A guide to cutting cherry trees in summer: from choosing cuttings to caring for a new tree

Is it possible to propagate cherries from cuttings in summer?

This method is considered the fastest. Cuttings of cherries in summer occur by ordinary rooting in the ground or grafting onto wild rootstock .

The first method allows you to obtain your own rooted tree, the second - a cultivated variety with a more powerful, winter-hardy, unpretentious root system.

Many beginners are interested in whether it is possible to propagate cherries at home. Professional gardeners say that there is nothing difficult about this, and beginners should try the method of rooting cuttings in the ground (instructions are provided below).

Reference. Cuttings are used by gardeners who want to increase the number of fruit trees of their favorite variety or rejuvenate a perennial garden. At the same time, they save a significant amount of money on the purchase of seedlings.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of propagating cherries by cuttings:

• experimenting with plant material;
• there is no need to use complex technical devices;
• preservation of the best characteristics of the variety;
• saving money.

Flaws:

• until rooting, cuttings need careful care;
• Without certain knowledge and experience, it is very difficult to get a new tree.

Cherry grafting methods

There are quite a few methods for grafting a cutting onto a rootstock. It is better for a novice gardener to use the simplest ones, gradually moving on to more complex methods that require significant preparation.

Cherry bud grafting

This method is quite simple. A T-shaped cut is made on the rootstock, the bark is slightly bent. A small part containing a bud is cut out from the scion cutting using the angular method. This piece is inserted behind the bark, the bark is returned to its place and wrapped with tape.

Cherry grafting under the bark

This is a very simple method used to graft many trees, including cherries. It is performed in the spring, during the period of intense sap flow. At other times, it is quite difficult to bend the bark on the trunk of the rootstock. For this method, the thickness of the rootstock should be significantly greater than the thickness of the grafted cuttings.

To carry out grafting, the rootstock is sawn at a right angle. Then a cut is made in the bark with a sharp knife and unbent. The scion cutting is cut with an oblique cut at an acute angle and inserted behind the bark. The scion is fixed, and the entire cut is covered with garden varnish. If the rootstock is quite thick, you can graft several scion cuttings onto one stump.

Cherry budding

Eye grafting is called budding and is usually carried out in June. This procedure is done as follows:

• From the scion cutting, a part of the stem containing a bud is cut out, along with a piece of bark.
• A cut is made on the rootstock trunk, repeating the shape of the cut piece of scion.
• The scion is placed in the recess of the rootstock and securely fixed with tape.

Cherry grafting into cleft

Grafting into the cleft is done in almost the same way as under the bark. The sawn rootstock is split in half using a garden knife. Scion cuttings, sharpened with a wedge, are inserted into it along the edges so that the outer layers of the cambium coincide. You should not touch the cut itself with your hands, this is important. Otherwise the scion will not take root.

After all procedures are completed, the open parts of the grafting site are covered with garden pitch.

Cherry grafting by copulation

When grafting using the copulation method, the thickness of the rootstock and scion should be the same. An oblique cut is made on both parts with a sharp knife; its length should be at least three times the thickness of the cutting itself. The rootstock and scion are folded so that the cambium layers match as closely as possible. After this, the grafting site is wrapped with tape.

In addition to the usual one, improved copulation is also used. In this case, an additional split is made in the middle of the cut of both the rootstock and the scion, allowing the scion to be fixed more tightly. This method greatly increases the number of points of contact between the cambium layers, and the grafts take root faster and more reliably.

Cherry grafting with a “bridge”

This method is used in emergency cases to save a tree. Often after winter, fruit trees have ring-shaped destruction of the bark (from frost, burns or damage by hares). If no measures are taken, the tree is guaranteed to die, since nutrients from the root system will not be able to reach the crown.

In this case, a bridge is used. The area where there is no bark is simply covered with a kind of bridge from cuttings, along which the movement of juices will occur. The vaccination itself is performed as follows. Above and below the damaged area, two T-shaped incisions are made strictly vertically (straight at the bottom, inverted at the top).

