When cherries ripen: in which month and how to harvest
Like all stone fruits, cherries have their own terms of reaching technical maturity. The tree is also grown for the sake of tasty and juicy berries, which can be enjoyed fresh or used to make compotes and juices for the winter. It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question when fruits ripen on cherries. It all depends on the type of tree, the conditions in which it grows, care.
Cherry fruit ripening dates
Cherry is classified as a crop that can grow both in the southern regions and in areas where the climate is cold, summers are short with rains and winds. The climate affects the timing of ripening.Even early-ripening cherries will reach maturity faster in the Central region than in Siberia or the Urals.
Already in the second half of June, the berries of Shpanka, Molodezhnaya, Malyshka varieties are ready to eat. Mid-season varieties: Lyubskaya, Shchedraya, Turgenevka, are covered with ripe fruits in the first decade of July. And only in August will the cherries of the Zhuravka and Rusinka varieties ripen. But if the trees of these varieties are in the gardens of the Siberian region, then fruiting will come 1-2 weeks later. The berry ripens later if the weather in summer brings more rainy and cloudy days. It must be borne in mind that the tree will bear fruit faster when the berry ripens in the sun. In the shade, a growing bush will mature longer. Culture does not like low-lying places with groundwater close to the surface of the earth. From the waterlogging of the soil, the root system will begin to rot, the growth of the bush will stop, flowering and fruiting will begin later.
The condition of the soil affects the ripening time. The soil on the site should be loose, nutritious, neutral in acidity.
Weakens and delays the ripening of fruits a large number of wild shoots in cherries. Therefore, those root offspring that are not needed to form a bush are removed. To exclude infection of the tree after the procedure, the wounds are treated with var after cleaning the cut with a garden knife. Under the var, the wounds will grow faster, and the wood will not oxidize and collapse. Garden pitch is purchased at a specialized store or prepared independently from 10 parts of rosin, four autols and two wax. Wax with rosin is heated on fire, after a slight cooling of the mixture, part of the autol is poured in.
A tree prone to fungal infections: moniliosis, coccomycosis, anthracnose - it will take longer to recover from illness, and fruiting will shift for several weeks. Attack negatively affects flowering and ovaries pests in the garden. Only with proper care and creation of comfortable conditions, cherries will give juicy sweet berries on time, in accordance with the deadlines.
Collection time
When picking cherries, gardeners will be prompted by berries that become soft and juicy. The color of the skin also indicates the degree of ripeness. Usually it becomes dark red, burgundy. Although there are varieties with light red fruits. But after tasting one berry, you can be sure of its maturity to taste. The pulp gives off sweetness, it has a lot of juice, it does not knit the tongue.
Usually, ripe berries appear faster on cherry bushes that grow in sunny areas. The harvest begins to be harvested gradually so that it does not get to the birds or rot when it falls to the ground. Removing only ripe fruits, unripe ones are left. If it is planned to transport the crop, then the berries are picked 2-3 days before their ripeness.
It is not allowed to harvest fruits from trees too early, as they will not be able to ripen indoors, like apples or pears. So you can stay without cherry berries.
The quality of the harvest for the season depends on:
- air humidity;
- average temperature of the year;
- of the month in which the berries were picked;
- stop watering 2-3 weeks before harvest;
- climate of the growing region.
If in the Moscow region they are already starting to pick cherries, then in Kazan the harvest will be ready later. Here the gardener himself determines the condition of the fruits, their readiness for harvest. When weather conditions negatively affect the taste of berries, and the fruits begin to rot, then you need to collect cherries for making compotes or jams. This way you can save at least part of the stone fruit crop.
How to collect correctly
Cherry is harvested in different ways:
- Leaving the stalk makes it possible to increase the freshness of the berries. The stalk is cut with secateurs so that half of it remains with the fruits.
- Tear also with cuttings. These berries can be stored in the refrigerator. They will keep their presentation for a long time.
- When berries are picked without cuttings, this method is called milking. It is used when cherries are needed for cooking or canning.
Picking cherries from a tall tree is not easy. It is impossible to do without devices. Hooks come to the aid of the gardener, with the help of which they pull up the branches. Ladders are also used to get berries from the top of the bush. Among the tools that carry out the collection of berries, one can note garden shears, pruner, fruit picker. All methods of picking cherries are carried out with cotton gloves. After all, the juice of the berry is poorly washed off the skin.
After the cherries are properly picked, they are placed in baskets. It is better to weave a container for fruits from a willow vine or make it from birch bark. You can prepare special trays for a large harvest, in which cardboard boxes with a sweet harvest are made.Storage of cherries is carried out in bags. Here, air access to the berries is important.
Trees need special care after picking cherries, consisting of:
- processing with Bordeaux mixture;
- abundant moisture;
- anti-aging pruning;
- fertilizing with humus or compost.
Spraying trees with fungicidal preparations in autumn, they give them the opportunity to bloom in time in spring and prepare for the formation of fruit ovaries. By cutting off the excess shoots that form on the rootstocks, they help the stone fruit culture to get stronger, to store nutrients in sufficient quantities for timely fruiting. Only with proper care next year, fruit trees will give a lot of delicious berries and even survive the Siberian winter with severe frosts.
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