Cherry trees are the second most popular in orchards after apple trees and have more than 150 different varieties. This is a valuable dietary product that improves appetite and is loved by many for its unique healing properties. In this case, not only berries are used, but also bark and leaves. A worthy place among its relatives is cherry Kharitonovskaya.
It appeared as a result of breeding of varieties Zhukovsky and Diamond. In 1998, a new varietal name was entered into the State Register. 1998 is considered the year of birth of this cherry.
Kharitonovskaya cherry: variety description, reviews
A medium-sized tree with a height of 2.5 - 3 meters will delight any gardener with sufficiently large, tender, round-shaped fruits. Their color is saturated, dark red, with a small amount of subtle subcutaneous points. Kharitonovskaya cherries (reviews indicate the presence of a thick, pleasant peel) has a juicy orange flesh with a pronounced sweet and sour taste. The weight of the berry is on average five grams.
What is the difference between this kind of cherry? Kharitonovskaya is characterized by a stalk of medium length and thickness, which is easily separated from the branch, but firmly and securely attached to the bone itself. It is worth noting that the bone leaves the pulp very simply.
This cherry is partially self-fertile. The neighboring trees of related varieties Zhukovsky and Vladimir have a beneficial effect on pollination.
Kharitonovskaya cherry is a sprawling tree with a spherical crown and medium-sized foliage. The leaves are dark green in color; they are smooth and dense.
The buds of the tree are slightly pointed, reddish-brown, located near the shoot. The color of the tree is plentiful, with large white flowers gathered in umbrellas. Fruits in last year's growths.
The main advantages of the variety and disadvantages
Kharitonovskaya cherries, the description of which is presented above, is considered a variety abundantly bearing fruit, giving a stable crop.
Its berries are perfectly transported. Even after a long transportation, they perfectly retain their taste and presentation.
All gardeners are known for resistance to fungal diseases in a variety such as Kharitonovskaya cherry. Reviews of all the same experienced gardeners indicate that when the celandine grows at the base of the tree, it is much less likely to be affected by coccomycosis. And this important factor allows us to count on a consistently good crop.
Resistance to frost, unfortunately, did not show this variety of cherries. Kharitonovskaya reviews, although it has positive, but those who planted it at home, mention that in some regions the tree still freezes. The winter hardiness of flower buds is particularly challenged.
The main (and for the most part the only) drawback should include a rather large bone size in the fetus.
Seedlings
Cherry is far from being the most capricious tree, but properly selected soil and observing simple rules when planting will provide each owner of a garden with this variety an excellent harvest.
Kharitonovskaya cherries (or rather, its seedlings) are planted in the autumn period before the onset of frost. The optimal time for work will be mid-October. If you postpone the planting in the spring, it is very important to have time to do this before the trees awaken and the sap flow begins.
If seedlings were purchased in late autumn, then it is better to postpone planting until spring. You can save them by digging in a trench 30-40 centimeters deep. In this case, the crowns should be laid on the south side. The roots in the trench should be tightly tamped and watered.
Two-year-old seedlings grafted with cuttings take root best.
Landing: seat selection
Planting cherries (Kharitonovskaya means) begins with the choice of location. Sloping slopes are good, especially on higher ground. Suitable for planting and a place near a fence or other outbuildings. The main thing is that it is the south side, especially since in winter more snow will accumulate there.
A close groundwater level is not very favorable for the landing of Kharitonovskaya. The minimum depth of their occurrence should be at least one and a half meters. If the water is very close to the surface of the soil, during planting you can make a hill, the height of which will leave at least one meter.
Lighting
Is this kind of cherry demanding for light? Kharitonovskaya loves sunny places. In this regard, it is more demanding than, for example, a pear or an apple tree. So on the site to hide it under the crowns of large trees is not worth it. In such places, the cherry will stretch upward, but it will not bear fruit.
Suitable substrate
Kharitonovskaya cherry (photo below) prefers loose sandy loamy well-drained soil with a neutral reaction. Such a substrate warms up well, is moisture-absorbing and breathable. The soil should first be enriched with nutrients. In the process of digging, it is necessary to introduce organic, potash and phosphorus fertilizers. If the soil is acidic, sod-podzolic, then a liming procedure will be necessary. Otherwise, the seedling will not be able to take root.
Before planting a seedling, inspect its roots for damage. All unhealthy fate must be removed. Dried roots are recommended to dip in water for three or four hours.
