Cherry Bull's Heart: description of the variety, cultivation characteristics, care, planting, reproduction, reviews about it, the best pollinators, large-fruited

Description of the fruit

The name of the variety speaks for itself - “Bull’s Heart” (or “Ox’s Heart” as it was called earlier) has large heart-shaped fruits weighing about 8 grams. They have a rich, dark red color that may appear black when fully ripe.

The pulp of the berry also has a burgundy color. The taste of cherries is characterized as very sweet; the taste lacks the sourness characteristic of many types. Even with a lack of light, fruits most often receive the very sweetness for which they are so valued.

History of selection

A new, hybrid variety of cherry was bred in the Soviet Union by Georgian scientific breeders for cultivation in areas with a hot climate. Today, cherries of the Bull Heart variety are cultivated with great success in the central and black earth regions of the country. Gardeners speak with great love of the fruit crop and call it ox heart.

Reference! The unusual name of the variety was inspired by the bright color of the large fruits, which resemble the heart of a bull.

Description of the tree

The “Bull's Heart” cherry itself, the variety description of which tells us about the huge fruits, does not look like a giant tree. These are medium-sized trees that can reach an average height of 3-4 meters.

The crown has a pyramidal shape, not overly branched, strewn with an average amount of foliage. The leaves themselves that grow on the tree are always large in size and have a rich green color.

Characteristics and description of trees

Bull's heart is a medium-sized plant with a pyramid-shaped crown and sparse foliage. The leaves are large in size, dark green in color, pointed at the top and jagged at the edges. The height of a mature tree varies from 3 to 5 m, the final size depends on the quality of the soil. Seedlings develop quickly.

Due to the low growth of the crop, it is convenient to harvest. The density of the crown allows for high-quality ventilation of the tree, avoiding the proliferation of pests and preventing excessive thickening of the foliage.

Cherry blossoms bloom in the second half of May. In temperate climates, the harvest is harvested in July. In the southern zone - at the end of June. They ripen gradually, which allows you to obtain a harvest in several stages. 30-40 kg are collected from one tree.

Temperature resistance

In the southern regions, berry trees easily tolerate low temperatures. In the middle zone, where frosts down to -25°C are possible in winter, freezing of branches and shoots occurs. In temperate climates, it is important to carry out proper and timely preparation for wintering and provide the plant with good protection from the cold.

In spring, you should be wary of return frosts, which can cause the death of flowers.

Moisture and drought resistance

The bull's heart equally dislikes drought and excess moisture. Excessive, prolonged precipitation can lead to spoilage of berries. During drought, the tree is watered regularly, otherwise the cherry fruits will not reach their maximum size. The juiciness of the crop depends on watering.

Resistance to diseases and pests

To most diseases characteristic of the cherry crop, Ox's Heart has natural immunity. Of the pests, only a few are dangerous - cherry fly and cherry moth.

Disadvantages of the variety

At the same time, the variety has a number of unobvious disadvantages that must be taken into account when breeding:

short shelf life: the berries of this variety have a rather thin skin and at the same time dense, juicy pulp; due to these qualities, the berry quickly deteriorates after being picked from the tree; Berries should be collected exclusively with the stalk and used for food as soon as possible after picking, or at the first signs of wilting, used for preparing any type of preservation.
poor resistance to transportation: for the reasons mentioned above, the berries of this variety do not tolerate long transportation, so they are most often not transported over long distances and sold close to the area where they ripened
fragility of the berries in relation to the weather: the thin skin of ripe fruits of this variety may not withstand prolonged rains or windy days, cracks may appear in the berries, followed by wilting; often gardeners pick berries a little earlier than the appointed time so that the harvest is not spoiled by the vagaries of the weather

Advantages and disadvantages

Let's find out what strengths and weaknesses this fruit variety has.

pros

Outstanding taste and large berry size.
The variety is frost-resistant. Despite its southern origin, the Bull's Heart also tolerates frosts in the middle zone well: of course, if the tree is under cover.
The Ox Heart variety is resistant to the most common cherry disease, coccomycosis.
The variety is characterized by high productivity.

Minuses

The main disadvantage of the variety is its low transportability, keeping quality and extremely short fresh shelf life because of this.

The berries crack very quickly, so harvesting is fraught with some difficulties. Fruits can burst due to mechanical damage, temperature changes, active sunlight, and also in some other cases.

This article will help you understand what pollinators exist for the Bryansk pink cherry and what it looks like.

