Melitopol sweet cherry: description and characteristics of the variety, growing rules, reviews of gardeners

Melitopolskaya sweet cherry is especially popular not only among amateurs, but also among professional farmers. The variety gives high yields of fruits with excellent presentation and excellent taste. The crop can be harvested by machine, which is a significant advantage for horticultural farms. The tree is suitable for growing in warm southern climates and does not tolerate harsh winters.

How the variety was bred

This variety was obtained thanks to the work of Ukrainian breeders from the city of Melitopol.It is to this place that the cherry owes its name. A feature of these climatic conditions is a dry long summer and little snowy winter. The resulting plant is most adapted to such conditions.

Today, 3 varieties of Melitopol sweet cherries are known:

• black (registered in 1969), obtained by pollination of French black;
• early (registered in 1976), bred by crossing Franz Joseph and Early Mark;
• red (registered in 1996).

These varieties differ not only in the external characteristics of the fruit, but also in the timing of their ripening. For the first time, a well-known breeder from the Institute. M. F. Sidorenko UAAS M. T. Oratovsky.

Photo and description

A detailed description of the variety and photos make it possible to distinguish the Melitopol sweet cherry from other species by characteristic features. It is her inhabitants of the southern regions who most often settle on their personal plots to obtain a harvest of he althy berries.

General Description

Large-fruited cherries are the dream of any gardener. If at the same time she does not require much attention to herself and shows sufficient resistance to diseases, then there will be no big trouble with growing. Black Melitopolskaya is exactly the variety that thanks a generous harvest for minimal care.

Dignity

Melitopol sweet cherry has significant advantages, due to which it remains a favorite among gardeners for a long time. These include:

• increased drought tolerance;
• frost resistance;
• high yields;
• excellent fruit taste;
• good product features;
• high disease resistance;
• weak susceptibility to the negative effects of pests.

Flaws

With great advantages, Melitopol sweet cherry is not without some disadvantages:

• self-fruitless tree;
• unsuitable for growing in harsh climates;
• when the temperature drops sharply in winter, flower buds die;
• returning frosts in spring destroy most of the pistils.

Kidney

Melitopol sweet cherry forms small cone-shaped buds that do not tolerate return spring frosts.

Leaf and flower

The sheet plate of the Melitopolskaya is large, with pointed ends and characteristic notches along the edges, saturated green.

The cherry blossom period is at the end of May. Petals of snow-white color, open wide. The flowers themselves have a strong pleasant fragrance.

Fruit

The fruits of Melitopol are valued not only for their excellent taste, but also for their excellent commercial qualities, large size, universal application.

Mass

Ripe cherries weigh about 8 g, but there are also larger specimens.

Height

The height of the Melitopol berry reaches 2.7 cm.

Width

The width of the fruit ranges from 2.5 to 3 cm.

Thickness

The wall thickness of sweet cherries is large, the stone occupies less than 5% of the total volume.

Color

When ripe, the flesh of Melitopol becomes a beautiful dark red color, and its skin becomes red-black with a glossy sheen.

Peduncle

The stalk of this sweet cherry variety is medium in size, divided into 2-3 glands.

Bone

The stone of the Melitopol is small, occupies about 4.5% of the total volume of the fetus, has a beige color.

General characteristics

Melitopolskaya belongs to the varieties with average crop maturation. Fruit picking begins in mid-June. Also, to get a bountiful harvest, it is necessary to plant pollinating varieties nearby. The first fruits are enjoyed 5 years after planting a seedling in the garden.

Taste

Melitopolskaya has excellent taste. Fruits have the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity.Tasters rate them 4.9.

Nutritional content

Melitopol sweet cherry is a real storehouse of vitamins and nutrients. It contains:

• zinc;
• copper;
• manganese;
• cob alt;
• iron;
• phosphorus;
• magnesium.

B1, B2, B6, B9, A, E, P and, of course, vitamin C predominate in cherries.

Tree height and growth rate

The tree near Melitopol grows very quickly and rapidly, but its height does not exceed 3 m, which allows harvesting without special devices.

The period of flowering and ripening

The blossoming of the Melitopol sweet cherry begins in the middle of May, and the harvest ripens in the second half of June. The fruits ripen together, almost simultaneously.

Yields

Adult sweet cherry tree of the Melitopol variety, subject to the conditions of agricultural technology and proper molding, can give up to 80 kg of high-quality ripe fruits.

Transportability

Dense flesh and skin make cherries suitable for transportation over long distances without loss of marketability.

Drought Tolerant

Melitopolskaya belongs to drought-resistant varieties and easily tolerates a long absence of moisture.

