Colon-shaped trees first appeared in 1964 in Canada. At one of the private farms, a natural mutation of the apple tree was revealed. She became the basis of selection. Further work on the consolidation of characteristic features has received results already in Europe. In private gardens, columnar trees are still rare. The most common are apple trees and pears, but columnar cherries are still considered rare. What is the difference between this tree and traditional species?
Column-shaped sweet cherry is a cylinder-shaped tree growing only upwards. The crown is formed by short lateral branches. In diameter, it does not exceed one meter. A feature of the lateral branches is a huge number of fruit processes and the absence of branching.
Advantages of Colon Trees
Column-shaped cherry has a lot of advantages when grown on the site. Among them:
Decorative
These trees are able to maintain the integrity of the landscape in the design of the site. Such a selection novelty will not leave anyone indifferent from amateur gardeners.
Compactness
Due to the small diameter of the tree crowns, they can use significantly less space for fruit trees. They are much easier to process, care for them and harvest.
Taste and early maturity
Crown-shaped sweet cherry varieties bred today have retained the basic flavor characteristics of the classic varieties. In different varieties, technical ripeness occurs from the beginning to mid-June, and therefore allows you to feast on vitamins in early summer. The height of the column does not exceed two meters.
Column-shaped cherries are in demand in industrial gardening. When obtaining a new variety, scientific methods of exposure are used:
- selection;
- agrotechnical and chemical techniques;
- mechanical and surgical effects.
Thanks to these techniques, the yield and maturity of trees increase. Industrial cherry orchards are formed with a prospect for the yield of each tree from 8 to 10 kg. When landing, the following options are used:
- trees are planted according to the scheme - 3.0x2.5 and 2.0x1.5 meters;
- planting density of up to 13,300 trees per hectare.
Compact trees are also grown in trays and containers. This allows trees to be protected in winter and thus promote industrial gardening to the north.
Popular varieties: black cherries
Highly productive, unpretentious variety, which is highly decorative. During flowering, this slender tree completely covers the lace of light pink petals. After flowering, they strew the ground with a continuous carpet.
Slender, tall, upright tree with no horizontal branches. Height does not exceed two meters. This is a self-pollinating variety, so its yield does not depend on pollinating neighbors. The fruits are maroon, sometimes almost black, large. The berries are juicy and very sweet, shiny. They are distinguished by excellent trade dress and high transportability.
Delight
This columnar cherry is a mid-early ripening variety. The tree grows no more than 2.5 meters in height. The crown in diameter is no more than a meter. The variety is famous for its high productivity and winter hardiness. The berries are colored ruby red, large: weight up to fourteen grams. The flesh is dark red, with small pink spots, very juicy. The plant is resistant to many diseases characteristic of stone fruits.
Column-shaped cherries for the suburbs
For gardeners of the southern regions of our country there is no problem with the choice of high-yielding early ripening varieties of your favorite berry. And the inhabitants of the Moscow region and the middle zone of our country became interested in cherub-shaped cherries: they are high-yielding, early ripening and also take up very little space on the site.
Helena
A small tree with a height of not more than 2.5 meters, which pleases with consistently high yields (12-14 kg from one tree) and delicious large berries. Ripe berries appear in the first half of June. Fruits are painted in burgundy color. The pulp is dark red with thin pinkish veins. This variety is self-fertile, but if you want to increase productivity, plant a tree next to Sylvia.
Sylvia
Very similar to the main characteristics of the previous grade. Large berries are ruby-colored. Helena and Sylvia are considered varieties with average winter hardiness, so it is advisable to shelter them for the winter.
Revna
Today in the suburbs you can successfully grow columnar cherries. The varieties that breeders have developed today are distinguished by their amazing sweet taste, juicy berries with excellent transportability. An example of this is the variety Revna.
Its berries are distinguished by a characteristic wide funnel with a round top. Their weight is from 5 to 8 grams. The tree begins to bloom in May, and the first berries ripen in early July. The advantages of this variety include outstanding taste, frost resistance, increased resistance to damage by fungi and sunburn.
Sem
A pollinator variety with six grams of berries. A tree of the same height as large-fruited varieties. Sem bears fruit for about fifteen years.
Preparation for landing
What should be the seedlings of columnar cherries? What should I look for when buying? First of all, examine the main bud, which is located at the top, since it is it that has the greatest influence on the development of the tree. If the tree already has leaves, then they must be healthy, not damaged by pests.
When to plant a tree?
It is advisable to carry out this work in spring, when the temperature is set at night, and before the sap flow begins. In the southern regions, autumn planting is no different from spring planting. Before the onset of cold weather, the root system is strengthened, and in the spring it will give new shoots. In the more northern regions, one cannot be sure that the tree will adapt to winter, so it is more advisable to dig it before early spring, and then determine its permanent place.
Seat selection
Column-shaped cherry - photophilous culture. She needs plenty of sunlight and protection from winds and drafts. The southern sides of buildings, fences are perfect, but avoid low places and closely lying groundwater. Stagnation of moisture will destroy the tree and significantly reduce the winter hardiness.
Column-shaped cherries: landing
To plant a seedling, you need a pit 60x70x70 cm in size, since the root system of these species is rather weak. Make a homogeneous mass of compost, thin twigs and manure and lay it on the bottom of the pit with a layer of 30 cm. Top with ten centimeters of sand, which over time will become good soil and will settle slightly. In the early years, this will allow the plant to tolerate frost well and protect against overflow in the summer. The last layer should contain fertilizers, but preferably organic, rather than mineral.
Depending on the size of the seedling, it is abundantly watered (from 20 to 30 liters of water). Tamp the contents of the pit, make a hole and plant a tree. After this, fill up the ground so that a small mound about fifteen centimeters high is formed. It is desirable for stability to make a backup and garter of the seedling. When planting, the distance between the cherries can be from 2.5 meters.
Fruiting
Since in the first year, experts recommend removing the ovaries during flowering, the first small crop of columnar cherries will delight you in the second year after planting. Although, when growing some varieties, fruiting may occur in the year of planting, which is especially attractive to gardeners.
Cherry Care
These small slender trees will not require much effort from you - pruning is quite rare if necessary, the crown is formed using a central shoot. In the first year, three to four heavy irrigation is enough, since excess moisture reduces the level of air in the soil, which the plant needs to strengthen the still fragile root system.
Despite the plant's resistance to most diseases, to prevent the appearance of pests or when they are detected, treat the tree with special means, but always in the evening.
There are two ways to propagate the culture: with a bone or a grafted seedling. In the second case, a two-year-old sweet cherry is vaccinated at a height of about one and a half meters. In the first - in a pot of earth and sand, plant a seed of ripened berry, after it sprouts, dig it.
Gardeners reviews
Despite the fact that columnar-shaped cherries are still not very common in private garden plots, the reviews of the owners of this tree are enthusiastic. In addition to the excellent taste of berries, simple care of the plant, it is a real decoration of any garden. In addition, the tree takes up very little space, which is especially true for owners of small cottage or garden plots.