Cherry is one of the favorite fruit crops grown in Russia. Many old varieties have not lost their relevance and are still planted today. Let's consider the description of the Franz Joseph cherry, the pros and cons, the subtleties of planting and growing. How to care for a tree, feed and water, prune, protect from diseases and pests, collect and store fruits.
- History of selection
- Description and characteristics of the tree
- Pros and cons of the variety
- The nuances of growing cherries Franz Joseph
- Selection of quality seedlings for planting
- Preparatory work and selection of a suitable location
- Step-by-step planting diagram
- How to care for a plant
- Watering, loosening
- Top dressing
- Trimming
- Wintering
- Diseases and pests
- Harvest and storage
History of selection
The variety was developed at the end of the 19th century, presumably in the Czech Republic. The author is considered to be pomologist Joseph-Eduard Prohe, who gave the cherry its name after the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph. In the USSR, the variety was included in the Register in 1947 and began to be grown on an industrial scale. Cherries are mainly grown in the southern regions, Ukraine and Belarus.
Description and characteristics of the tree
The tree grows to medium height, with a wide oval crown. The berries are also broadly oval or round, yellow in color with a red blush over almost the entire surface. Fruit weight – 5-6.5 g. The pulp is pink-yellow, dense, “crispy”, sweet, with mild sourness, the juice is clear.
Franz Josef cherries ripen at the end of June. It stores well and is an excellent raw material for preparations. Due to their density and strength, the fruits can withstand transportation without problems, do not wrinkle or flow. Fruiting of this variety of cherries begins at the age of 6 years. You can remove 35 kg of berries from a 10-year-old tree, and 40 kg from a 15-year-old tree.
Pros and cons of the variety
Advantages of Franz Joseph cherries:
- disease resistance;
- taste, juiciness and density of berries;
- beautiful fruit color;
- transportability and keeping quality;
- stability of fruiting;
- productivity.
Disadvantages of the variety: average winter hardiness, needs pollinators.
The nuances of growing cherries Franz Joseph
The technology for growing this variety of cherries is simple. Agricultural technology begins with planting a seedling and caring for it. You need to care for the tree throughout its life, while it bears fruit. Without care, there will be no good harvest; in any case, the tree will not show its full potential.
Selection of quality seedlings for planting
For planting, you need to choose a 1- or 2-year-old seedling.At this age, cherries take root quickly and do not get sick after transplantation. A 2-year-old seedling should have 2-3 branches, powerful roots, with fresh tips. The bark of the tree should not show signs of disease or damage caused by pests; it should be smooth and shiny.
Preparatory work and selection of a suitable location
It is better to plant Franz Joseph cherries in an area of the garden that is open to sunlight. It can be planted close to fences or buildings, but at a distance of at least 2 m from them.
The soil is preferably loamy or sandy loam, fertile and light, avoiding areas where water accumulates.
The preparatory work consists of digging a planting hole and preparing the seedling. The depth of the hole is up to 0.7 m, the width is at least 0.5 m. It is recommended to soak the roots of cherry seedlings for a day in a solution of any root formation stimulant.
Step-by-step planting diagram
How to plant a seedling correctly:
- You need to lay a drainage layer on the bottom, pour 1 bucket of humus on top, 1 kg of ash, and mix with the same volume of soil.
- Place the roots of the seedling in the center of the hole and straighten them.
- Fill the voids with soil and compact it.
- Pour water over; when it goes into the ground, sprinkle the soil with mulch of straw or hay, you can use agrofibre.
- Place a stake next to the seedling and tie the trunk to it.
The landing process is complete.
How to care for a plant
Caring for Franz Joseph cherries consists of watering and fertilizing, pruning and preparing for winter. Let's look at these stages in more detail.
Watering, loosening
For the first 2 months, the plant is watered every week, when it takes root - 1-2 times a month. At least 1 bucket of water is poured under each tree.Mature cherries need to be watered before flowering, after fruit sets and before they begin to fill. After each watering, the soil must be loosened to a depth of 5 cm.
Top dressing
Watering can be combined with fertilizing. Mineral fertilizers are applied to the cherries; in the fall, you can add organic matter, which will rot over the winter and become a source of nutrition for the plant.
Trimming
Pruning is carried out in spring and autumn, old branches that are broken, dry and frostbitten, diseased or damaged by pests are cut out from the crown. Branches and leaves collected in the fall are burned to prevent diseases from spreading throughout the garden.
Wintering
Before the onset of cold weather, in October or November, the surface of the soil near the cherry trunk is covered with straw, hay, and leaves in a thick layer. In regions with frosty winters, the trunk and lower parts of the skeletal branches should be covered with agrofibre.
Diseases and pests
The Franz Joseph variety can be affected by gray rot during the fruiting period if the weather is wet. The disease can significantly reduce yield. Sweet cherries can develop clasterosporiasis, coccomycosis and moniliosis, but also under unfavorable conditions.
Harvest and storage
For transportation and storage, slightly unripe fruits are collected. Collection time is dry, sunny weather; collection cannot be done after rain.
The fruits are picked with petioles, this can extend the shelf life. Place the berries in flat baskets or boxes. Franz Joseph cherries need to be stored in the cold: in the cellar or refrigerator. In a cold room it does not deteriorate for 2 weeks.
The Franz Josef cherry variety can be planted in the southern regions; for the northern regions it does not have the required level of cold resistance. The variety has become popular among the people because of the fruits’ beautiful shape and color, excellent taste, “crispy” pulp, and especially because of the good preservation of the berries during transportation and storage. The latter characteristic is a kind of standard with which the transportability and keeping quality of fruits of other crop varieties are compared.