The cuttings are cut at an oblique symmetrical cut and placed behind the bark of the rootstock. The cutting should stand vertically, in the direction of natural growth. There may be several such bridges. After this, the contact points are fixed with tape, and the grafting site itself is wrapped in film to create a greenhouse effect.

Cherry grafting into corner and side cuts

The side cutting method allows you not only to graft another variety onto a tree, but also to turn it in the desired direction. To carry out grafting, it is necessary that the diameters of the rootstock and scion match. This is done like this:

• An oblique cut is made on the rootstock, which cuts both the bark and the wood.
• The end of the scion is cut into a sharp wedge shape.
• The scion is inserted into a cut on the rootstock, the cambium layers are combined with each other as much as possible.

After this, the grafting site is wrapped with tape.

For grafting using the corner cut method, the thickness of the rootstock must be significantly greater than the thickness of the scion. Just as in the “behind the bark” or “into the split” grafting methods, the rootstock is sawed off perpendicular to the trunk. At the edge of the cut, an angular cut is made to the same depth as the thickness of the scion. The bottom of the scion cutting is cut at the same angle.

The scion is inserted into the corner cut. The layers of cambium are combined as much as possible, trimming if necessary. After this, the scion is tightly wrapped with tape, and the cut is covered with garden pitch.

Caring for grafted seedlings

The vaccination site should be inspected regularly. All growth growing below the grafting site should be removed so that it does not take away nutrients. 1.5–2 months after vaccination, a splint should be applied to the junction. This will give the shoot the necessary rigidity and protect it from strong winds or damage by birds. They can be removed after the leaves fall.

Suitable cherry varieties

The following varieties are considered good::

• Fatezh;
• Franz Joseph;
• Homestead yellow;
• Beauty of Kuban;
• General's;
• Dagestan;
• Tyutchevka.

The vigor of the tree is another problem that does not suit summer residents. The berries are too high and spoil quickly or are eaten by birds.

Therefore, the following low-growing varieties are valued :

• Colt;
• Maxma Delbar 14;
• Piku;
• Gisela.

It is good if the crop can withstand frosts , hot or rainy summers.

Interesting things on the site:

The best varieties of cherries for the Moscow region

Review of the best winter-hardy cherry varieties

What are the benefits of cherry-cherry hybrids?

Choosing a cherry seedling

It is best to take seedlings no older than two years; their trunk must be grafted. Choose a seedling with many formed branches and a good straight conductor. It is better not to plant a tree with two conductors, as it may break during fruiting. The root of a good seedling should be healthy, well developed and not dry. The presence of leaves leads to dehydration of the tree, so they need to be torn off. If you buy a seedling, before transporting it, wrap it in dampened cloth and oilcloth. Before planting, you should always soak the roots in water for two hours.

Autumn planting of cherries

If you are going to plant cherries in the fall, prepare the area in advance. If the soil is acidic or loamy, add lime. If the soil is clayey, add sand and vice versa. You need to mix the soil a couple of years before planting and then fertilize it regularly. This will ensure normal tree growth and high yield. Before planting, dig a wide hole to a depth of 80 cm. Then place a stick in the hole so that it protrudes half a meter. Fertilize the soil: add compost, superphosphate and potassium fertilizer. After placing the seedling, fill the hole with soil, leaving a hill around it. Level and water.

Selection and preparation of cuttings

Green cuttings are prepared as follows:

1. Choose a cool day.
2. Well-developed shoots about 30 cm long are cut off.
3. Leave 2-3 healthy leaves on each.
4. The sections are immersed in Kornevin to stimulate root growth and kept in the solution for about 12 hours.
5. Then put the material in clean water for 2 hours.

How do woody cuttings propagate?:

1. Young mother plants are selected, in which the lower part of the shoots begins to become woody, while the upper part remains softer.
2. Cut shoots 25-30 cm long with 3-4 growth buds.
3. Place them in a bucket of water and moisten the leaves.
4. After 2-3 hours, cut the blanks into cuttings 5-7 cm long with two internodes.
5. Remove half of the leaf plates.
6. Place the material in the “Heteroauxin” solution (250 g of the drug is diluted in 1 liter of water) to a depth of 2.5 cm.
7. In the morning they drop off.

