Many people like to enjoy ripe cherries. The berry not only tastes good, but also has healthy qualities. It contains vitamins B and C, magnesium and iron. Cherry fruits improve digestion, strengthen vascular walls, have an analgesic effect, raise weakened immunity.
The choice of varieties for the suburbs
Previously, cherries were grown only in the southern regions. The harsh winters of the Moscow region did not give the opportunity to grow this culture. But today, experts have developed many varieties for the northern regions.
When choosing a variety of cherries for the suburbs it is necessary to take into account that this tree is very finicky. It will grow in central Russia under certain conditions:
- lack of sharp temperature fluctuations;
- sufficient light and heat;
- proper care;
- constant top dressing of the soil.
The most suitable varieties of cherries for the Moscow region are: Iput, Ovstuzhenka, Revna, Homestead yellow, Oryol amber.
Yellow-fruited hybrids are distinguished by a delicate exquisite taste. One of them is Drogana yellow. It is also well suited for the climatic conditions of the Moscow region.
Yellow Drogan Cherry: grade description
The variety was bred in Germany and was named after the originator Drogan. Yellow Drogan sweet cherry is common in different regions of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
The variety belongs to the universal, brings high yields of yellow fruits. The variety is not picky about the soil, calmly tolerates mild drought, has a strong hardy root system.
The tree is vigorous, the crown is dense, sprawling. Sweet cherry grows to 5-6 meters in height. The leaves are large, dark green in color. The flower is medium sized with white petals. Cherry blossoms in late March - early April.
Fruits are larger than average, each weighing 6-8 grams. The shape of the berries of Drogan cherry is yellow, round-heart-shaped. The peel of the berries is yellow, strong, shiny, sometimes with a pink tint. The stone is inseparable from the pulp. Fruits ripen by the end of June. It is problematic to transport them because of the thin skin. But the berries taste good, and it is best to use them in food fresh. From cherries are obtained excellent quality compotes.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Characteristics of Drogan yellow cherries allow you to highlight the pros and cons of the variety. The pros include:
- high adaptation to any climatic conditions;
- winter hardiness;
- resistance to short drought;
- undemanding to the soil;
- excellent taste of the fruit.
Minuses:
- poor transportability;
- susceptibility to attack by cherry flies and fruit rot.
Seedling Selection
Saplings are purchased in garden departments or in nurseries. The tree should have a passport with information about its variety, growing characteristics. If there is no document, you should not buy a tree. The seedling is no more than three years old.
Before buying, you should inspect the bark for damage. The presence of buds in a seedling is a good sign. In their absence, the cherry may not take root.
The root system must have at least three branches. A small incision is made at the root to examine the seedling for frostbite. The brownish color in the root suggests that you should not buy such a tree.
After the purchase, leaves are removed from the tree so that they do not take all the moisture.
Where to plant sweet cherry on the site
Many gardeners dream of having cherries in their area. In the cultivation of this tree has its own characteristics, which should be known before planting and in the process of care.
Trees are planted in pairs, because cherries are self-infertile. Therefore, when buying, at least two seedlings are purchased.
When choosing a place, it is worth considering that the tree grows up to 6 meters in height. It will not be possible to reduce growth strongly even with competent pruning. This feature should not be overlooked.
Drogan yellow sweet cherry loves sunny places. The sun should be on the site for 16-18 hours. Lowlands and drafts are not suitable for this culture. The tree needs wind protection.
It is necessary to plant cherries on the south side of the site. It is good if the tree is planted against walls and fences painted with white paint. This will enhance the light. For one tree, a territory of 5 x 6 meters is required.
The soil needs a warm, drained and fertilized, slightly acid reaction. Sweet loams and light loams are suitable for sweet cherries. Groundwater level - at a depth of 4-5 meters. In high-quality soil, earthworms live.
How to plant sweet cherries
Planting and care of Drogan yellow cherries have their own characteristics. Typically, cherries are planted in spring in pre-prepared pits. If seedlings are purchased in the summer, they are planted after two weeks, after preparing the soil.
A seedling of two years of age is placed in a pit 70 cm wide and 70 cm deep. If the soil is not heavy, these figures can be reduced by 10-15 cm. The removed topsoil is removed to the side, it will be needed in the spring for backfilling.
Shredded herbs and leaves are placed in the planting pit, a solution of manure or an infusion of green manure is poured. Fertilize with superphosphate, potassium sulfate, mix well.
In spring, humus and peat are added to the upper soil in a bucket. They drive in a peg, fill the ground and water it well. After a couple of hours, you can plant the cherry, straightening the root structure. The root neck should rise 4-5 cm above the ground.
After falling asleep, the seedling must be tied up with a rope and watered. After some time, the soil will settle, the root neck will drop to ground level. The trunk circle is covered with peat and grass mulch.
In the central regions of Russia, the soil is cold and infertile, therefore, among gardeners, the method of planting cherries in flower beds 2-2.5 meters wide, rising 60 cm above the ground, is common among gardeners. It is also necessary to prepare such flower beds in autumn. To do this, loosen the top layer, make sand and gravel drainage (10 cm), then lay a layer of compost with potash and superphosphate fertilizers (30 cm), as well as fertile soil.
