Self-fertile cherry is a real find for gardeners. This tree variety can pollinate itself. It is easy to take care of them, they will perfectly take root in a small garden area. At the moment, there are many varieties, and it will not be difficult to find the right one. In general, all varieties can be divided according to the type of pollination:

  • self-fertile cherry;
  • partially self-fertile;
  • self-infertile.

If everything is clear with self-fertile cherries (the pollen of one tree is used), then in other species everything goes a little differently. So, partially self-fertile ones are not able to pollinate all flowers with their own pollen (only about 50%), and some of them need external pollinators (related trees, bees).

Note!Some fruit trees, such as pears, plums, apple trees, interfere with the pollination of cherries, so it is not recommended to plant them nearby.

What does self-fertile cherry mean is also not difficult to figure out. This is the most numerous group of common varieties, the pollination process in which directly depends on the ingress of pollen from another tree into the flower. These include Chudo, Chernokorka, Alpha cherries. Gardeners try to plant these varieties next to self-fertile varieties or other related trees to ensure pollination and fruit set.

Cherry

In addition, varieties are divided into different types according to the ripening time (early ripening, mid-ripening), the size of the fruits (large-ripening, mid-ripening), cold resistance (winter-hardy) and the size of the tree itself (undersized, tall).

The most frost-resistant ones grow in the north. Among them, the most popular were Molodezhnaya and Nord-Star. However, most of the harvest should be expected from southern cherries (Garland, Lyubskaya), which are considered the sweetest. The optimal medium option is medium-term varieties that are moderately sweet and resistant (Turgenevka, Vladimirskaya).

Varietal specifics of planting and growing self-fertile cherries

A cherry sapling can be planted in the fall until mid-October and in the spring until the buds open. The most suitable time is mid-April.

Important!The mechanical composition of the land is heterogeneous, especially in central Russia. If the soil is too heavy or acidic, cherries may not develop properly. In this case, you cannot do without adding a deoxidizer (lime, ash) and sand.

The soil that was taken out of the pit for planting (usually its depth is 0.5 m and width is 60 cm) is mixed with 1 kg of ash and 1 bucket of sand. The procedure is performed once every several years.

Self-fertile cherries are watered as needed, taking into account the fact that some varieties are drought tolerant and can do well without regular watering.

As for feeding, phosphorus and potash fertilizers will not interfere with her. It is advisable to feed the soil with nitrogen in the spring. However, you should not get carried away with fertilizers, it is best to use a solution in a weak concentration 3 times per season.

Another important point in care is pruning. It is held in the fall and spring. In the autumn, remove all unnecessarily elongated or dry branches, and in the spring they are frozen, but before the movement of juices resumes.

Description of varieties of self-fertile cherries

Large-fruited varieties

Large-fruited varieties

Cherry Hope

In terms of its qualities, large-fruited cherry is similar to sweet cherry. Trees of this type include:

  • The garland is a fast-growing tree that needs regular pruning, since it grows up to 4 m. The crown itself is not very thickened. Fruits are dense and large from 6 g with a rich burgundy color. It tastes sweet, but with a distinct sourness. The tree leaves 9-20 kg per season. Among the significant advantages are frost resistance up to -35 ° C, good transportability and the possibility of long storage.
  • Turgenevka is gaining height up to 3 m. Inflorescences are formed at once by four flowers. The first harvest should be expected only by 5-6 years of growth (at the beginning of July). Fruits are heart-shaped, dark red in color, weight - up to 6.5 g. The variety copes with winter frosts, but can get serious harm from spring frosts. Resistant to disease. Needs pollinators.

Low-growing varieties

Most often, undersized varieties are called bushes by gardeners. They are suitable for almost any climate and even minimal maintenance is enough.

Low-growing varieties

Bush varieties include the following popular varieties:

  • Shokoladnitsa is a bush with a thin crown, rarely exceeding 2 m. The berries are round and very sweet, when ripe they become dark burgundy, almost black. The chocolate girl tolerates drought, but there is a susceptibility to fungal diseases.
  • Anthracite cherry. The height of the bush is approximately 1.5-2 m. The crown is large and dense. Sweet and sour cherries weighing 5-6 g of brown color. Copes with cold weather, pests and various diseases. Partially self-fertile.
  • Ob. The usual height is 1.5 m. It has a large and dense crown. Fruits are dark red, heart-shaped. The taste is more acidic than sweet, so they are more often used for preservation or in making jams. The Ob is resistant to both frost and drought, but it is often plagued by pests.
  • Mtsensk cherry. As a rule, the height of the bush is no more than 2 m. The crown is oval, the berries are large, dark-burgundy, sweet and sour, weighing 4 g. Increased resistance to frost and drought is characteristic. A beautiful crown and unpretentious care make it very popular among landscape designers.

