Lovers of fruits and the dishes that can be prepared from them often plant various varieties of cherries in their garden. The Griot Moscow cherry variety is popular among gardeners. Before planting such cherry trees on your site, you should familiarize yourself with their characteristics and the basic rules for growing them in the garden.
Description and characteristics
The description of the variety will help you study in more detail the main distinctive features of the plant and therefore it is better to familiarize yourself with it in advance.The history of the plant begins in the distant 50s of the last century, when biologist Khasan Enikeev decided to create a new cherry variety that would be resistant to temperature changes and high yield. The scientist managed to achieve his goals and create a new variety of bush cherry in 1959. At first, the plant was planted only in the Moscow region, since there are optimal climatic conditions for growing cherries. However, over time, trees began to be planted in other regions.
The Griot Moscow cherry variety is classified as a medium-sized plant, as mature trees grow up to three meters in height. During the growing process, a large crown appears on the plants, which looks like a ball.
The shoots of the plants are thin, with pronounced drooping. The leaves on the branches are distinguished by their oblong shape and smooth surface, painted green.
A distinctive feature of Griot Moscow is considered to be ripe cherries, the weight of which reaches 3-4 grams. When grown in a greenhouse, the weight of each ripe fruit can be more than 5 grams. All cherries have an almost perfect round shape. The skin of the fruit is dark red. Also on its surface you can see small subcutaneous dots, which are often found in the Memory of Babylon variety. Under the skin of the fruit there is a juicy and aromatic pulp, which makes the cherries very sweet and tasty.
Planted Griot of Moscow trees will grow for 15-20 years, after which they begin to fade. The first formation of fruits begins 5-6 years after planting the seedlings in the garden. If you grow cherries correctly, you can collect about 20 kg of fruit from one tree.However, achieving such a yield is quite difficult, and therefore most gardeners collect no more than 10 kg of fruit from a plant.
The variety was created for cultivation in regions with a temperate climate, and therefore experienced gardeners advise planting it only in central regions where there is no hot summer. Only under such conditions will it be possible to achieve maximum yield.
Advantages and disadvantages
No variety of cherries can be called ideal, since all plants have their own advantages and disadvantages. The main advantages of Griot Moscow include:
- high level of productivity even when grown in not the most favorable climatic conditions;
- tolerance to temperature changes and night frosts;
- taste qualities of ripe cherries;
- rapid fruit ripening;
- resistance to most diseases.
The plant does not have many disadvantages, but they are still present.
The main disadvantages include the following:
- the harvested crop is poorly stored in winter and quickly deteriorates due to the excessive juiciness of ripened cherries;
- plants are often infected with coccomycosis, which can lead to the death of trees.
Rules for planting and care
It is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with the rules for planting and caring for planted trees.
Planting
Planting most seedlings begins with choosing the most suitable place in the garden. Experienced gardeners recommend planting cherries in an area that is illuminated by the sun throughout the day. Trees cannot be grown in shaded areas, as this negatively affects the yield. Also, you should not plant cherries in gardens with high groundwater levels. Due to increased soil moisture, planted trees may die.
Having chosen a suitable place, they begin planting seedlings. First, a planting hole is made in which the cherry will be planted. To do this, a pit about 40-50 cm deep is dug in the ground, into which organic fertilizers are added. Then the seedling is carefully placed in it, covered with soil and watered.
Care
To increase productivity, you need to constantly care for the planted cherries. During care, you will have to periodically water the trees so that they have enough moisture. It is enough to moisten the soil 1-2 times a month.
You should not water the plant more often, as high soil moisture may cause the root system to rot.
In addition to watering, they fertilize to saturate the soil with nutrients. For the first time, fertilizers are added to the soil 2-3 years after planting cherries. Nitrogen is added to the soil in the spring, organic matter is added in the summer, and phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are added in the fall.
Protection from diseases and pests
Griot Moscow almost never gets infected with scab, but other diseases can harm the plant. Cherries are often infected with moniliosis and coccomycosis. Due to these fungal pathologies, large brown spots form on the surface of the leaves, and a pink coating appears on the inside. If you do not treat the cherry tree, the leaves will gradually begin to fall off, which will lead to the death of the tree.
To treat plants, you should use a solution of copper sulfate. Also, in the fight against fungal diseases, Bordeaux mixture is used, with the help of which pathogens of pathologies are eliminated. To protect trees from diseases and pests, they should be treated with fungicides in the summer. It is enough to spray the plants twice a season.
Preparing for winter
Some gardeners are sure that frost-resistant varieties of cherries do not need preliminary preparation for winter, but this is not so.
In the second half of autumn, the following preparatory work must be carried out:
- tree trunks are treated with lime liquid;
- at the end of November, all cherries are watered abundantly to saturate the soil with moisture;
- All dry fruits and leaves are removed from the trees;
- the soil around the plants is cleared of fallen leaves;
- the area is dug up and fed with mineral and organic fertilizers.
If you do not prepare trees for winter in advance, the yield can deteriorate significantly.
Conclusion
Some gardeners prefer to grow frost-resistant Griot Moscow cherries. Before you start planting this variety, you must be sure to familiarize yourself with its description and cultivation characteristics.
