush, a roller is formed from the soil and watered abundantly.
5. The trunk circle is mulched.

Culture aftercare

Young plants need to be watered. Adult Bessey is a drought-resistant culture. It is important not to overdo it with watering. In spring, cherries are fertilized with nitrogen, in autumn – with potassium and phosphorus, and the last element is applied in small doses. It is best to mulch the soil for the winter with humus mixed with ash: there are all the elements Bessey needs for growth and fruiting.

Sand cherry needs regular pruning. When planting, it is shortened, leaving 5–10 cm. It will quickly overgrow with young shoots. Branches 4–5 years old are removed completely. With sanitary and clarifying pruning, it should be borne in mind that shoots 15–50 cm long are the most productive. They should be left.

Bessey practically does not give shoots. Until the branches lie on the ground, the soil needs to be loosened and weeds removed.

Only where severe frost is possible (below -50 ° C), and there is almost no snow, cherries are covered with spruce branches for the winter. The crop is susceptible to damping off, so the snow must be regularly pierced to the ground in several places to provide ventilation.

Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention

Gardeners’ reviews of Bessey’s cherry characterize it as a disease-resistant crop and almost unaffected by pests. Only in a cold rainy summer can it suffer from clasterosporiasis. As a disease prevention, a double spraying with Bordeaux liquid (1%) is carried out – along the green cone and immediately after flowering. Do not neglect sanitary pruning and cleaning of fallen leaves.

What are the methods of reproduction

Even a novice gardener can handle the propagation of Bessey’s cherry. Since it practically does not give root offspring, you can try other options:

• Plant out the bones. They have excellent resilience. They are planted immediately after they have eaten the cherry, or after stratification for 2-3 months.
• Both green and lignified cuttings take root perfectly. They are grown for 1-2 years before landing in a permanent place.
• The easiest way to propagate Bessey layering. They are simply dug in and fixed with a metal bracket so that when picking berries or weeding, they are not accidentally pulled out of the ground. The next year, the young cherry is separated from the mother plant and planted in a permanent place.

Harvesting and recycling

Harvesting Bessei can be done after ripening at any time: the fruits do not crumble, and become tastier when overripe. The main thing is that the berries do not get dirty. To do this, you can lay agrofiber or cut grass on the ground. Some gardeners arrange special props so that branches generously covered with fruits do not lie on the ground.

Bessei berries are processed in the same way as plums: they are quite similar in composition. It is best to add them to jams, compotes, juices and wine from other fruits – sand cherries will give them a special color and aroma.

The cultivation of Bessey sand cherries is available even in regions where other stone fruit crops will not survive. Perhaps its taste is peculiar and not everyone will like it, but a large amount of vitamins and other healing substances make berries not just a delicacy, but a useful addition to our diet.

Reviews