Cherry propagation by air layering is used very rarely when the mother tree is weak and the cutting does not take root in open ground. An incision is made on the fruiting branch. This place is wrapped in a plastic bag with earth. The soil is constantly watered. The branch will take root only after 2 years.

When procuring raw materials, beginners are advised to adhere to the following rules :

1. Do not take cuttings from old trees. They won't take root.
2. Choose material from cherries, the fruiting of which lasts 2-3 years.
3. It is better to cut the lower, even, well-developed shoots from young, strong branches.
4. Separate samples in the morning or evening after 18:00.
5. Use only clean tools. Pre-treat the knife in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
6. Make the lower cut at an angle of 45°, and the upper cut at a straight angle.

Not only cherries are propagated using shoots . The method is chosen to obtain new cherry, plum, and apricot trees.

Ways to root them

The workpieces are rooted in two ways : by planting in the ground or by grafting.

How to grow cherries by planting in the ground:

1. Prepare the greenhouse and soil. A good option is a greenhouse or mini-box. For the substrate, take equal parts of peat and river sand.
2. Place the mixture on the bed in a layer of 12 cm and carefully level it. A 1.5 cm layer of sand is poured on top.
3. The soil is moistened. Then the prepared cuttings are planted.

To propagate cherries by grafting, the bark method is used.

The rules are as follows:

1. For the rootstock, choose a healthy branch of plum, apricot, cherry or another variety of cherry.
2. Using a clean, sharp knife, separate the upper part of the rootstock so that the length of the working material is 30-45 cm.
3. Make a longitudinal incision in the bark and carefully separate it from the wood.
4. An oblique cut is made on the scion so that 15 cm and 2 healthy buds remain.
5. The cutting is inserted into the cut of the mother branch with the cut side inward.
6. The parts are wrapped with polyethylene, and the open areas are treated with wood ash.

The vaccination is performed in cloudy weather in the afternoon, no later than June 15.

Propagation by seeds

Many gardeners are interested in whether it is possible to grow cherries from seeds. This is possible, but the method is troublesome and unreliable. You will have to plant a lot of seeds to choose the strongest one from the sprouts. But even in this case, the result is unpredictable: the tree may not turn out as expected. And it will produce small and sour fruits. Therefore, most often, propagation of cherries in this way is used to obtain ornamental plants and hedges.

The advantage of this type of planting is that you can find a lot of seed material without much effort or expense. And the main disadvantage is that to get a fruit-bearing tree you will have to plant hundreds of seeds. If you manage to select a strong seedling from them, you may even end up with a plant that is superior in fruit quality to the parent.

Seed material must be harvested during the fruiting season. The seeds are taken from the largest and sweetest berries. They must be healthy and not damaged.

Note! The main condition for such trees to take root and produce a harvest is to take berries grown in the same region. Southern varieties purchased at the market cannot be grown from seed in the middle zone.

By choosing the right berries, you can propagate cherries with seeds

Landing

To successfully grow cherries from pits, you must follow the rules for preparing and planting seeds. Be sure to complete all steps.

• First, the seeds need to be stratified. This is a cold treatment of seeds that will awaken and harden them. To do this, it is recommended to place the seeds in damp sand and place them in a cool place. It is important to maintain the temperature around 0˚. So the seeds are kept until spring.
• In the spring you need to prepare the place and soil for planting. It is recommended to plant them in a container first. It is filled with fertile soil, it is best to take it under the tree from which the fruits contained seeds. Or they prepare soil from peat, humus, or fertile soil.
• Before planting, the seeds should be soaked overnight in a growth stimulator solution.
• Drainage must be placed at the bottom of the container. Then peat, humus and fertile soil. The seeds are planted to a depth of 2-3 cm. The distance between plants is 10-15 cm.
• Planted seeds need to be watered, but not too much. After this, cover with plastic and place in a cool, bright place until sprouts appear.

