Cherry sakura: description and characteristics of the variety, planting and care with a photo

Sakura cherries have their own, special purpose. At home, this wild fruit tree is a symbol of the country, and there is even a cherry blossom festival. No less reverent to the plant are in China. In Russia, Japanese cherry is not so popular, but many gardeners dream of having such a luxury in their garden or backyard. As it turned out, the tree can be grown in most regions and enjoy pleasant aromas and charming flowers in spring.

The difference between Japanese cherries and other varieties

Japanese cherry is an ornamental crop, so you shouldn't plant it if you need fruit-bearing fruit trees. It blooms luxuriously and is a real decoration of the site, and then cherries appear on it, but they are too small and not suitable for eating.

Sakura is a tree, its height varies from 8 to 15 m, the length of the shoots is about a meter. During the flowering period, it is covered with flowers in white and pink shades.

Varieties

Under the name of sakura lies a dozen species and several hundred subspecies of Japanese cherry. But most often in the plots there are trees of two varieties - Kiku Shidare and Kanzan. They are not inferior in beauty to other representatives of the species, but at the same time they are more resistant to temperature extremes, pests and do not require complex care.

Kiku Shidare

Small-serrated cherry of this variety is suitable for growing in the forest-steppe zone, where the climate is temperate continental. The height of the tree is 3.5-4 meters.

Kiku Shidare has a spreading crown prone to thickening. It is covered with elliptical leaves with jagged edges.

The variety of this ornamental cherry is especially valued for its early extended flowering period. Already in late March - early April, it turns into a white-pink cloud due to large, densely double flowers.

Kiku Shidare is a self-fertile variety, and even if one tree is planted, with proper care, it will actively bloom and bear fruit.

Kanzan

Another type of tree-like garden sakura, which is lower than other decorative analogues. It has an inverted crown that looks exotic and creative, which is why it is often chosen to decorate the local areas.

The tree grows at an average speed, the leaves are elongated, oval, in autumn they turn fiery yellow. Flowers in Kanzan are massive, fragrant, pink in color. They form hanging long inflorescences of 3-6 pieces.

Kanzan cherry is a light-loving crop that grows best in neutral and strongly alkaline soils.

Features of cultivation

Garden sakura is often planted with seeds that are well prepared - washed and dried. It is better to plant in the summer, but both spring and autumn planting is possible.

If you want to buy a seedling, then you need to choose a strong, he althy plant. You can transfer to the ground in April, placing the trees at a distance of 2-3 meters from each other.

Requirements for the landing site are as follows:

if possible, it is better to choose a site on the slopes;
it should be moderately lit, in strong light the plant may get sunburn;
soil acidity is neutral, loamy soil is considered the best option.

Care

Caring for sakura is easy, of course, that special attention should be paid to a young, fragile tree. You need to take care of the following:

Water - Water as needed, but the tree especially needs moisture when the buds swell and in the first 2 weeks of active flowering.
Top dressing - introduced during watering; humus, compost, mineral fertilizers (nitrogen-potassium) are laid in the trunk circle; do not use top dressing for cherries, which strongly acidify the soil.

Japanese cherry does not tolerate wintering well, so it is worth warming it: add potassium and phosphorus in the fall. Fertilizers should not contain nitrogen - it will not allow the cherry to get rid of the leaves before frost. A week and a half before the expected drop in temperature, the trunk and grafting site should be wrapped with covering material, and dense agrofibre should be used for skeletal shoots.Foil and other non-breathable materials should not be used.

Cutting

It is important not to allow the sakura crown to thicken, otherwise the tree will lose all its decorative effect. It is recommended to cut the shoots in the spring, before the juice goes. Damaged, superfluous, dried branches are removed, the cuts are immediately covered with a layer of garden pitch.

During the procedure, you need to act carefully so that the gum disease does not start - a non-infectious disease of gommosis.

Garden sakura - the beauty of the site or adjacent territory, the pride of the owner, causing admiring glances of others. At the same time, the cherry tree is undemanding - the main thing is to take into account the peculiarities of the oriental guest.