But what is the height of the Revna cherry tree, and how many fruits can be collected from the tree, is indicated here.

It will also be interesting to see what columnar yellow cherries look like: //gidfermer.com/sadovodstvo/yagody/kolonovidnye-chereshni-sorta.html

You may also be interested in learning about the Iput cherry variety, and for this you should read the description.

Planting trees of this variety

Trees of this species are quite resistant to temperature changes, so the ideal time of year for planting can be considered both spring and autumn. However, experienced gardeners still recommend not to take risks and not trust changeable weather, and to plant trees in the spring.

The main thing that will affect the quality of the fruit and the lifespan of the tree is where the “Bull’s Heart” cherry will be planted. The description of the fruit tells us that this variety loves the sun very much and practically cannot tolerate shade, so it is necessary to choose the sunniest area in the garden.

In addition, these trees do not tolerate drafts and strong gusts of wind, so the place where the cherries will be planted should be protected by the walls of a building, a fence or other perennial trees. In this case, neighboring trees should be located at a distance no closer than 3 meters.

This variety should not be planted near wetlands and places where sewage water does not flow so deeply. This can destroy the tree's root system.

When planting cherries, it is necessary to prepare a special hole about half a meter deep, pre-fertilized with mineral or organic fertilizers. The root part of the seedling itself must be soaked before planting so that the tree receives all the nutrients. All roots must be straightened directly into the hole and carefully covered with loose soil without fertilizers. This is followed by abundant watering - the young tree will need up to 3 buckets of clean water at a time.

Planting cherries

The best period for planting cherries is spring. The soil on the site must be fertile and loosened.

The size of the planting pit for cherries should be 70×70 cm. Photo: fermer.blog

A couple of weeks before planting cherries, holes are dug for them with a cross-section and depth of 0.7 m. The distance between the holes for seedlings should be 3 m.
A wooden peg is inserted into the prepared holes in the middle for tying up the sprouts. Then two buckets of humus mixed with 500 g of stove ash are placed at the bottom of the pits.

When planting a sprout, its root is carefully straightened. Photo: ogorod.ru

When installing seedlings in holes, their root collar should be located 5 cm above ground level.
Then the holes are filled with soil, which is compacted and watered abundantly.
Lastly, the branches of the seedling are cut to a quarter of them. In this case, the roots of the plants will develop faster, and the formation of the crown will be correct.

Caring for trees in the garden

When caring for this variety of cherries, special attention is paid to watering. “Bull’s Heart” is a moisture-loving variety, and in order for there to be a sufficient harvest and the fruits to have a characteristic appearance, cherries must be properly watered. Cherry trees are watered from the appearance of the first leaves until they completely fall off. The watering norm for a young tree is 3 buckets of clean water per month, and for an adult tree - 6 buckets of clean water per month.

Young trees do not require special feeding, since the fertilizer that was used during planting is sufficient for them. However, older trees will need to be fertilized with mineral and organic fertilizers several times throughout the growing season.

Like many other garden trees, the “Bull’s Heart” cherry is self-sterile. Pollinators that can guarantee gardeners a harvest must be in close proximity to the tree - within a radius of no more than three meters. Most often, to guarantee the harvest, cherries are planted in Ovstuzhevka, Tyutchevka and Ivput.

Features of care

Cherry variety Bull's Heart is unpretentious in care. Standard agrotechnical measures are carried out for fruit crops.

Watering mode

In temperate climates, trees are watered as needed, and during prolonged rainfall, watering is avoided altogether.

Top dressing

For a fruit-bearing tree, additional feeding and fertilizers are important.

With the onset of spring, the trees are fed with ammonium nitrate.
As soon as the berry harvest is harvested, cherries need mineral fertilizers.
In autumn, trees are fertilized with organic matter.

Also, before wintering, a balanced mineral complex is added to the soil, which will nourish the cherry roots in the winter.

Crown formation

Correct formative pruning can increase the yield of fruit crops. The crown formation procedure begins from the 2nd year of tree growth. Pruning is carried out in early spring, before the beginning of the growing season. Every year, a tier of 5-7 of the most powerful and healthy skeletal branches is left on the main trunk, the rest are cut off. By the age of 5, the crown is fully formed.

Preparing for winter

With the onset of autumn, cherries are prepared for winter rest.

The trees are watered abundantly. Up to 100 liters of water are poured under each plant.
The tree trunk circle is thoroughly cleaned of debris and weeds, loosened and

spread a thick layer of humus mulch.