You can plant each seed in a separate pot. This will make it easier to care for the sprouts. Once the entrances appear, it is recommended to leave only the strongest ones. Sweet cherries usually grow quickly; the selected seedlings can be transplanted into the garden the following year.

Planting ready-made cuttings

The cuttings are planted in a temporary area according to a 70x70 cm pattern . Water generously. Cover with polyethylene to protect from sunlight. The seedlings are left until next spring. During this time, they will have time to gain strength and form a powerful root system.

Cherries are transplanted to a permanent location at the end of May . Maintain a distance between trees of 1 to 1.5 m. Care for them as for an adult shrub.

Timing for propagation by cuttings at home

Fruit tree seedlings can be planted in early spring or late autumn, but neither method is suitable for cuttings.

Most experts recommend rooting cherry cuttings in the second half of summer (July-August), and this is the main difficulty of the method. The fact is that in the short period of time remaining before the onset of frost, a shoot cut off from a tree does not have time to acquire a powerful root system (unlike a seedling that already has one).

Even for a very experienced gardener, out of all the cuttings planted, no more than 10–15% “wakes up” next spring.

In order to at least slightly increase the likelihood of successful rooting, some gardeners begin rooting stone fruit trees earlier , already in the first ten days of June, barely waiting until the most active growth of green mass begins to slow down, and the young shoots of the current year's growth gradually become overgrown with wood. If green cuttings are used for propagation, then the procedure can begin in May , although in general it is believed that such planting material is still too tender and weak to give rise to a new tree, and, moreover, as experience shows, even if successful After rooting, trees obtained from cuttings that are too young enter the fruiting phase much later.

Did you know? In English, cherries and sweet cherries are denoted by the same word - “cherry” or “cherries”, however, when specifying “sweet cherries” (sweet cherry), you can be sure that we are talking about cherries.

A cutting for future rooting can be prepared in advance, in late autumn, when the tree has shed its leaves, or in winter, while it is dormant.

The vegetative material is stored wrapped in a damp cloth in a cool, dark place (cellar or refrigerator), and rooting begins in the summer.

Features of cuttings depending on the type of cherry

The cutting methods described earlier are suitable for any type of cherry . The main thing is to follow the general rules for harvesting and subsequent planting.

Depending on the region

In the southern regions, cuttings are carried out from June 1 to June 15, but no later.

In the middle zone and northern areas - no later than July 10. But in the latter case, experienced gardeners recommend harvesting cuttings in the fall, leaving them in a container with soil until spring.

Trimming errors

I don’t want to talk about gross pruning mistakes with leaving stumps; visual materials clearly explain that they cannot be left. But there are still mistakes that are difficult for novice summer residents to avoid:

• The growth was transferred to a side branch that was too weak; instead of increasing the growth of the outer branch, the tree responded with a rapid growth of tops upward. This usually happens if the transfer is applied to a weak branch that is already bearing fruit.
• Sometimes beginners are advised to shorten the shoots of cherries to encourage branching. But shortening the shoots too much can be harmful, and instead of laying fruit buds, the tree will respond with countless numbers of tops (wen). The crown will thicken, fruiting will be delayed, and due to the thickening of the crown it will shift to the periphery.
• When laying tiers, the lower branches are left weaker than the upper ones. Over time, the weak lower branches die off, and the harvest moves to the upper tier, the trunk becomes bare. It’s a pity, of course, because they were trying to reduce the crown...

Further care

The process of rooting a tree cutting lasts up to 6 weeks . It is considered difficult because the shoot has no roots and needs constant heat and high humidity.

Care is as follows:

1. Maintaining optimal day and night temperatures. New trees are germinated in closed greenhouses. They are opened a crack every week. Monitor the temperature: optimal values ​​day and night are from +20 to +27°C.
2. Regular abundant watering. Do not allow the soil to become waterlogged, otherwise the lower part will begin to rot and the root formation process will stop. Water as the top layer of soil dries. Up to 3 liters of water are poured under one cutting.
3. Avoiding drying out of seedlings. They are sprayed in hot weather with soft, slightly warmed water. In winter, the soil near the cuttings is covered with a thick layer of peat or fallen leaves. After the snow appears, rake a high snowdrift and make sure that an ice crust does not form on it. In spring, the soil around the seedling is compacted, watered abundantly with warm water and a layer of mulch is laid again.
4. Feeding. Only those cherries that have successfully overwintered are fed. The earth is watered and 2.2 g of superphosphate per 1 square meter is added. m plot. Feed 2-3 times throughout the season.