In the spring, they make a hole in the flowerbed for planting, place a stake, plant sweet cherry, cover it with earth, tie it and water it. Mulch is placed on the surface. The flower bed needs high-quality mulch and plentiful watering.
Cherry Care
To provide food for the tree, pits are made next to it, in which they place organic matter, ash and mineral fertilizers.
For watering after planting, make a groove one meter from the trunk. This is necessary so that during irrigation the water does not stagnate at the roots and the trunk circle is not eroded. As the cherries grow older, the groove shifts to the outlines of the crown. Fertilizer solutions can also be poured into the groove.
Further care of the tree is uncomplicated. Under the crown weed the soil so that there are no weeds. The trunk circle is gradually expanding, by the third year it should be 150 cm.
The tree is watered and fed three times a season. First, the earth is loosened in the near-stem circle. Then it is watered with water warmed up in the sun and a solution of fertilizers.
After fertilizing in early spring with a solution of urea or manure. Fertilizer should not fall on the root neck.
Further fed during budding and in the period of ovaries. For this time, ash and double superphosphate are suitable.
To improve the pollination process, flowers can be sprayed with sweet water made from dissolved honey. This will attract bees to pollinate the cherries.
Tree pruning
The yellow Drogana sweet cherry variety description requires cutting it for full development. Initial pruning and subsequent pruning are different.
The first time the sweet cherry is cut at the age of 1-2 years in early June. This is done to increase the number of branches and achieve early fruiting.
The first pruning is performed as follows:
- If the seedling is developed, and it has 4-6 branches making up an angle of more than 45 degrees with the conductor, then the lower branches are cut to 50 cm. The upper shoots are cut to the level of the lower tier. They are reduced by half.
- If the seedling of branches has a small number - no more than three, then they are cut by 25 cm. As a result, the growth of shoots will increase, and they will become the basis of the lower tier.
Basic rules for further trimming:
- skeletal branches are reduced by 10-12 cm;
- the branches inside the crown are cut into a ring;
- in each tier they reduce the length of the shoots, but do not touch the reference shoot.
By the sixth year, the crown formation stage usually ends. Next, you need to remove the shoots, thickening the crown.
Disease
The most common diseases for Drogan sweet cherry are yellow, as for other varieties, this is tinder fungus and gray rot.
Tinder fungus is a fungus that infects the trunk. Due to the disease, the tree softens and weakens, after which it dies. To prevent disease, you need to treat the trunk with dissolved lime.
Gray rot affects young shoots. The fruits begin to rot, they need to be removed. A solution of copper sulfate and nitrafemon can help with the disease.
Pests
Yellow pests of Drogan sweet cherry:
- aphid cherry;
- cherry fly;
- pipework;
- leaflet.
Cherry aphid lays eggs in the fall, spoils the tree, starting from the original buds. The leaves are sick and dry.
Cherry fly can damage all the fruits of cherry. After flowering, the pupae give rise to a new generation of flies that feeds on the juice of unripe berries and nectar. Flies lay eggs in the area of the stalk. Fruits affected by a fly rot and crumble.
Pipeline eats flowers, leaves, buds, cherries. These parasites lay their eggs on the bones, the larvae feed on the fetal nucleus, which greatly reduces the yield.
Leafworm harms buds and leaves. When the caterpillar grows, it begins to eat leaves.
Harm cherries and birds. They will help from:
- ultrasound device;
- guns with imitation of a shot;
- scarecrow;
- fishing nets;
- spraying sweet cherries with protective solutions.
Grade Pollinators
Yellow Drogan sweet cherry is not pollinated independently. For productivity planted cherries of other varieties:
- Bigarro Oratovsky.
- Napoleon.
- Large-fruited.
- Melitopol black.
- Franz Joseph.
Pollination successfully occurs if between the pollinated trees no more than 40 meters. Moreover, in the interval other cultures should not grow, otherwise the bees pollinate them. This applies to pears, apple trees. The optimal distance at which to place the trees is 4 meters. For mutual pollination, different varieties must be placed according to the rule: varieties with an early period are located next to the cherry with medium flowering periods, and medium ones with late ones.
Sometimes gardeners complain that even in the presence of pollinators, Drogana has no yellow crop. This may be due to adverse weather conditions. Heat, rain and winds interfere with effective pollination. Hot weather damages flowers, and rain flushes pollen off and contributes to the development of fungal diseases. Wind prevents insects from engaging in pollination.
When selecting pollinating trees, it is important to choose compatible varieties, since the quantity and quality of the crop will directly depend on this.
It happens that on the site there is not enough space for another tree. What to do in this case? It is good if there is a pollinator tree in an adjacent area. But so successfully the situation is far from always. Then grafting trees of other varieties can help. Until a vaccination has been made, it is possible to fix flowering branches on a crown in a vessel with water.
Sometimes gardeners have cherries and cherries nearby for pollination. But this is a big mistake. These are different species with different sets of chromosomes. From their mutual pollination fruits are obtained, but in single quantities.
Yellow Drogan Cherry: reviews of gardeners
The properties of cherries of this variety provide its popularity and good reviews among gardeners. This is due to the high palatability of the fruit, as well as the ability of the variety to be pollinator for many others.
Gardeners also note excellent adaptation to various weather conditions and a high yield of yellow Drogan cherries.
With proper care, cherries will delight their owner with wonderful fruits for a long time.