Cherry
Cherry (lat. Cerasus) is a popular berry crop; shrub or tree belonging to the Rosaceae family. Transcaucasia and some Asian countries are considered to be the birthplace of cherries.
Characteristics of culture
Cherry is represented by shrubs or trees reaching a height of 6 m. It has a wide root system containing both skeletal and fibrous roots, going down to 200 cm. The trunk of the plant is straight, covered with gray or grayish-brown bark. Cherry shoots are of 3 types.
The leaves are oblong, serrated along the edges, pointed at the tips, elliptical, green in color, located on petioles. The flowers are small, snow-white or pinkish, collected in umbellate inflorescences. The fruits are round drupes. They can have a wide variety of colors.
Features of cultivation
Cherry is a sun-loving plant and thrives on fertile, light, loose and alkaline soils. It does not accept sandy, saline and rocky soils, as well as areas with close groundwater and lowlands with stagnant cold air.
Many varieties of cherries are winter-hardy and can easily tolerate temperatures down t o-30C. Alternating frosts and thaws is dangerous for cherries. The flowers of the crop die at a temperature o f-2C, and the ovaries — a t-1C. Flowering continues for 7-10 days.
Reproduction and planting
Cherries are propagated by cuttings, grafting, root shoots and seeds. The seeds are sown in early September, and the seedlings formed from them are transplanted into the ground a year later. Planting of root shoots and cuttings, as well as grafting, is carried out in early spring before sap flow.
Among amateur gardeners, the method of planting annual seedlings with lateral branches is widespread. Planting pits for cherries are prepared in advance; they should be at least 40-45 cm in diameter and 50 cm deep. The soil removed from the pit is mixed with humus, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Part of the resulting substrate is poured into the hole, forming a cone-shaped mound.
The seedlings are lowered into the planting hole, the roots are carefully straightened, then the voids are filled with the remaining soil substrate, compacted, watered and mulched. Important: the root collar should be located 3-4 cm above the soil surface.
Care
Caring for cherries consists of several mandatory procedures. It is necessary to regularly weed the soil in the tree trunk zone, since the crop does not tolerate competitors in the fight for water. Loosening is carried out monthly, but not deeper than 5 cm at the trunk itself, and 15 cm in the periphery of the crown. Cherries also need regular watering; waterlogging is undesirable; watering is especially required at the time of berry formation and after harvest.
The crop also requires timely fertilizing: the first is carried out with complex mineral fertilizers (carried out immediately after flowering), the second — in the fall with rotted manure or compost. Pruning is one of the most important procedures. Formative and thinning pruning is carried out in early spring.
Pest and disease control
Cherries are quite often affected by various diseases and illnesses. The most common crop diseases are white rust, clasthesproosis and fruit rot. For prevention, it is recommended to regularly spray with Bordeaux mixture, while removing affected branches, raking and burning fallen leaves.
Uninvited guests that cause damage to cherry bushes are the following pests: cherry sawfly, cherry fly, scale insects, weevils, etc. If pests are detected, the bushes are treated with approved chemicals.