Care measures are carried out for another 1 year, and then the young cherries are transplanted to a permanent place. The buds that appear are removed. Care for the plant as for an adult tree.

Preparing the soil for planting

To root cuttings, you need soil that is most suitable for an adult tree of a given species, however, the requirements for the structure and composition of the soil in this case must be observed even more strictly.

The tree does not tolerate drying out or waterlogging of the soil at all. Another important indicator is the high humus content.

Cherries grow best on light and loose soils with a neutral reaction (pH in the range of 6.7–7.1).

In order to reduce the acidity of the soil, a liming procedure is used, which it is advisable to repeat subsequently, as the tree takes root and grows.

Important! Lime not only improves the process of absorption of nutrients from the soil by the root system, but is also “responsible” for the correct formation of seeds, which for cherries, cherries, plums and apricots is a fundamental point in the process of fruit ripening.

Depending on the initial composition of the soil per 1 sq. m lime is added in the following volumes:

• for sandstone - 300–400 g;
• for loam - 600–800 g;
• for alumina - 750–900 g.

It is better to add lime to the soil in advance - in the fall or, in extreme cases, in early spring, embedding the lime additive into the soil to a depth of 15–20 cm by deep digging. During the same period, it is useful to enrich the soil with rotted manure or humus (10–15 kg per 1 sq. m).

If the soil is too heavy, it should be lightened with sand in advance . However, it will also be difficult for the cutting to take root in too light soil; moreover, such a substrate does not retain moisture well, so if necessary, it is worth adding a small amount of alumina to sandy soil.

In order for the soil to better retain moisture, compost or rotted leaves are also sometimes added to the soil , but in the latter case it must be borne in mind that such organic matter is a good medium for the reservation of pest larvae and mycelium of pathogenic fungi. Therefore, if there are doubts about the quality of the drainage additive, biological fungicidal and insecticidal preparations, for example, Fitosporin M, should be added to the soil along with it. You should also avoid using leaves of cherries or other stone fruit trees for drainage, since they are most likely to become a source of damage to the seedling by diseases and pests characteristic of this type of fruit.

Nitrogen fertilizers should not be added to the soil before rooting cuttings. This element is necessary for the plant to gain green mass, while at the stage of vegetative propagation it is much more important for the seedling to form an underground rather than an above-ground part. Nitrogen is dangerous for roots because it can cause burns.

But young cherries simply need potassium and phosphorus. Therefore, before starting the rooting procedure, the prepared area should be dug up and enriched with the two mentioned elements per 1 square meter. m:

Advice from experienced gardeners

Cuttings require taking into account the following recommendations:

1. Only a healthy mother tree is selected. Otherwise, diseases of adult cherries will spread to young ones.
2. Comply with care measures. Control the temperature and irrigation regime.
3. In the southern regions, cuttings are harvested no later than June 15. In the northern regions they prefer to perform the procedure in the fall.
4. Separate the lower branches. The cut area is sprinkled with ash.
5. Use only clean, sharp tools.

Propagation technology with green cuttings

This method of propagating cherries allows the plant to retain its ability to resist frost, as well as become more resilient and capable of rapid recovery.

For this method of propagation, branches located on the lower tier are selected. Each should have 4-5 leaves. You need to cut them at an angle, using a sharp object, being careful not to damage the bark.

The lower leaves are removed to help root better. Branches cut from cherries are placed in a growth stimulator for a day.

The soil is mixed in a 1:1 ratio of peat and sand. A layer of coarse river sand 5 cm thick is poured on top, everything is mixed well and green cuttings are planted. To speed up the process, a greenhouse effect is created by covering the soil with film.

