Sweet cherries are known even before our era. Then they grew up in Greece. Then the area of their distribution expanded to Western and Central Europe. But for a long time the cherry was a southern tree, unable to withstand even mild frosts. In the last century, breeders bred several frost-resistant varieties. One of them is black cherry Leningrad.
Grade description
She has everything beautiful, from delicate flowers to a high dark gray trunk. But cherries enjoy well-deserved popularity primarily because of early ripening delicious fruits.
The black cherry variety Leningradskaya black was developed at the Pavlovskaya experimental station at the end of the last century. Its main difference is high frost resistance.
A tree of this variety is of medium height with a wide spreading crown. The number of leaves is not very large. Black cherry Leningradskaya is a very productive variety. The number of fruits depends on the age of the tree, care and weather conditions. But usually from 30 to 40 kilograms gives black Leningrad black.
The description of the fruit indicates that they are round, heart-shaped. Each weight is average: from 3.4 to 5 g. The skin color is dark cherry; when ripe, it is almost black. Hence the name. The pulp is also dark, fibrous, juicy, sweet, slightly sour, with a slight bitterness, which is inherent in almost all cherries. Specialists evaluate its taste qualities at 4.0-4.2 points. The fruit easily comes off the petiole.
Sweet cherry Leningrad black begins to bear fruit in the third or fourth year after planting. A tree of medium maturity. In the south of the Black Earth region this is mid-June. In more northern areas, this happens a little later. Berries do not fall, hang on a tree until September, without changing their taste. Black cherry Leningrad is also appreciated for this.
Pollinators
Unfortunately, she is a self-infertile tree. It will bloom, but will not yield a crop. In order for the berries to set, you need to plant next another sweet cherry. At the same time, it should bloom at about the same time as the black Leningrad cherry. Pollinators have the same brand: Leningrad yellow and Leningrad pink.
Good pollinators for her would be Fatezh, Chermashnaya or Red dense. It is believed that cherries may be the pollinator for cherries, although they are usually not pollinated.
Frost resistance
One of the qualities for which black cherry Leningradskaya is valued is winter hardiness. But still it can freeze, especially at a young age. Reviews recommend mulching the near-stem circle with horse manure. Of course, if there is an opportunity to get it.
The stem of a young tree is recommended to be wrapped with special covering material or to adapt old nylon stockings for this. Main condition: the shelter needs air and moisture to pass through.
In early spring, the trunk is treated with slaked lime solution . It protects the bark from sunburn and destroys pathogens and small pests.
To protect from the sun, you can use the same stockings. And it’s better to wrap them as much as possible of the stem and branches.
Sweet cherry Leningradskaya black grows well in the south of the Non-Black Earth Region and the entire territory of the Central Black Earth Region.
Landing place
Sweet cherry prefers sandy or loamy soils with a neutral acidity of pH 6.5-7.0. A prerequisite for a decent harvest is the right place to plant. Cherries Leningradskaya black likes to grow in a well-lit place. In the shade it stretches up, there will be few fruits, and even those are unsweetened. It will be difficult to get them, since the trunk will be thin and flexible, the branches are located at a great distance from each other. Given the tendency of young cherries to freeze, it is better to plant it before construction from the south side.
Ground water should approach the surface level to a depth of one and a half meters or more. If it is smaller, then the cherry should be planted on a hill or drainage should be done. The stagnation of water in the root system can lead to the death of the tree black cherry Leningrad.
Landing and care
Cherry with a bare root system is planted in early spring, plants in containers - until October. The root neck (vaccination site) after planting should be 5-7 cm above the ground. Branches can be trimmed immediately for proper crown formation. But the roots of the cherry when planting are not pruned, just leveled.
The area occupied by the root system of the tree is 12 square meters.
Watering the cherry once a week, but in two doses: a bucket of water in the morning and evening for one adult tree. This is especially important in May and June. At this time, not only the fruits are poured, but the foundation of the future harvest is laid - flower buds for next year. Therefore, a lack of moisture will be reflected in both the current and next year.
