Among fruit trees, the Revna cherry variety is especially popular. For a long time, it grew exclusively in areas with a warm climate, since it is difficult to care for and does not tolerate a lack of light and heat. It was with the aim of cultivating it in other areas that scientists developed varieties with special properties.
General information about the variety
This variety was bred using another species - Bryansk pink cherries. Revna embodied the best qualities of the mother variety:
- The height of an adult tree is slightly less than 4 meters. It has a pyramidal shape. Revna is prone to intensive shoot growth. The leaves of the cherry are dense, on a short stalk.
- The fruits are medium in size, averaging just over 4 g each. They have a dark burgundy, almost black tint. The pulp is sweet, with a strong pleasant aroma.
- It begins to bear fruit in the fifth year of being in open ground, and in sufficient quantities only by the tenth year of life.
Advantages and disadvantages of Revna cherries
Revna cherries are perfect for growing in central Russia. The variety has good frost resistance, which allows it to be cultivated in areas with temperate climates. Thanks to its late flowering, this cherry variety is less susceptible to damage than others during spring frosts. Excessive amounts of sunlight are not dangerous for such trees.
The advantages of cherries also include stable yield and resistance to most fungal diseases.
The fruits do not crack, retain good shape and high taste for a long time. They can withstand transportation, including long distances, without damage. Color and taste are preserved for up to 2 weeks when assembled at 0 degrees.
Suitable for consumption raw, as well as for freezing and preparing preparations. Preparations from this variety turn out tasty and sweet even with a small amount of sugar, since there is a lot of it in the fruits themselves.
Specifics of growing a tree
Revna has some features that need to be taken into account when planting and caring. Cherries do not tolerate insufficient light, strong drafts, or close proximity to groundwater.
How to choose a place
This variety needs a sufficient amount of light, so the place for planting cherries should be well lit. The tree grows well on loam and sandy loam. The soil acidity level should be neutral.
Revna cherry, like other varieties, prefers to grow on a slight elevation. There should also be no strong drafts.
Soil preparation
If the acidity of the soil is increased, then liming is carried out. From 600 to 800 g of lime are added per 1 square meter, it is evenly scattered around the tree, then the ground is dug up. The first time this procedure is carried out is 6 months before planting the seedlings in the ground. It promotes better exchange of water and air in the soil. When liming, you cannot simultaneously fertilize the plant with nitrogen-containing products.
Selection of seedlings
The tree must have several strong shoots and a well-formed root system. There should be no visible damage on it.
If the seedling is not planted in the ground immediately or is to be transported, then the roots of the plant should be wrapped in a damp cloth.
Landing
It is preferable to plant cherries in the spring, in the second ten days of April. The air temperature must be at least 0 degrees. This should be done as follows:
- Dig a hole about 40 cm deep.
- Mix the soil with 2-3 buckets of compost. This mixture is poured in a heap onto the bottom of the resulting pit.
- Place a peg of a suitable size in the hole to further support the seedling. It is advisable to place it on the north side so that it does not block the light of the growing tree.
- Place the seedling in a hole, straighten the roots and cover them with soil.
- Form a circle around the trunk.
- Water the seedling with 10 liters of water.
Revna should be planted in such a way that the distance between it and other trees is at least 3 meters.
Pollinators
The variety is considered self-fertile, but the yield under self-pollination conditions is low. If there are no pollinators, the harvest will be only 5% of the possible one.
It is better to plant 2-3 other varieties of cherries next to this species, in which case the likelihood of a bountiful harvest in the future will be much higher.
The best pollinators for Revna cherries:
- Ovstuzhenka.
- Tyutchevka.
- Raditz
- Here we go.
Cherry blossoms bloom in the second ten days of May. During this period, the plant should be sprayed with a weak solution of honey to attract pollinating insects.
Tree care
Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology will ensure that the tree will delight you with a good harvest.
Cherry feeding
Trees of this variety require additional fertilizers. Feeding is carried out three times throughout the season. Revna cherries are fed by adding humus to the area around the trunk once every 2 years. When the buds swell, water with urea solution (8 g per 10 liters of water).