    Mtsensk cherry

Winter hardy varieties

Return frosts can significantly harm the cherry: provoke the death of buds, leaves or shoots. Even a slight drop in temperature below 0 ° C will certainly affect the health of the plant. Therefore, winter hardiness is an important criterion for the selection of seedlings. This is especially true in the north and northwest of the country.

If a winter-hardy variety of self-fertile cherries is selected, then you can count on a bountiful harvest, since the cold in this case does not interfere with the pollination of trees. Also, almost every such variety is resistant to diseases and pests. These include:

  • The asterisk is partially self-fertile (pollination can occur with cherries). The tree grows tall and large. Early fruiting. The fruits themselves have a juicy sweet and sour taste. One tree leaves 10-15 kg per season.

    Self-fertile cherry

  • Vladimirskaya cherry reaches a height of 4 m and is partly self-fertile. The harvest is small (one tree gives 5-10 kg), but with excellent taste. The berries are sweet and popular for fresh consumption.
  • Lyubskaya cherry is a stunted tree. Cherries ripen at the end of August, sweetish in taste. The yield is about 10 kg per season. A significant minus of the variety is its low resistance to pests and a tendency to fungal diseases.

Self-fertile cherry varieties for the middle lane

Cherry Putinka

The middle zone of Russia is a conventionally designated area, which is limited in the south by the Saratov and Belgorod regions (inclusive), and in the north by the Vologda and Leningrad regions. The Moscow region also belongs to this strip.

The climate in the area is characterized by warm summers, frequent rains in autumn and spring periods, a high probability of severe winters and multiple spring frosts.Therefore, in order to choose a suitable cherry seedling, it is necessary to take into account not one parameter, but several at once: early maturity, winter hardiness, tree height and size, self-fertility, taste, susceptibility to pests and diseases.

Self-fertile cherry

Thus, for central Russia, the best cherry varieties are:

  • Cinderella is a medium to medium-sized cherry. The berries ripen in July, acquiring a rounded shape, sweet and sour taste and light red color. The mass of one cherry is 4 g. The yield is 15 kg per season. The tree and buds tolerate cold without any problems and do not require special protection against fungal diseases.
  • Youth grows up to an average of 2.5 m. The shape of the crown "weeping". They begin to collect cherries in the middle of summer, 10-12 kg from a tree. The average weight of a berry is 4.5 g. Externally, it is elongated in shape and burgundy inside with a small bone that can be easily separated from the pulp. The youthful variety is frost-resistant, tolerates up to -30 ° C.
  • Nord-Star is a compact tree with a medium-dense crown. The berries are dark red in color with juicy pulp. The weight of one is 4-5 g. The crop is harvested in mid-July. Partially self-fertile, has high winter hardiness.
  • The meeting is a low tree. Harvesting falls at the end of June. Cherries are characterized by delicate bright red berries, which weigh more than 10 g. They are frost-resistant and drought-resistant, are not susceptible to fungal diseases.

    Self-fertile cherry

Diseases and pests of self-fertile cherries: preventive measures

Sooner or later, gardeners have to deal with diseases of their cherry trees or with a raid of pests. Therefore, when growing fruit trees, you should know in advance about possible difficulties, and most importantly, how to prevent them.

Cherry Nord Star

Pests do not appear as often on cherries as fungal diseases. Most often she is overcome by coccomycosis, moniliosis. Coccomycosis manifests itself as small red-brown spots on the leaf, which soon grow and form one spot. In this disease, a plaque of conidiospores of the fungus is characteristic on the back of the cherry leaf. Diseased leaves gradually turn yellow and fall off. In trees affected by moniliosis, the shoots become brown, the leaves dry quickly, and the fruits themselves are covered with a gray bloom, and the cracks are strewn with the bark.

Important! The cause of the appearance of the fungus in most cases is the cool weather and high humidity.

Spraying trees and bushes with preparations containing copper (for example, chorus) is considered a preventive measure to prevent disease. They need to be carried out before flowering and after harvest.

The absence of the need for pollinators, the resistance and frost resistance of many varieties, the saving of space on the site are worth paying attention to self-fertile cherries and making them a real asset of your garden, which is not afraid even of the northern climate.