Description of the hybrid Miracle cherry and its pollinators, features of planting and care

Cherries with juicy, sweet berries are heat-loving. Cherries are more cold-resistant and produce aromatic but sour fruits. Hybrids of cherries and sweet cherries have smoothed out the shortcomings of their “parents”: frost-resistant trees produce generous harvests of dessert berries. Miracle cherry is the most successful and popular variety among amateur gardeners, obtained as a result of breeding work with cherries and sweet cherries.

History of selection and region of growth

Duke Miracle cherry is the result of crossing the Valery Chkalov cherry and the Griot Ostmeisky cherry. Cherevishnya was bred by breeders A.I. Sychev, L.I. Taranenko at the Artemovskaya research station in the Donetsk region. The new variety was named for its excellent taste, high yield, and unpretentiousness in growth.

The most favorable environment for the variety to grow is the southern regions of the European part of Russia. Fans of the hybrid grow it in the Moscow region, despite the freezing of flower buds and cadmium during cold winters.

Characteristics of the variety and taste of the berry

The miracle cherry combines the best “parental” qualities regarding growth, productivity, and fruit quality. Cherry is highly resistant to pest damage.

Characteristic characteristics of the variety:

• trunk height – from 3 to 4 meters;
• the appearance of the crown resembles a cherry;
• the branching method is spreading, like that of a cherry;
• the leaf is dense, like a cherry, similar in color and shape to cherry;
• laying flower buds - on one-year growths, on bouquet branches;
• berries - from 7 to 10 grams, dark red.

The pulp of the fruit is red, juicy, sweet, with a cherry aroma.

Like most hybrids, Duke is not capable of self-pollination.

To form ovaries, it is necessary to plant pollinators, the best of which will be cherries (with the exception of the “parent”).

According to the description of the listed properties, the variety is considered the best among dukes and has become widespread.

Frost resistance

The tree can withstand frosty periods with temperatures of 15-20 degrees. With stronger cold temperatures, flower buds suffer.When grown in the conditions of the Moscow region, the Middle Zone, the hybrid must be covered - both the root system and the crown. It is necessary to form the crown below the varietal level to be able to save it from frostbite.

Immunity

The main enemies of cherries are fungal infections of leaves, flowers and cherry fly. The plant, due to the loss of foliage, enters winter weakened, reducing the yield and quality of fruits. The cherry fly is a pest whose larvae feed on ripe fruits.

Duke Miracle cherry is resistant to the listed mycotic lesions. It is not affected to the same extent by pests, but for prevention it requires spring treatment with antifungal agents. Digging the soil under the trees and spraying the green ovaries help prevent cherry flies.

Ripening time and harvest abundance

Duke inherited Valery Chkalov's early fruiting and stable yield from the cherry tree. The berries acquire removable ripeness a month after pollination ends. After a week or two (depending on weather conditions) – consumer ripeness.

Removable ripeness means that the berries have acquired varietal characteristics in color, size, and can be transported and stored for 5-7 days. But the fruits truly taste when they reach consumer maturity. Ripe, juicy fruits are stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days, during which they must be processed or eaten.

Productivity depends on weather conditions in winter and during flowering. Temperatures below 25 degrees, as well as spring frosts, can damage flower buds. On average, up to 15 kilograms of berries are harvested from one tree 4-5 years after planting.

Flowering and pollination period

Cherry is an early ripening variety.In the south, flowering begins before May 15, in the northern regions - at the end of May and beginning of June. At this time, the cherry blossoms are just beginning to develop flower buds. The flowering period of the Iput, Annushka, Yaroslavna cherries coincides with the appearance of buds on the duke, which makes them most suitable for pollination.

Like all cherries, the flowers on the hybrid bloom and fade almost simultaneously. The pollination period is 10 days. Rainy weather, cold weather, lack of bees, and windless weather affect crop yields.

Duke care rules

The hybrid is unpretentious in care, but compliance with the rules of agricultural technology will create comfortable conditions for its growth and ensure sustainable fruiting.

