Large-fruited sweet cherry: description of the variety
Large-fruited cherries are a medium-ripening berry. The weight of the berries reaches 18 g. Fruiting is abundant and constant.
Mature tree height
Under favorable growing conditions, the height of the tree reaches 10-12 meters.
Flowering and ripening period
Cherry flowers, as a rule, are not damaged by spring frosts, as they bloom later, when the threat of frost has passed. It is worth noting that even when the buds are covered with snow, the harvest of this variety is preserved
Large-fruited cherry has beautiful white flowers with five petals, collected in inflorescences of 5-6 pieces. The berries are set on last year's fruit growth. Cherry blossoms are abundant; the variety bears fruit annually. The harvest ripens in late June. The color of the fruit is dark red, burgundy, the flesh is sweet and juicy. The skin is glossy, shiny, dense.
Productivity
Large-fruited cherries are a mid-season variety. As a rule, the first harvest appears in the fourth year after planting in open ground. Indicators from one tree are 40-60 kg.
Transportability
The transportability of this berry is beyond praise. Thanks to the dense skin, the berries do not deform and retain their presentation for a long time. The fruits are suitable for sale, which is the first reason for planting it.
Drought resistance
The cherry variety has proven itself to be unpretentious and drought-resistant. But despite this, during especially dry periods the tree should be watered twice a day.
Frost resistance
The frost resistance of the root system and above-ground parts of cherries is high. Only the roots of annual seedlings do not tolerate severe frosts well. Prolonged frosts down to -30°C can lead to the death of the plant. In the northern regions, this crop is grown in places protected from the winds.
The variety can withstand negative temperatures down to -25–30°C. The degree of freezing is affected not only by low temperatures in winter, but also by the condition of the tree in the first year of the growing season. Cherries depleted by excessive harvest, weakened by drought, damaged by diseases and pests, can die even at temperatures of -15–20°C.
Reviews
Cherry is excellent in all respects - frost-resistant, resistant to monilial burn. The berries are large, tasty, beautiful. But in rainy weather it is severely affected by gray rot.
Alexander Vasilievich
My grandmother has 2 Large-fruited trees, 12-14 years old for sure - we eat them ourselves, and sells compotes. The market goes out with a bang - the berries are large, marketable, sweet - a sight for sore eyes! And transportability is good.
Antonina, Melitopol
I planted 2 varieties at the dacha 10 years ago - Large-fruited and Chkalov. The harvests are excellent! The large-fruited one is directly covered with berries, they ripen and are filled with large ones - up to 10g. I treat it with Teldor for rot, and I need to treat it in time for musk - then the berries are meatless. I’ll also tell you a secret against cracking: as soon as the berry begins to color, but is still green - 100 liters for wood. The cracking occurs because during the growth period of the berries there is little moisture - the skin becomes tanned, and during the ripening period it rains and there is a lot of moisture, so the berries crack. The same thing happens with grapes.
Anton Igorevich, Kyiv region.
Large-fruited is an excellent cherry, it always sets a lot, does not shed, everything ripens. At the same time, the tree does not rest - every year there is a good harvest - a lot or a lot. The only problem is cracking and, as luck would have it, it always rains during the berry-filling period. For fruit rot I use Speed.
Olga, Rostov
Large-fruited - a wonderful variety! We start eating it red. The size is like Chkalov’s, very tasty, sweet, already red. As it ripens, it still gains weight and color. Fruits in late June. The blackbirds don't touch it; the early ones eat it.
Saveliy, Stepanovich, Krasnodar
How to plant large-fruited cherries
Seedlings take root best in the fall, in the first half of October. Planting at this time ensures the growth of the root system, since the soil has the optimal amount of moisture and a suitable temperature. The autumn planting of cherries is completed 15–20 days before the soil freezes.
You can root this variety in the spring. They do this in a short time in March. Afterwards they loosen the soil in the tree trunk circles. Cherry seedlings respond positively to mulching, especially when grown without watering. A layer of mulch 4–6 cm thick made of straw, humus, peat, compost prevents the soil from drying out, the development of weeds, and promotes better growth and fruiting of cherries.
How to choose a seedling
For planting, take both annual and two-year-old seedlings with a closed or open root system, which can be bought in nurseries and garden stores. When purchasing a cherry variety, you should choose a shoot that has a well-developed root and no dry or broken shoots.