Propagation by air layering of cherries is practiced by many gardeners. This method consists of the following. A fruiting branch is selected and several cuts are made on it. Then a plastic bag with soil is tied to this place, which is watered regularly.

Over time, the branch takes root, the branch is cut off and planted in another place. Such seedlings retain all the characteristics of the mother tree, including the taste of the fruit.

Reproduction using seeds

In order to choose the optimal propagation method for you, you should consider the following method. The method of growing cherries from pits is used in spring, autumn and summer, when they are easily separated from the pulp.

The seeds are thoroughly washed using manganese and, without drying, placed in a humid environment. After which the soil is prepared by loosening it and treating it with organic fertilizers. Sowing is carried out to a depth of four centimeters, in holes placed at a distance of a maximum of thirty centimeters.

In spring, in its first days, the seeds sprout. Thin out the shoots, leaving only the strong ones. If you plan to plant the seeds in the spring, place them in a humid environment for four months, pre-soaking them for five days, changing the water every day.

Reproduction using seeds

The environment where the cherry pits are placed must be constantly moist and ventilated. The temperature is maintained at least fifteen degrees. After this, they are placed in a cold room with a temperature of about six degrees. There they are stored until they germinate. The emerging sprouts are transferred to the snow until the end of winter; in the spring they are transplanted into the ground.

Possible difficulties

Despite all the advantages, the process has vulnerabilities. Growing young trees through shoots has the following disadvantages:

• since cherry trees are propagated in the summer, rooted plants do not have time to gain strength before the onset of winter, you will have to take care of insulating young cherries with agrofibre in the cold months;
• the rooting process is long;
• cuttings need constant abundant watering;
• 10-12% of cuttings take root, therefore, when planning to propagate a stone fruit crop from cuttings, be prepared that you will have to cut and save many samples.

How to choose a seedling for planting correctly

It is better to purchase cherry seedlings from a local nursery that is engaged in the cultivation of planting material, and not its resale.

For cherries to bear fruit well, plant not just one variety in your garden, but two or three, since pollination must be cross-pollinated.

Important! Choose a variety for planting that is oriented to the climate of your region. Get a seedling from a local nursery.

Strong roots are the key to the future health of the plant.

There are many similarities between sweet cherry and cherry seedlings. To avoid confusion, carefully examine the selected seedling. The cherry tree is usually taller, has erect branches, the color of the bark is reddish-brown, while the cherry bark is gray-brown. A healthy plant has smooth bark that shows no signs of disease or freezing.

• Do not take a seedling that is too old ; the optimal age is no more than two years. It should be about 0.8 m in height, with three or four well-developed shoots. To make sure that the seedling is indeed a varietal one, find the grafted area.
• Inspect the root system of the tree ; it should be healthy and have several branches at least 20 cm in length. Dried, rotten or frozen roots indicate that the seedling is not viable - it should not be taken.
• For central Russia and regions close to the north, you should choose a cold-resistant and late-flowering cherry variety so that returning spring frosts do not harm the trees.

Question about felt cherry cuttings.

Polina Shubina

I made it with semi-lignified cuttings - when about 3 cm of the base of a perennial shoot begins to become lignified, for us this is mid-June and shoots are 15 -25 cm. It is better to take cuttings from the southern side of the rust and growing with a slight deviation from the vertical: vertical ones root worse, but strongly deviated ones almost never take root. The survival rate is about 50%. If there are no more than 10 cuttings, I prefer to use peat tablets: I dust the cut with root - in a tablet to a depth of 2 cm - I place the tablets in cups or egg cells - in a transparent T-shirt - I tie them and hang them on the north side of the house. If you pour a little water into the bottom of the T-shirt, you can forget about the cuttings for a week, or even more. There is a technology for rooting with combined cuttings - earlier the cuttings are completely green, but they are taken from 2 cm of last year's shoot, which ends up in the ground, but I have not tried it. Can be propagated by layering.