Reproduction

Cherry trees are planted with one or two year old seedlings. Young trees should have a smooth, dark brown trunk and a developed root system. Roots at a break - be white.

Choosing a place and landing

The Miracle cherry variety needs sun in the spring and summer. The area for seedlings should be well lit throughout the day, without shading.

In the northern regions, the plant is planted in places protected from spring drafts and icy autumn-winter winds. In the southern regions, it is important to avoid drying out the soil.

Miracle cherries grow well in light, fertile soils that allow the formation of a powerful root system. Sands and clays with an admixture of humus, chernozems are the optimal soil compositions.

Sweet cherries, cherries and their hybrids do not grow well in high groundwater levels. In such areas, when planting duke, you will need to create a mound of fertile soil.

When planting a seedling, it is necessary to create conditions for root survival. The planting pit is prepared in the fall, if it is known where the duke will grow, or one or two weeks in the spring.The pit should have a depth of up to 50 centimeters, a diameter of 80-60 centimeters. The fertile layer is preserved, the clay is removed.

The soil mixture for filling the hole consists of a fertile layer, two-year-old rotted manure or compost from last year's leaves, and sand. Mineral additives are added to the organic part: phosphate and nitrate fertilizers (use according to instructions). If the soils are acidic, then add dolomite flour.

The prepared composition is mixed and the planting hole is filled 60% in the form of a mound. A wooden support is installed in the center of the pit. Damaged roots are removed from the seedling and carefully placed on a loose raised surface in a hole next to the support.

The depth of the planting is determined using a rail placed along the diameter of the hole. The root collar - the place where the roots grow - should rise 6-7 centimeters above the soil level. The soil with which the roots will be covered will settle over time, and the roots will be at the desired depth.

Sprinkle the roots with an earthen mixture and soak them in water to compact the soil and allow them to survive in 2 doses: 10 liters at a time. After the first watering, add the rest of the soil. Attach the trunk to the support with a rope using a gentle knot.

Watering frequency

Dukes are quite drought-resistant. Growing on porous soils and a strong root system create the necessary prerequisites for this. Nevertheless, an adult plant is responsive to watering during flowering and fruiting. In the absence of precipitation in September-October, watering is necessary after the leaves are dropped.

Seedlings are watered once every 7 days for the first month after planting. Then the interval is increased to 10-14 days in the next month. Further watering depends on the amount of precipitation and air temperature.To water a young tree, 20 liters of water once is enough to wet the soil near the roots.

In addition to watering, caring for a one- or two-year-old plant consists of loosening the soil above the planting hole, mulching with hay and dry peat.

For mature plants, overwatering will cause more harm than underwatering.

Water compacts the soil, which impairs aeration. If there is sufficient rainfall, additional irrigation is carried out no more than 4 times during the growing season. The amount of water is from 30 to 60 liters, depending on age, crown volume and trunk height.

It is recommended to water in two circular grooves at a distance of half a meter and a meter from the trunk. The depth of the furrow is 10 centimeters. Another option for watering is in holes, along the radius of the crown projection. Loosening, mulching the soil, and removing weeds is mandatory.

Top dressing

It is not recommended to get carried away with feeding plants, especially organic and nitrogen fertilizers. The nutrients placed in the planting hole will be enough for the tree to last for 3 years. Subsequently, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are added to the soil when watering at the end of flowering and nitrogen fertilizers in the fall.

Excess fertilizer during root feeding will cause increased growth of the trunk and branches. The plant will reduce the consumption of nutrients for fruiting. In addition, deviation from the growing season will lead to immaturity of the wood and growth of the trunk and branches. Winter frosts will damage the cadmium, causing the death of the tree.

Pruning and crown formation

Immediately after planting, a shoot of no more than 2/3 meters is left on the seedling. The skeletal branches are cut by a third so that they are subordinate to the central conductor. Pruning is performed on the bud. The formation of the crown continues in subsequent years.

Purpose of pruning:

• create a hemispherical crown;
• remove competitors to the central conductor;
• get rid of thickening;
• reduce growth.