In July, when the black cherry Leningradskaya ripens, reviews advise her not to water, so that the fruits do not crack. In addition, the growth of young shoots can begin, which will weaken the tree. It will be necessary to return to watering in the fall if the land is dry by this time. This will help cherries to winter.
In areas with a close occurrence of groundwater, it is necessary to water so that the water does not stagnate.
The near-stem circle near the cherry must always be kept clean from weeds and loosen the soil there. So that it does not overgrow, you can separate it with a border tape.
All root processes that form in spring and summer should be removed.
Pruning
Leningradskaya black cherry does not need strong pruning. The description of the variety indicates that it is a tree of medium vigor. One-year-old when landing cut off at the level of 1 meter.
In early spring, annual pruning is performed without leaving stumps (per ring). Branches that lean low to the ground, old and broken, are removed. Cut vertically located, as well as those that rub together. Weak and uneven shoots are completely removed. The crown is shaped so that it is well lit and spreading. This will allow the fruit to be well lit by the sun and facilitate harvesting. The tops, which were formed on the site of last year's pruning, are also cut out. But if necessary, a fruiting branch can also be formed from them.
Delete at a time you need no more than a quarter of the mass of branches.
In August, very strong young shoots are shortened by 15 cm. After that, they become thicker and better tolerate winter frosts.
If the growth of young branches in an adult tree is reduced to 20 cm, they are cut for two to three years, thus rejuvenating the crown.
Fertilizer
The amount of fertilizer during planting and further care largely depends on the quality of the soil. If it is fertilized, you can feed once every three to four years. On soft soils it is carried out every year.
Humus or compost, superphosphate and potassium chloride are placed in the pit for planting.
In subsequent years, nitrogen fertilizers are introduced in the spring , and superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added in the fall.
Organics are introduced in spring or autumn.
In the fall, nitrogen is not added so as not to provoke the growth of stems, which will still freeze in winter.
Crop rationing
Every gardener who grew young trees knows how he wants to quickly see the fruits of a new variety. But there is no need to rush with this. The main task is to get a strong healthy tree. And then already indulge in plenty of its sweet cool fruits.
If the tree you planted has bloomed in the first year, it is better to remove all the buds. Doesn't the arm go up? Well, if it is strong and well developed, you can leave about a fifth of the formed flowers. There is no guarantee that at least one berry will reach, but there is still a chance.
Subsequently, in the spring, if possible, half of the formed ovaries (not flowers!) Are cut off. This will allow you to get large and tasty fruits. And the load on the tree will be less. Typically, cherries in the middle lane bear fruit in a year. If you normalize the number of fruits, then next year it can give a decent harvest.
Diseases and Pests
What else is appreciated for black Leningrad cherries? Reviews of gardeners indicate that it is slightly affected by diseases. She has few pests. In winter, these are hares and mice. The same stockings or a special net from rodents will help protect against bark from them.
Young shoots are affected by aphids, which leads to their drying. How to understand that the black cherry of Leningrad is affected by this pest? Description of affected shoots: leaves twisted, sticky, unnaturally shiny. If you do not fight it, the shoots dry up. It is easiest to destroy it with the help of a trichogram. These small insects, launched into the garden in spring, themselves find and destroy aphids. You can spray the tree with various poisons, including Agrofit and Fitoverm (on a natural basis).
Benefit
The fruits of sweet cherry Leningradskaya black are composed of many useful substances. This is a whole series of vitamins, pectins, ascorbic acid, carotene, flavnoids, sugars, trace elements.
Using:
- kidney treatment;
- strengthening the walls of blood vessels;
- increase in hemoglobin level;
- anemia treatment;
- prevention of atherosclerosis;
- normalizes pressure;
- dilutes blood so that blood clots do not form;
- anesthetizes with rheumatism, arthritis;
- juice stimulates digestion;
- a decoction of the stems helps in the treatment of neurosis and improves heart activity.