Lenya Zagorsky

It’s still better to either buy a varietal seedling or seedling. The felt cherry has a bad feature: there are known cases when cherries from cuttings suddenly died as if on command

Elena Orlova

This is what science and life found in the magazine: Candidate of Biological Sciences N. TSARENKO, Doctor of Biological Sciences V. TSARENKO (Far Eastern Experimental Station VNIIR named after N. I. Vavilov, Vladivostok).

The main method of propagation of varietal felt cherries is green cuttings. Cuttings using lignified cuttings and layering are used much less frequently. They also use grafting: with an eye (budding) and with a cutting. However, in the European part of Russia, seedlings grown from green cuttings and layering may have their root collars buried to the height of the snow cover. In this case, it is recommended to plant seedlings in the garden, grafted above the snow cover or into the crown of the plant. The cuttings are grafted onto clonal rootstock VBA-1 or plum and apricot seedlings.

MILGA MILGA

I had a bush growing, and it was a fairly large berry, but last year it seemed like a scale insect attacked it - no treatments helped, I had to cut it out at the root with pruning shears, now the branch has bloomed, miraculously it remains. I didn’t see any particular benefit, there were only problems with it - where is the attack and everything is on it, we’ll finish the bush completely this year

Cherry Vasilisa - description of the variety or looking for feminine traits in the tree

What is hidden behind this name or briefly about the properties

Vasilisa is rightfully considered one of the most delicious varieties of cherries. This is a medium-sized tree with a very branched crown, which differs from any others in its productivity. Vasilisa fruits are very large. The weight of one berry can reach 15 grams. Cherries have a bright red color with slight reflections. The fruits are very sweet and smell delicious.

Vasilisa is able to bear her first fruits after two years of life. And already in the tenth year - a whole centner. A distinctive feature of this variety of cherries is resistance to frost and drought. It is able to survive even the coldest days and resists arid climates well. In addition to their beauty, the berries are also amazing in their vitamin composition. If you spend at least a week near a tree during the harvest season, periodically eating fruits directly from the tree, then your health reserve will last until next spring.

The fruits contain large amounts of sugar, healthy vitamins, as well as potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron. Berries are very beneficial for the kidneys and liver. They stimulate their work and activities. Vasilisa has a good effect on the skin. It improves her condition and is able to treat skin diseases. For bronchitis, cherry juice helps to restore the functioning of the bronchi, improving their condition. Vasilisa has good expectorant properties, being one of the popular cough remedies. The juice is often used as an antiseptic. Its fruits are useful for cuts and small wounds, as the juice has wound-healing properties. Cherry has an antipyretic effect. And with the help of berries you can remove toxins from the body.

But do not forget that cherries should never be eaten with pits. Once in the human body, they can cause poisoning and even stomach ulcers.

Cherry fruits of this variety are widely used in the food industry. Most drink lovers prepare it for sweet compote and healthy juice. And for those who prefer more exotic and sweet drinks, confiture made from Vasilisa's berries is suitable. To maintain body tone, you should definitely include fruits in your diet. And fruit salads are especially useful; during the harvest months, make a mix of cherries and apples. And, of course, dessert lovers can be offered berry pudding. Everyone should try these delicious treats! In addition to the food industry, Vasilisa cherries are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Description of the conditions for planting cherries and care

This variety is widespread in Ukraine. Vasilisa was grown in Ukraine by crossing two other varieties, namely Donetsk Ugolek and Donetskaya Krasavitsa. It is recommended to plant a tree of this variety on loamy soils with high humidity. It is not recommended to place it on gravelly soils, as they are considered arid and completely unsuitable for growing cherries. It is recommended to plant seedlings in the fall. Before frost, the roots of the tree will have time to take root.

When planting seedlings, it is imperative to water the soil, since Vasilisa is a moisture-loving tree, and cover its surface with mulch. Dry straw or leaves can be used as mulch. Trees of this variety can easily tolerate diseases. Sweet cherries exhibit high resistance to fungal diseases. This variety is light-loving, which is why it needs to be planted in areas well lit by sunlight. The Vasilisa cherry variety requires a lot of free space to grow.

