Many gardeners choose bush cherries for planting, which are resistant to various diseases and are unique in their taste. Such varieties are compact, their fruits are perfect for making jams, compotes and alcoholic liqueurs.
Description
Steppe bush cherry grows as a low shrub and does not exceed a height of 1.5 meters. The crown of the bush is very lush and beautiful, outwardly resembling a ball, the root shoots are quite voluminous. Cherry shoots tolerate winter well after full ripening, the shrub sheds foliage in the fall, before severe frosts come.
Steppe cherry is unassuming, even bad land and stony soils cannot interfere with a high yield. Loves the sun, tolerates periods of drought well, does not require special care. Bush cherries are sometimes called decorative because of their abundant flowering and beauty, ideal in the shape of shiny ruby berries.
The shrub species is easy to distinguish from others, not only in size, but in some characteristic features. In young shoots, the bark has a gray tint with red blotches at the top, while in adults the color of the bark is yellowish, sometimes closer to brown.
Bush cherry
The flowering of steppe cherry in central Russia begins in May and lasts about a week. As a rule, the plant needs pollinators and is partially self-fertile.
In shape, the fruits of bush cherries resemble a ball, they come in different shades, from yellowish to red and maroon. The skin is shiny, the taste of the berry is slightly sour than that of other varieties, sometimes there is some astringency. As a rule, fruits ripen in the first half of July.
Shrub cherry begins to bear fruit after at least 3 years, maximum - after five years from the moment of planting. If conditions are favorable, the cherry has a life expectancy of up to 20 years, the root shoots are actively renewed. The method of plant propagation is vegetative-root.
Characteristics of varieties
It is worth highlighting the most popular varieties of bush cherries.
Cherry Subbotinskaya
The unique bush cherry of the Subbotinskaya variety is unpretentious and withstands cold weather and drought periods with dignity. The fruits are universal in their purpose and do not suffer during transportation. The berries have a refined sweet and sour taste; they ripen in the second half of July. Yield indicators are quite high, from one bush you can get a minimum of 6.5, a maximum of 12 kg of harvest. Shrub tree cherry Subbotinskaya is worthy of attention of gardeners.
Cherry Subbotinskaya
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The taste of the cherry pulp is sweetish-sour, the fruits are often dark red. The berries are rather small, with an unusual shape, slightly flattened on the sides. Each inflorescence of the variety contains 3-4 white flowers.
The leaves of the tree cherry are narrowish, with slightly pointed ends. The bark of this variety is rather smooth, gray in color, sometimes lentils are found on it, but they are not pronounced. The shape of the fruit resembles an oval, plant shrubs with rare exceptions of medium density.
Shadrinskaya
The Shadrinsky cherry bush is distinguished by horn-shaped flowers, of which up to 5 are formed in each inflorescence. The leaves of the plant are medium in size, elliptical in shape, most often the end of the leaf is pointed. Cherry shoots are medium in thickness, the crown is very beautiful, resembling a ball, the brown bark is quite smooth, sometimes there is a gray bloom.Cherry belongs to medium-sized varieties, its height most often reaches 1.85 m.
Shadrinskaya
Maximovskaya
The Maksimov cherry shrub is shaped like a pyramid. It reaches 2.4 meters in height. The crown is not too dense, but not sparse either. On the brown bark, sometimes large grayish lentils are found. The leaves of Maksimovskaya cherry are large enough, oblong and smooth.
Maximovskaya
Zhukovskaya
Derevkovaya Zhukovskaya cherry is rightfully considered universal, the fruits are widely used in cooking and have a very delicate sweet and sour taste. The size of the berries is large, by weight they can reach 6 g. The variety is self-pollinating, in addition, it is quite unpretentious and has immunity to diseases such as ring spot and coccomycosis. Zhukovskaya cherry brings a generous and high-quality harvest.
Chocolate girl
Chocolate girl
From the fruits of this variety, excellent jam is made, delicious marshmallows, liqueurs and other drinks are prepared. The taste of the berries is rather unusual, sweet, but with sourness, slightly bitter, which gives the cherry a spice. Fruits are large, up to 3-4 g in weight. The variety belongs to undersized, cherry does not grow higher than 2.4 meters.
The fruits are round in shape, the skin of the berries is dark red, sometimes almost black. The chic cherry bush of the Chocolate Girl should be planted on your site because of its yield and excellent taste of the fruit.
Snowstorm
Snowstorm
This variety is incredibly resistant to difficult weather conditions and is quite unpretentious. The berries of the Blizzard are scarlet, the pulp is sweet, with a slight sourness. Fruit weight ranges from 2.5 to 4 g, the difference largely depends on the season, there are both medium and large berries. The shrub variety is self-pollinating and is considered one of the most popular among gardeners.
Altai
This dwarf cherry variety belongs to the "Siberian" hardened plants. It is quite hardy and perfectly tolerates even the most severe winters. The yield is consistently high, even in adverse weather conditions. The bushy Altai cherry is worthy of the attention of amateur gardeners.
The fruits are oval in shape, the skin is very bright red. The berries are not very heavy, only about 2.5 g. Not everyone can eat these fresh cherries because of their intense sour taste. Most often they are processed and made into preserves, jams and drinks. From one shrub, you can get up to 6.5 kg of harvest.
Planting and caring for bush cherries
Altai
The choice of location is of great importance. The seedlings will thrive in flat areas with ample sunlight. This will prevent the negative consequences of severe winters, rainy summer months, because on the plain, shrubs will not suffer from an excess of water, therefore, they will be protected from pests and vectors of various diseases.
The acidity of the soil for the seedling should be neutral. An excellent choice for planting is sandy loam. As a rule, seedlings are planted in early spring, after the snow melts and a suitable temperature regime is established.
Fertilizer
Humus is the best fertilizer for cherries; it must be applied directly during planting. The scheme is quite simple: humus must be placed in each depression at the rate of 4.5 kg per well. Repeat after 3-4 years (calculation - about 50 t / ha).
A very good feeding option is ammonium nitrate, it is used in a proportion of 25 g per 1 sq. m. After three or 4 years (usually in the autumn months), you should start fertilizing the plant with phosphate and potassium. The proportions are as follows:
- 70g / 1 sq. m .;
- potash salt 35 g / 1 sq.m.
In addition, cherries can be fertilized with buckwheat ash, this is an excellent nutrient for the plant. The proportions are approximately 350g / 1 sq. m.
Watering
Although cherries cannot be called a plant that needs too much moisture, nevertheless, shrubs should be watered 3 times during the season. You can limit yourself to two waterings, during the flowering period and the period when the berries begin to pour. It is ideal to combine watering with make-up.
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Chemical processing and pruning of bush cherries
Shrubby cherries tend to form on annual branches, which is why pruning should be done regularly and in a timely manner. Otherwise, the harvest may suffer, and the size of the berries will significantly decrease.
Spring thinning
Dried branches and shoots with damage are subject to removal. You should also cut off old root shoots if they are more than 6-7 years old.
Spraying
Shrub cherries must be sprayed during the flowering period in order to prevent various diseases, both fungal and bacterial. Processing is carried out with such preparations as urea and copper sulfate, in proportions of 650 g per 10 l of water and 300 g per 10 l, respectively.
Also, gardeners prefer complex products such as Fitoverm, Zircon, Fitosporin. The latter must be prepared as follows: 100 g of powder per 200 g of water, after which 0.5 tbsp. l. solution in 5 liters of water.
Shrub cherry rightfully belongs to the most unpretentious and popular plants among gardeners. However, to get an excellent harvest, you need to take good care of the plant and do not forget about the prevention of diseases.
