Felt cherry: description of varieties, planting and care, propagation by cuttings and pruning

Felt cherry, like all other varieties of cherry trees, belongs to the genus Plum. The variety is crossed with other fruit trees of the Plum genus. The homeland of felt cherries is the territory of China, therefore this variety is also called Chinese cherries. The tree gives a stable harvest and is often used as an ornamental crop to decorate gardens.

Features of the variety

Even for novice gardeners, it will not be a problem to grow felt cherries in your garden. In China, Mongolia and Korea, the variety will grow wild. It was from there that the cherry was brought to other countries. At the end of the 19th century, the variety came to the territory of Russia.

Of the shortcomings, the life expectancy of the plant should be noted. The duration of fruiting felt cherries is no more than 9-10 years. But if you rejuvenate the crown pruning every 4 years, you can extend the life of the tree up to 20 years.

Among the features of the variety are:

• Felt cherry, unlike other varieties, is propagated by seed.
• Berries are high in B vitamins and PP.
• Felt cherries outperform apples in terms of iron content in berries.
• The level of ascorbic acid in berries is several times higher than its content in other varieties of cherries.

Felt cherries are rich in useful trace elements. It is easy to grow, and with the right care, the tree produces a bountiful harvest every year.

Varieties

Chinese cherry is divided into several varieties depending on the speed of fruit ripening. There are three kinds:

• Early ripe.
• With an average term.
• Late.

Depending on the climatic zone of growing a tree, the terms for the same varieties are different.

Felt cherry varieties

In Latin, the felt cherry is called Prunus or cerasus tomentosa. Among the popular varieties of this variety, the Felt Princess, the productive variety Kurilskaya and Damanka are distinguished. Varieties differ in terms of ripening of the crop, yield and weight of fruits. In general, there are no significant differences.

Early varieties of felt cherries

Among the early varieties are:

• Far Eastern Beauty begins fruiting in the 3-4th year after planting seedlings in open ground. Up to 5 kg are harvested from one adult tree. The variety is photophilous, fruiting decreases in the shade. The tree is undemanding to the soil.
• Chinese cherry variety Natalie has a powerful crown, medium density. Ripe red berries. Taste sweet and sour. The mass of one berry is 4-5 g. The pulp is dense, after harvesting it is stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Up to 7 kg are harvested from one tree.
• Variety Rapture is self-fertile. The tree reaches a height of 1.5 m. The berries are large, weighing up to 4 g. The shade of the berries is red-scarlet. The pulp of the fruit is juicy, with a sweet and sour taste. Not intended for long hauls.

Early varieties are among the first to bear fruit among all fruit trees.

Average

varieties with an average fruit ripening period include:

• Variety Salyut refers to tall. At Salut, the main trunk reaches a height of 2 m. The berries ripen in July. Oval-shaped fruits, juicy, sweet and sour. The bone is small. The advantage of the variety is frost resistance.
• Cherry Smuglyanka Vostochnaya refers to undersized varieties. The berries are dark burgundy, weighing up to 3 g. The surface of the leaves is velvety to the touch.
• Yubileyny variety belongs to Ussuri. The tree is oval in shape. The crown is not very dense. Berries of a reddish hue, weight 3-4.5 g. Productivity is up to 8 kg.

Medium varieties ripen in July.

Later

Late varieties include Okeanskaya Virovskaya. The plant is compact. Burgundy berries. Weight from 3 to 4 g. Fruits without stalk. The taste of the berries is sweet with a sour aftertaste. Up to 9 kg of berries are harvested from one adult tree.

Rules of care and planting

Felt cherry, like most varieties of cherry trees, is an unpretentious variety that does not need special growing conditions. To increase productivity, it is recommended to follow the simple rules of agricultural technology for planting and caring for trees. In general, growing a tree will not cause big trouble for summer residents.

Landing

One of the important stages at which the further development of cherries is determined is planting. With proper planting, the tree begins to bear fruit much earlier and gets sick less during adaptation to a new place. Growing cherries in the country is quite simple.

For planting, it is advisable to purchase 1-2-year-old tree seedlings. The optimal planting time is spring and autumn. Seedlings planted in the spring before bud break take root best of all. In autumn, seedlings should be planted before the end of September.If planted later, the seedling will not have time to take root in a new place and will die during frosts. Those seedlings that were purchased in October should be securely buried before spring.

Steps of planting seedlings in open ground:

• Dig a hole at least 50 cm deep and about 60 cm wide.
• Then add the soil mixture to the soil and mix thoroughly (at least 3 buckets of organic fertilizers, 450-850 g lime, 45-65 g phosphorus, 25-35 g potassium).
• Cherry roots are cut to 20-30 cm and smeared with a clay mixture.
• Then plant the seedling in the hole and bury it.
• The root neck of a cherry must not be deepened, this can lead to the death of the seedling.
• After that, compact the soil around the trunk and pour plenty of warm water.
• At the end of planting, mulch the soil around the seedling with peat or any organic fertilizer.

It is undesirable to plant more than 3 trees on one site. There will be little space for them, and the cherry will begin to grow poorly, stop producing a good harvest.

Feeding

What to feed after harvesting cherry trees:

• The first fertilizer is applied immediately after harvest. Top dressing is applied along the edge of the near-stem circle with 4-6 kg of organic matter, 15 g of potassium, 30 g of nitrogen and 65 g of phosphorus.
• Before the onset of winter, any top dressing is applied, except for nitrogen-containing ones.

Every 4-5 years lime should be added to the soil.