The most troublesome care for cherries will be the removal of dry branches and leaves. With the onset of spring, it is worth whitewashing the tree post to prevent pests. In winter, to prevent the roots from freezing, the lower part of the cherry tree is covered with coniferous branches. Vasilisa is very picky about fertilizers. They should be applied in spring or autumn. And for the purpose of pollination, other varieties need to be planted next to this cherry. It is also important to remember, especially during hot summers, that the tree must grow in moist soil. Birds love the fruits of the Vasilisa cherry; it is not without reason that it is also called the “bird tree”. Therefore, gardeners install nets to protect fruits from pests.

How to propagate the variety correctly and protect the tree from depletion?

Cherry propagation occurs in two ways. Seeds are not the best option, although the tree grows quite successfully, albeit for a long time, because it needs to gain strength properly. The trouble here is that the variety quickly degenerates; or rather, such a plant will have a minimum of parental characteristics, and over time there will be fewer and fewer of them. Reproduction by grafting is also possible. To do this you will need rootstock and cuttings. As a rootstock, 2 varieties of cherries are used - Donetsk Ugolek and Donetskaya Krasnitsa. At the same time, Vasilisa is planted from cuttings. With the onset of spring, vaccination is carried out.

It would seem that harvesting from a tree is not so difficult. But don’t forget about the rules that will help a lot. 2 years after planting the seedling, the Vasilisa cherry tree bears fruit. It blooms in early April - May. The berries are collected as they ripen. When the fruits are already red, fleshy and juicy, you should start picking. BUT! Cherry is a delicate tree, so you should treat it with care, just like its fruits.

When picking berries, you don’t need to wait for the twigs to dry out. Cherries are picked carefully when the branches are still green. The harvest time is in the summer, namely June – July. You need to collect berries in a container no larger than 4 liters to prevent them from being compressed and crushed. It happens that you catch one cherry and they all fall at once. In this case, lay litter under the tree and shake off the berries manually. When picking cherries, be sure to wear gloves. Also, do not tear off the stalks, so as not to deprive it of the next fruits.

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Rooting

Before planting cherry shoots into the soil, they need to be treated with special preparations. Heteroauxin is used to stimulate growth. For 1 liter of water you need to take 100 mg of working fluid. The cuttings should stand in the solution for 14-17 hours. Then they can be rooted.

The best substrate for rooting green splendor is soil with a small amount of manure and river sand. The soil must be breathable.

So that you don't have to say goodbye to green shoots, it is important to prevent them from getting too cold. In spring, many cuttings die due to frost. Too much heat also inhibits root formation. The best temperature for rooting green samples is 27 °C. In summer, cuttings need moisture. They need to be sprayed from time to time. Future trees need generous and regular watering. The water should not be very cool. Rooting occurs 20-40 days after placing the cherry shoots in the soil.

To ensure full development of the root system of cuttings, they should be fertilized with small doses of phosphorus fertilizers. By feeding this way twice over the summer, you will help the cherry tree to take root, and propagation by cuttings will be successful.

Shoots as a means of reproduction

This method is common and popular in regions located in cold climate zones. Since the shoots persist even after the ground parts of the tree freeze. You need to be careful when choosing shoots used for propagation in spring or autumn. Weak root shoots and those located close to the mother root are not used in cherry propagation.

The method of obtaining seedlings from shoots is associated with the least amount of labor and time

The shoots will not take root or a weak tree will grow from it; if you cut off closely spaced shoots, the tree itself will suffer. Two-year-old root cuttings with a well-developed root system that are not too close are ideal. We chop off the selected sample and lubricate the cut areas with varnish. We leave the separated part in place over the summer, giving it the opportunity to grow a strong root system.

In the fall, we dig it up and replant it in a place prepared in advance for this. Located on a hill, a pit about three meters deep, well fertilized with organic fertilizers. We plant the undergrowth, insert a stake to support it, cover it with a layer of fertile soil, trample the soil and water it abundantly. Each of the selected propagation methods makes it possible for the plant to bear fruit at different times. Therefore, it is important to take into account all the features of the propagated variety and the climatic conditions of your region.

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