The hemispherical shape of the crown creates the best conditions for ventilation, lighting, and warming. To obtain it, long branches are pruned to lateral growth, which, in turn, is shortened by about a third - to a dormant bud.

Vertically growing branches or tops do not have fruit buds; without removal they will form a second trunk. Cut into a ring.

Branches from the skeletal branches are directed both outward and inward of the crown. All annual shoots inward are removed onto the ring.

Changing the angle of departure of the skeletal branches from the trunk helps to stop the growth of a tree: from sharp to horizontal. To do this, young branches are deflected from the trunk and secured in this position with the help of a weight or tension.

Preparing for winter

To prevent the tree from freezing or being damaged by rodents, several methods are used:

• the tree trunk circle is mulched with dry grass;
• the trunk near the ground is wrapped in burlap and spruce branches;
• before the onset of severe cold, cover the crown with burlap.

A young tree can be saved by completely covering it with snow. But at the same time, it is necessary to ensure that after the thaw, an ice crust does not form that does not allow air to pass through.

Variety distribution

In the 90s, more than 30 varieties of winter-hardy dukes were bred.

The hybrids demonstrated not only resistance to low temperatures, but also good yield combined with excellent taste of the fruit.

New varieties are loved by gardeners in the Moscow and Leningrad regions, in the Middle Zone, southern regions of the European part, the Urals, Siberia and the Far East.

Duke Spartan

Crown height – up to 3 meters. Frost-resistant wood. Not susceptible to fungal infections. Productivity – up to 15 kilograms. The size of juicy, sweet and sour fruits is up to 7 grams. Without a pollinator it does not bear fruit. It is successfully grown in the southern regions of Western Siberia.

Variety Komsomolskaya

The tree produces its first harvest in the second year after planting. The maximum height of the trunk does not exceed 4 meters. The variety does not freeze out in the conditions of the Moscow region. The fruits are up to 4 grams, sour, and ripen simultaneously in early July. Pollinators are needed for fruiting.

Excellent Venyaminova

Duke begins to bear fruit in the 4th year in the presence of pollinators. It blooms in the second half of May, the fruits ripen in early July. The berries are red, average weight - 6 grams, pink flesh, colorless juice. The height of the pyramidal crown is up to 6 meters. Flower buds die at prolonged temperatures below 25 degrees. The variety has become widespread in the southern regions, in the Khabarovsk Territory.

Torch

Frost-resistant variety, easy to grow, as it does not grow higher than 3 meters. High-yielding, with large, sweet and sour fruits. Planted next to the pollinator. Zoned in the Leningrad region, Central Chernozem region.

Night

New variety. Resistant to temperatures down to -30 degrees. The harvest begins a year after planting. The fruits are large, sweet, with dense pulp, and are stored for a long time. Requires a pollinator. It begins to bear fruit on July 15th. Grows in gardens of the Moscow region, in the southern regions of the Khabarovsk Territory.

Rubinovka

Low tree, up to 2 meters. The variety is partially self-fertile, which allows you to get a stable yield of up to 15 kilograms in the absence of pollinators. It can be grown in northern regions where cherries and sweet cherries do not grow.

Hope

A strong tree, up to 6 meters high, with a spreading crown. Productivity is high, regardless of winter frosts. Not susceptible to coccomycosis, resistant to moniliosis. The dark red fruits with a cherry aroma ripen in mid-July. The variety does not self-pollinate and is zoned in the Khabarovsk Territory.

Ivanovna

The trunk height is up to 3 meters, the crown is spherical. Sweet-sour, burgundy berries ripen at the end of July on bouquet branches. The tree can withstand prolonged low temperatures without compromising yields in gardens in the Central European part and Western Siberia.

Spectacular

The height of the trunk does not exceed 3 meters. The fruits are sweet and sour, with a cherry flavor, weighing up to 8 grams, ripen in late June or early July if pollinators are nearby. Wood is susceptible to frost damage, which leads to the death of the duke. Distributed in Krasnodar and Stavropol regions.