Frost resistance

Cherry of this variety has good frost resistance. In winter, it can withstand temperatures as low as -25°C.

Disease resistance

Melitopolskaya has increased resistance to moniliosis and gray rot. Fungal infections it is affected only in conditions of high humidity and in the absence of preventive treatments. But the plant needs mandatory prevention against coccomycosis.

Of the pests, cherries are most often attacked:

• cherry fly;
• caterpillar;
• aphid;
• kidney weevil;
• sawfly.

Using fruits

The fruits of Melitopol are suitable not only for fresh consumption, but also for all types of processing:

• making homemade wine;
• preparation of jam and compotes;
• juicing;
• freeze;
• drying.

Basic soil requirements

Melitopol cherries should be grown on fertile loamy, sandy loamy soil with good breathability. If the land does not meet these requirements or is very heavy, then measures are taken in advance to improve its characteristics.

Fit features

The quality and quantity of the future harvest of cherries largely depend on the correct choice of planting material and compliance with the planting rules, so this procedure must be treated responsibly.

Seedling selection

The choice of seedling is the key to success in obtaining tasty and he althy berries. There are a number of requirements for young plants in order for them to develop normally and be he althy.

Root system

A seedling with a closed root system can be planted on the site during the entire growing season by transshipment from the pot into the ground. But cherries with an open root system are to be planted only before the start of bud break. Roots should be well developed, showing no signs of disease, rot, mold or mechanical damage.

Barrel

A sweet cherry seedling suitable for planting should have a trunk thickness of 15-17 mm. Spots, deep scratches, and other visible deformations are not allowed on its bark.

Age

Melitopol sweet cherry takes root best if the tree is 1-2 years old at the time of planting.

Vaccinated

The varietal characteristics of a plant largely depend on the vaccination, as well as on which stock was used to grow the planting material. In young sweet cherries, the grafting site is still clearly visible, so you must definitely pay attention to this and check with the seller which stock was used in this case.

Select pickup time

Melitopol sweet cherry with an open root system is planted at a time when it is still at rest and the buds have not begun to bloom. In spring, this time is the end of March - the first half of April, and in the fall, work is carried out immediately after the completion of leaf fall. Before the onset of cold weather, the seedling should have time to take root well.

Select site

Melitopol cherries are planted in a well-lit area. It is advisable to take a place for this on the south side of the garden, which will be reliably protected from drafts and strong winds. There should be no stagnation of excess rain or melt water.

Preparing the pit

The pit for planting a seedling should be prepared in advance. If the landing is planned for the spring, then the preparation is carried out in the fall. A mixture of humus or compost with the top fertile layer of soil is added to the bottom in a ratio of 1: 1. If necessary, other sparingly soluble fertilizers (for example, superphosphate) are also added there. If the site is dominated by acidic soil, then it would be advisable to add dolomite flour in a small amount.

The depth of the landing pit is about 0.6 m, and its width is 0.8 m. The distance to neighboring trees or shrubs is left at least 4-4.5 m.

Landing

Before planting, the cherry seedling is lowered by its root system into water with a root formation stimulator diluted in it for a couple of hours. After that, the main stem is cut at a height of 0.6 m. In the planting hole, the ground at the bottom is formed in the form of a small mound, on which the tree is carefully placed and its roots are straightened. A garter peg is driven in nearby and the hole is covered with nutrient soil mixture. The root neck should be above the ground, and the grafting site should be slightly higher

The soil around the Melitopol sweet cherry is tamped, watered abundantly and mulched with hay or mowed grass.

Pollinators

Melitopolskaya belongs to self-infertile varieties and requires the obligatory planting of trees of another variety nearby with similar flowering periods. Only in this case, it will be possible to get a generous harvest from her.

Early Ruby

A fast growing tree with a spherical crown. Variety with early ripening. Sweet cherries are formed of a small size, dark red color. The pulp is juicy, tasty, fleshy. Ruby early has increased resistance to common diseases, gives abundant harvests, is drought-resistant, and tolerates low temperatures in winter. Taste qualities of cherries are estimated by tasters as dessert. Harvest fit for transport.

Precocious

Very early ripening cherries with high yields. The fruits are suitable for transportation over long distances, which makes the early ripening profitable for commercial cultivation. The crown is not prone to thickening, which makes pollination efficient, and ripening cherries receive a sufficient amount of sunlight. The variety is drought-resistant, endures winter temperature drops, has good immunity to diseases.A slight disadvantage is the exactingness of the soil.