Landing pit for cherries
Dig and prepare a pit for a seedling should be in advance, a few weeks before the intended planting. The pit should be at least 60 by 60 centimeters in size. In the process of digging, the upper fertile soil layer is deposited in one direction, the lower - in the other. A peg of 1-1.5 meters long is installed in the center of the landing pit.
Fertilize before planting should not only the soil, but also the prepared pit. It is required to add several buckets of humus to the soil (this can be manure or compost), granular superphosphate, calcium sulfate and, necessarily, wood ash. In no case should there be mineral fertilizers or lime in the planting pit.
In the pit, where the fertilizer turned out to be a half-meter mound, we put a seedling. We straighten the root system. First, fill the hole with a fertilized topsoil, compact it well, and then sprinkle with the rest of the earth. A hole is made along the perimeter of the seedling, it is watered. One tree will require at least three buckets of water.
The root neck should not be deeply buried. After watering, it should remain at ground level.
After landing care
Kharitonovskaya cherry (description of the variety, the reviews of which are given in the article above) requires good after-planting care, which consists in loosening the soil, watering, pruning the shoots, protecting against pests, and removing weeds.
Beneficially, cherry plants are affected by plants in the neighborhood. Good “friends” for her will be strawberries, jasmine, rose, raspberries, gladiolus, grapes. Poor apple trees will be affected by apple trees, daffodil flowers, pansies, irises, lilies, carrots.
Tree care in the fall
In autumn, the land on the site and under the tree must be dug up, fertilized and prepared for wintering. Preparation consists in the formation of comprehensive protection of the root system and trunk from rodents and frosts.
In autumn, phosphorus and potash fertilizers are introduced into the soil. Sawdust, compost, bird droppings, and manure are suitable as organic substances. After fertilizing the substrate, it must be dug to a depth of 20-25 centimeters.
To protect against frost, the tree should be covered with snow, and pour mulch (sawdust, straw) on top.
A mixture of clay, mullein and vitriol will help protect cherries from rodents.
Spring worries
Tree care in the spring begins with pruning, which is performed for sanitary and aesthetic purposes. Firstly, the procedure allows you to remove dried or damaged branches, which will save the plant strength. Secondly, it is an opportunity to form the right beautiful crown. The process stops when the tree reaches a height of 2-2.5 meters.
Thirdly, circumcision rejuvenates the plant, which favorably affects the amount of yield.
The procedure is carried out in early spring. It is worth starting with annual seedlings, which are cut on average by 60-70 centimeters.
The next step in caring for the tree will be its whitewashing. Previously, the sections of the branches must be treated with copper sulfate, and then painted. Whitewashing allows you to protect the tree trunk from various pests, insects. And from an aesthetic point of view, the garden at the same time looks neater. For the procedure on fruit trees, hydrated lime is used.
Among other things, Kharitonovskaya cherry, like any other, requires the removal of dry grass and leaves from the ground. This should be done carefully so as not to damage the root system, located near the surface of the soil. Digging improves the condition of the topsoil, makes it more loose, increases the access of oxygen.
For a good harvest, Kharitonovskaya cherry needs fertilizer. This adds to the tree of strength, allows it to grow. Feeding should be several times a season. After the tree fades, you can make manure mixed with ash and diluted in six buckets of water. After a few weeks, the procedure is recommended to be repeated. At the same time, nitrogen fertilizers can be applied.
You can get rid of pests on the cherry by spraying. The first procedure is carried out before the tree awakens. This will destroy the pests that settled in the plant for the winter. You can use a solution of urea and water. But if you delay the procedure, then the solution may burn the leaves.
Against shaggy caterpillars carried by the wind, preparations containing copper help well. The test can be done on one branch, see if there will be a burn, and then process the entire crown.
Cherry is most susceptible to fungal diseases such as coccomycosis and moniliosis. To combat them, the Bordeaux mixture and Azofos are used. The main thing is to have time to do this before the first flowers appear.
Water the cherries several times a year. The first watering is carried out in mid-July. Repeat the procedure after thirty days. We are preparing for winter with the third fruit tree irrigation of the season.
Cherry application
This unique berry is consumed both fresh, and dried, and in canned form. Its fruits are used for the preparation of compotes, syrups, preserves, jams, extracts, liquors and liquors.
Kharitonovskaya cherry (description, reviews and care for it are presented above) is a wonderful representative of fruit trees. The unpretentiousness and unpretentiousness of this variety make it a desirable inhabitant in any garden.