The lower part of the trunk is wrapped in mesh or burlap, thus protecting

trees from small rodents and animals

In cold winter conditions, the rhizomes are additionally protected with spruce branches.
Young seedlings are covered with special materials.

Advice! As soon as the first snow falls, a large snowdrift is raked under the tree.

Sanitary pruning

During the process of sanitary pruning, broken, dried, disease- and pest-affected branches and shoots are removed. Also, frozen, improperly growing and old branches that do not bear fruit are pruned.

Weeding and loosening

Weeding of the tree trunk circle is carried out as necessary. Weeds are carriers of diseases and pests, so weeding the soil under trees protects the fruit crop from possible damage.

Loosening the soil is carried out after watering, which allows moisture to penetrate more quickly to the roots of the plant.

Spring treatment

In early spring, sanitary pruning, first fertilizing, and preventive treatment of cherries are carried out, spraying the trees with copper sulfate.

Threats and pests

This variety is considered resistant to various diseases, but like many other varieties of cherries it cannot resist coccomycosis. To avoid the spread of this disease you must:

During the bud setting period, treat the tree with specialized chemicals.
Before the buds open, treat the tree with a solution of Bordeaux mixture
Make sure that no damage appears on the leaves and shoots and, if they occur, promptly remove them.

Another problem that can threaten the growth of trees of this variety is rodents. The most humane ways to protect cherries from rodents in winter are:

Bandaging the trunk with burlap and wire
Bandaging the trunk with rubyroid
Wrapping the trunk with a dense layer of spruce branches

Cherry "Bull's Heart" is considered a delicacy of its kind among berries and fruits. No other fruit tree has such taste qualities. If you provide trees of this variety with proper care, you can annually obtain a harvest of delicious, juicy and sweet berries.

How to plant ox heart cherries

It is advisable to plant cherries on fertile lands in sunny places. To prevent freezing, the crop is placed under the protection of a fence or hedge.

How to choose a seedling

When purchasing a plant for planting in the garden, pay special attention to its root system. It is desirable that this part consist of branched springy processes. It is also necessary to inspect the cherries for damage and disease.

Important! The best results can be achieved by purchasing Ox Heart seedlings in special local nurseries. Plants adapted to specific climatic conditions will take root in the garden faster.

Planting dates and scheme

According to experienced gardeners, young seedlings are best planted in the spring before the juices begin to flow. In this case, the cherry tree will take root and acclimatize. Planting the Bull's Heart can also be done in the fall. Work begins approximately three weeks before the first frost appears. To prevent freezing of the bark and root system, young trees planted in the fall are covered with spruce branches. When grown in the shade of other fruit trees, the berries will be unsweetened. Bull's heart is a low variety of sweet cherry. It is best to plant it on the south side of slopes, in places with loose soil.

Sandy clay or peat soil is absolutely unsuitable for planting cherries. Here the plant will not take root or will produce a poor harvest. And one more nuance that should be taken into account is the groundwater level. It should be no higher than 1.5 meters relative to ground level. Otherwise, the roots of the plant will begin to rot due to excess moisture. The Bull's Heart cherry is placed according to a 3×3 or 3.5×3.5 meter pattern. Only in this case will the trees be provided with a sufficient amount of heat, moisture and nutrients.

Pit preparation

Work on preparing the hole begins 15-20 days before the expected planting date:

The dimensions of the pit are 60-80 centimeters - length and width, 60 centimeters depth;
Drainage, large stones, pieces of unnecessary brick or slate are placed at the bottom of the recess. For subsequent gartering of the plant, a support, a wooden stake, is dug in.
15 kg of organic matter (humus or compost) is mixed with the top layer of soil and poured back into the hole.
The formed mound will be compacted until the seedling is planted.

10 hours before work, the young animals are placed in a bucket of water. The planting process itself consists of several simple operations:

when burying a crop in a hole, its root collar should be above the soil level, which will prevent the growth of unnecessary shoots from the scion.
The cherries are lifted, which will allow the free space between the roots to be filled with soil.
After planting, the soil is compacted and watered.

Plant development is stimulated by pruning. The branches are shortened by a quarter of the length. Thus, the beneficial substances in the Ox Heart cherry will not be directed to the intensive growth of the aerial part, but to the formation of the rhizome.

Important! Pruning of the plant must be done in the spring before the buds swell.