Valery Chkalov

One of the time-tested varieties that does not lose its popularity among connoisseurs of delicious fruits. Sweet cherry is cold-resistant, drought-resistant, with good immunity to diseases. Chkalov belongs to the early varieties and pleases with a bountiful harvest already in mid-June. The maximum height of the tree reaches 6 m. In ripeness, the cherries become dark red, heart-shaped, weighing up to 8 g each. Their taste is sweet, with a slight sourness.

Care Secrets

To get a good harvest, it is important not only to plant a tree, but also to be able to properly care for it.

Irrigation

A young cherry seedling requires the soil around it to be constantly moist. This can be achieved through regular watering. A mature tree especially needs watering during these periods:

• budding;
• formation of ovaries;
• before frost;
• during the dry season.

Water is poured into the irrigation furrow, which should be done in advance. Its size corresponds to the radius of the crown.

Feeding

Immediately after planting Melitopol sweet cherry does not need additional feeding. The first time fertilizers are applied after the tree begins to bear fruit. In the spring, urea will need to be embedded in the soil, and in the fall, urea and potassium are used. Before the onset of cold weather, a layer of organic matter is poured into the trunk circle: compost or humus. Small amounts of lime or dolomite flour are covered every 5 years in areas with acidic soil

Spanish bush pruning

Since Soviet times, the following method of growing a tree has been used: the cherry crown is formed according to the principle of a sparse tier: a tree with one main trunk up to 7 m high.However, over the years, fruiting worsened, the berries were tied almost at the very top and it was problematic to collect them. Modern technologies make it possible to restrain the growth of green mass and direct the forces of the Melitopol sweet cherry to the formation of ovaries.

When forming the crown in a popular way like a Spanish bush, the height of the plant does not exceed 3 m, and the harvest is carried out without special devices.

In the first year, the seedling is cut at a maximum height of 0.7 m. Over the summer, side branches will grow on it. Of these, 4 of the strongest are left, growing in different directions upwards, and the rest are pinched. As soon as the length of the remaining main branches reaches 0.5 m, they are cut at the same level. Cherry tops growing after such pruning should be cut regularly.

In the second year, all the main shoots of the second order are shortened to 0.3 m so that they are on the same level.In the middle of summer, growths of the 3rd order should already reach a height of 0.5 m. They are pulled to a horizontal position with the help of small weights, and the remaining young shoots are cut to a length of 0.3 m. In the third and subsequent years, the sweet cherry will already be formed. It will only be necessary to periodically shorten the branches that will go beyond the crown, and make a small thinning.

Bird Prevention

To prevent the Melitopol cherry from becoming a delicacy for birds, by the time the fruit ripens, a small fishing net or other similar material is thrown over it. If the tree is small, then a frame is first built for these purposes.

Harvest and storage of crops

Melitopol sweet cherries are harvested in mid-June. Work is carried out both manually and with the use of mechanization. In the refrigerator, the fruits are stored for up to 14 days.The harvested crop is consumed fresh or used for any type of processing, harvesting. It is noteworthy that after freezing, the cherries do not flow and retain their shape well.

Reviews

During the existence of the variety, many gardeners personally tested the Melitopol sweet cherry, growing it in their own garden. Of course, they are willing to share their feedback.

Marina Eduardovna: “After studying the reviews on the Internet, I decided to purchase two varieties of cherries for the garden: Melitopolskaya and Valery Chkalov. The harvest had to wait a long time. When they managed to collect the first fruits, the whole family was very happy: the cherries grew unusually large, sweet and beautiful in appearance. There was no big hassle with leaving. We limited ourselves to crown molding, fertilization and systematic watering. They did not treat diseases from diseases, so as not to once again pollute the earth with chemistry. But I planted flowers with a sharp aroma around the perimeter to scare away pests.

Nikolay Grigorievich: “I have been growing Melitopolskaya for a long time. There was no need to plant a pollinator, because two varieties of sweet cherries grow in the neighboring plot. I want to note that in our garden society there are problems with water supply, therefore it is not possible to water the garden regularly. But even in such difficult conditions, the tree gives a stable harvest of fruits every year. We eat part of the harvest fresh, and from the rest we make small preparations for the winter.”

Nina Sergeevna: “I planted Melitopolskaya on the advice of friends. After 4 years, the tree gave the first harvest. At my site, the soil is depleted, so I constantly have to fertilize and feed the cherries. If this is not done in time, then the fruits become smaller, and the plant sheds part of the ovaries. For several years I have already got used to this regimen and I try to do top dressing on time. The variety suits me: the harvest is enough not only to provide a family of 3 with fresh cherries, but also to make preparations.

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