Melitopol dessert cherry: description and characteristics of the variety, agricultural technology

Many amateur gardeners grow cherry trees on their plot. They do not require special care, and the crop for their needs can be harvested sufficient. One of the favorite varieties can be called Melitopol dessert cherry - a large-fruited hybrid with pleasant taste. The berries are used to make jams, stewed compotes, and eaten raw or frozen for winter use.

Variety description

Melitopol Dessert Cherry was created by Ukrainian breeders of the All-Russian Research Institute named after IV Michurin. It grows successfully in the southern part of Europe. She has a consistently high yield. This cherry needs the neighborhood of other pollinators. They may be representatives of other varieties of cherries.

Ripening dates

Such a fruit tree gives the first harvest already for the 4th season after planting the seedling in the ground. If a three-year-old seedling is planted in the soil, then the crop is harvested already for the 3rd year of cultivation.

This is an early ripening cherry. Under favorable conditions, the harvest begins in the last week of June.

Appearance

Cherries planted in the backyard give fruit, and also create the necessary shade in the summer, covering from the sun's rays. A hybrid of the Melitopol dessert cherry is no exception.

Tree

The cherry tree of the Melitopol dessert shop is strong and tall. It grows up to 4 meters in height. It has a voluminous, spreading crown of a rounded shape. During the flowering period it is covered with white flowers with a pleasant smell.

Fruits

Fruiting in this variety is abundant. From one adult tree it is possible to collect up to 50 kilograms of cherries. Berries appear on thin one-year-old branches. The fruits of this hybrid are round, rather large, with a barely noticeable seam. The weight of one berry is about 9 grams (usually 6-8), but the stone inside is relatively small, it is easily separated from the pulp.

The skin is tender, with a bright sheen. The pulp is very sweet, in combination with a wine hue, has a light red color. When biting, a peculiar sourness is felt. According to tasting experts, this variety scores 4.75 points on a 5-point scale.

Favourable growing conditions

This hybrid is easy to care for. It successfully tolerates dry weather and dry winds.It does not die during severe frosts in winter and temperature changes in spring. It is optimal to choose for cherry trees that side on the site that is protected from the winds, and where there is no stagnation of groundwater. The soil can be loamy, neutral and light.

Disease resistance

Melitopol dessert cherry successfully resists some diseases that other cherry trees are susceptible to: moniliosis and coccomycosis.

Features of planting and care

In order for cherry seedlings to take root, it is better to plant them in autumn, after the leaves have fallen. Being in the dormant stage, they tolerate the transplant process more easily.

Also successfully rooted when planted with green cuttings. The percentage of rooting in this case is up to 70%. Already during the first year after planting a seedling in the soil, it begins to form a crown.

Fertilizer

Organic fertilizers are applied under a planted tree once every 2 years. In autumn, mandatory fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is carried out.

Cutting

This cherry tree, like other fruit trees, needs timely pruning:

Removing dead branches.
Pruning shoots that have been damaged.
Removing extra branches for thinning or crown formation.

This procedure is done 2-3 times a year. It helps to increase fruiting.

Irrigation

Young trees require regular watering. The soil is watered with such an amount of water that it gets wet to a depth of about 50 centimeters.During the first month after planting the tree, watering is carried out after 3 days. The amount of water should be about 10 liters per tree.

If dry weather has set in at this time, then the amount of irrigation water should be increased by about 2 times. An adult tree needs watering after the flowering period has passed to ensure the filling of berries.

Mulching soil

To minimize the evaporation of moisture through the surface layer of the soil, the soil, next to the young seedling, is mulched. As mulch, use tree bark, coniferous needles or other organic matter. The thickness of the mulching layer in the area of the near-stem circle should be about 7-10 centimeters.

Loosening the soil

You need to loosen the root zone to a shallow depth so as not to harm the root system. Be sure to remove weeds so that they do not interfere with the growth of cherries.

If the above conditions for growing a young cherry tree are not observed, then the percentage of plant survival can be significantly reduced.