Irrigation

Cherry does not like waterlogged soils, so it is often not advised to water it. One watering a week is enough. If the summer is dry, then you can water 2-3 times.

Crown formation

After the spring has come, the tree is pruned. Formation is carried out every year. During pruning, 10-12 he althy shoots are left. Annual branches, on which the bulk of the crop is concentrated, are cut to 1/3, unless they are more than 60 cm long.

To activate the growth of the tree, rejuvenating pruning is carried out every 4-5 years. During this procedure, the center of the crown and skeletal branches related to the peripheral are cut off. For convenience, you can draw a cropping scheme.

How to trim during anti-aging pruning:

• Several side shoots of cherries cut into a "ring".
• Then, one-year-old young shoots should appear next to the shortening point.
• All stems above part of the old crown should be cut.

Frozen trees are pruned in the same way.

Terms of fruit ripening

After planting felt cherry seedlings, the question arises when to harvest. Depending on the cultivar, the ripening period of the berries is different.

The main harvest begins in the summer in July. Early varieties ripen in mid-June. In autumn, only late varieties are harvested, provided that they were grown in the southern regions.

Reproduction of felt cherries

The main method of propagation of felt cherries is seed. This distinguishes the variety from other varieties of cherries. Any other variety is almost impossible to grow from a seed without special skills and experience. But you can also try to grow a seedling with layering and cuttings.

Seeds

The easiest way to grow a felt cherry is with a stone. For the seed method, you need to rinse the bones under warm water and dry them in the shade at home. In the last days of August, the bones are mixed with wet sand and the containers are removed in a cool place. In October, the seeds are sown in beds to a depth of no more than 3 cm. It is recommended to cover the grooves with spruce branches or foliage.

With the onset of spring, cherry shoots appear on the beds. With well-organized care, the sprouts grow rapidly and in the first year they can exceed a height of 40-55 cm. With the onset of autumn or next spring, the seedlings are planted around the site.

Shanks

Cuttings are more difficult than cultivating cherries from seeds. To do this, you must have certain gardening skills and create special conditions for cuttings.

Cuttings are cut from shoots 7 to 16 cm long from this year's branches belonging to the second or third level. They are cut with a small part of last year's wood, no more than 2 cm. Then the cutting is treated with a growth activator and placed in the soil. 2 cm pieces of wood and 1 cm green cuttings are covered with earth.

Then the bed with cherry cuttings is covered with a film. After deepening the cuttings, make sure that sunlight does not fall on them. Therefore, the beds are best done in partial shade. Also maintain constant soil moisture. The soil must not dry out.

Layers

Another option for propagating felt cherries is with the help of layering. To do this, in the spring, last year's green shoot should be placed in a small hole and pinned.

Diseases and pests

Crop diseases and pests can significantly reduce the yield of cherry trees. To prevent the appearance of diseases and insects on trees, they are regularly examined, and if there are signs of the appearance of pests or diseases, then measures are taken immediately. The sooner the fight is started, the less damage will be done to the trees.

Moniliosis or monilial burn

Most varieties of cherry trees are susceptible to coccomycosis. But this variety often suffers from moniliosis. This is a fungal disease that affects trees during flowering. The spores of the fungus penetrate the pestle and there they begin to multiply rapidly. Then the mycelium begins to develop and enters the branches through the stalk, gradually penetrating into the wood and destroying it. By the beginning of June, the tree is almost completely dry.

Most often, monilial burn occurs in regions with rainy spring and summer. To prevent the appearance of the fungus in the spring during the swelling of the buds, the trees are sprayed with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate. After a few weeks, treat the trees with copper-containing chemicals.

Clusterosporiasis or perforated spotting

Perforated spotting refers to fungi. The disease is characterized by the appearance of rusty spots and holes on the foliage. The disease spreads quickly, and in a few days one tree can infect an entire garden. To prevent the appearance of spotting, every year they dig up the soil around the trunk circles. It is also important to feed the plants.

Before bud break, trees are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid. Spraying is carried out in the fall. During the growing season, the drug "Kuproksat" and "Skor" are used.

Kokkomokiz

In early spring, trees are sprayed with copper-containing preparations. For example, "Abiga-Peak" or "Khom". During the appearance of buds, cherries are treated with Horus. 2-3 g of the drug is diluted in 10 liters of water and trees are sprayed. After flowering, the cherry is treated with this preparation again. In addition to using chemicals, they regularly weed tree trunks and remove all weeds, remove fallen leaves and berries to prevent fungus from developing.

Pocket disease

To prevent the appearance of pocket disease on cherries, seedlings are planted in sunny and ventilated areas. Under such conditions, fungal spores cannot develop. Cherries are also regularly pruned to prevent thickening of the crown. Remove weak and diseased branches.

Pests

Most often, mice do a lot of damage to a tree. Mice gnaw bark in winter. Damaged sections of the trunk can only be seen after the snow melts. To prevent mice from nibbling on the bark, in autumn the trunks are covered with metal mesh and poison traps are laid out near the trunk.

Plum codling moth affects not only plums. The larvae feed on the pulp of the berries. The fight against the codling moth begins immediately after the butterflies appear on the site. If the summer turned out to be warm, the codling moth can bring out several generations. With the onset of the flowering period, the trees are sprayed with Decis or Altar chemicals. The second treatment is carried out at the end of July. Use "Kinmiks" or "Karbofos".

To get rid of aphids, trees are sprayed with a solution of ash or a solution of laundry soap. In addition, it is important to get rid of ants immediately.

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