During fruit formation, use a superphosphate solution (30 g of substance per 10 liters of output, you can add 1 glass of wood ash). In the first month of autumn, they are also fertilized with superphosphate, and fertilizers containing potassium are added (40 g of the substance per 1 square meter of humus when digging the trunk circle).
Watering
Despite its general unpretentiousness, cherries need sufficient watering. The soil should be moistened, but not excessively. Trees need watering 2-3 times throughout the month. During the dry period, the amount of watering is increased up to 4 times. The seedling is watered directly into the circle around the trunk.
Shallow grooves are dug around the perimeter of mature trees, into which water is poured.
Loosening the soil is carried out before moistening it. It is carried out to a depth of about 15 cm.It allows you to destroy weeds and break up the crust that has formed on the ground. If the ground is covered with mulch, then it is removed before loosening, and at the end of the procedure it is returned to its place.
Cherry pruning
In the second year after planting in the ground, the first pruning is carried out.
Trimming is carried out as follows:
- Young shoots are shortened by 2/3 of the total length.
- It is imperative to remove broken or damaged branches. Then pruning should be done annually, since this species is prone to intensive shoot growth.
The places where the branches were cut must be treated with garden varnish.
Preparing for winter
The Revna cherry variety tolerates winter well. Tree branches almost never freeze. However, the plant should still be prepared for the arrival of cold weather. In autumn, cherry tree trunks need to be bleached.
The tree trunk circle is covered with a sufficient layer of peat. This will help protect the root system from freezing. The lower part of the trunk should be wrapped with a special mesh or any non-woven material. This will prevent rodents from damaging the trunk.
Pests and diseases of the variety
Damage to cherries can be caused not only by insects, but also by birds pecking at ripe fruits. To scare them away, a protective net is used to cover the crown. There are special repellers on sale.
You can also use improvised means for this purpose (empty plastic bottles, tinsel), which are hung on trees.
Revna is very resistant to most diseases characteristic of cherries. However, the tree is susceptible to some damage:
- Chlorotic ring spot. This disease can destroy up to 50% of the entire cherry harvest.To prevent the disease, you should regularly remove weeds near the tree, and also eliminate aphids.
- Gum discharge (homosis). The disease is non-infectious and manifests itself under unfavorable conditions. Drops of liquid appear at the cut site. With chronic homosis, the plant may die. To get rid of it, it is enough to immediately treat the place where the branches are cut.
- Milky shine. The disease affects branches and leaves, and yellow mushrooms grow on the bark over time. In the absence of proper treatment, the plant dies. It is necessary to urgently remove the affected branches and treat the cut area with varnish or vitriol solution. If mushrooms have already appeared on the bark, then remove the tree from the area.
To prevent diseases in the spring, before the buds swell, the plant is sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate. After flowering, the plant is sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. The second time such spraying is carried out after 2 weeks.
The most dangerous pests:
- Cherry elephant is a bug that affects both cherries and sweet cherries equally. To prevent infection, you need to regularly dig up the soil in the circle around the trunk. This helps get rid of the larvae. The tree is also treated with suitable chemicals with insecticidal properties during the period of bud swelling.
- Cherry fly. To get rid of them, treat plants with decis solution. It is necessary to treat with insecticides at a temperature of + 18 degrees, then the procedure is repeated every 10 days. Stop processing 2 weeks before harvest.
- California scale insect. These insects are capable of sucking sap from tree shoots.
To avoid possible damage, you can spray cherries with universal preparations for all stone fruit trees.This is done before flowering begins and again, if necessary, after it.
Harvesting
Revna cherry is a late ripening variety. The fruits ripen late. The dense skin reliably protects the ripe fruits from damage, however, to preserve the harvest and its possible transportation, it is better to remove them together with the stalk. It is advisable to store at a temperature no higher than 0 degrees in a container of no more than 5 kg.
Not only the scientific description of the variety, but also numerous positive reviews from gardeners indicate that Revna cherries are a good choice for the garden.