The branches of the seedling have a certain elasticity. They must also not have any defects. Make sure that the bark is intact, without cracks or injuries. When choosing a variety, pay special attention to the fact that the plant must be grafted. If the grafting site is visible on the seedling, it is a good specimen.
Planting dates and scheme
If you plant plants late in the fall, there is a danger that they will not survive the first winter well. Cherries of this variety continue, albeit slightly, to evaporate moisture. Therefore, when planting in late autumn, the death of a tree in winter is more likely not from frost, but from drying out. Especially in areas with strong winter winds. The planting scheme for Large-fruited cherries and a description with photos are given below.
Late planting in spring leads to the same results as late autumn. Therefore, consider the following tips:
- With optimal timing (late March - early April) of spring planting and normal care during the growing season, the plants form good shoots and have time to harden by the beginning of the dormant period.
- Spring planting lasts no more than 10-12 days from the beginning of the ground thawing in each specific area.
- If spring planting is late, the plants may die. The main reason is the same - lack of moisture.
- The root system of seedlings, as a rule, is shortened and cannot properly supply the plant with the required amount of water at first.
Pit preparation
In order to plant large-fruited cherries in the spring, the soil must be prepared in the fall.
- Dig a planting hole. Its width and depth are made twice as large as the roots of the plant. After this, two buckets of fresh compost or rotted manure are poured into the hole.
- If the acidity of the soil is increased, add lime or dolomite flour. At the bottom of the pit, drainage is made (15–20 cm) from fine crushed stone, gravel, broken brick, and sand. Then fill two-thirds of the volume with the prepared soil mixture. Mostly the hole is prepared 10–15 days before planting so that the soil settles well.
Origin story
Gardeners from different countries owe the presence of this variety of cherries to breeders from Ukraine. In particular, Oratovsky and Turovtsev experimented on its removal for a long time. Excellent results were achieved when the “Napoleon White” variety was taken as a basis, and it was pollinated with a mixture of such varieties as “Elton”, “Zhabule”, “Valery Chkalov”.
Important! Back in 1983, this variety took its rightful place in the Register of Plants of Ukraine. Today it is grown throughout Russia and Ukraine, as well as nearby countries.
Caring for Large-fruited cherries
From the moment the variety is planted, it is necessary to form the crown. Most often, this type of pruning has aesthetic value, since Large-fruited cherries do not reduce productivity. In the autumn, rejuvenating, regulating and shaping cherry pruning is done. Her time is mid-October.
Sanitary care of cherries is carried out so that moisture does not accumulate in the thickened crown and does not feed spores of fungal diseases. Annual seedlings of large-fruited cherries are formed before the beginning of the growing season - in the spring. A two-year-old seedling is pruned after a year - early in the spring. Over time, the growth wave of strong shoots weakens.
Feeding and watering
Large cherries are demanding of soil moisture, this is due to the superficial placement of the root system and significant transpiration.
At the same time, in watery areas, the roots suffer from a lack of oxygen. Requires more moisture during ripening. During flowering and fruiting, trees are watered once every three days. If this period coincides with a drought, then the frequency is reduced.
Weeding and loosening
Weeding and loosening the soil in tree trunk circles is the most important agrotechnical technique that allows you to saturate the upper layers of the soil with oxygen. It also prevents the growth of weeds. It is important to carry out weeding and loosening in the first two years of the tree’s life.
Crown formation
Large-fruited red cherries are characterized by high bud awakening after pruning. The harvest ripens on the fruit branches of the previous year. They usually have a lifespan of no more than three years.
The large-fruited cherry variety is productive, which has a bad effect on vitality. Flower buds are formed on short shoots, and the branches become bare after fruiting. The old shoots of the variety become bare due to the short life span of the bouquet branches. Therefore, pruning is necessary to help the fruit tree preserve flowers until pollination.
Before you start forming a cherry crown, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of pruning. The most popular is the summer one. It must be carried out in August. During an active wave of growth, cherries should not be pruned. If you prune in June (shorten long shoots by 1/3), you can increase the weight of the fruit.
Large-fruited cherries do not shed their ovaries themselves, and most of them ripen; the trees become overloaded under the weight of the fruits and often the branches break off. In addition, summer pruning delays the development of fruit buds, so the tree will bloom later and will not be subject to return frosts. Therefore, the harvest will be guaranteed.
The crown is formed: cup-shaped, sparsely-tiered, combined, untiered. Cup-shaped is divided into two types: Armenian and improved cup. They can be combined with each other. When leaving, monitor the angle of the semi-skeletal branches to the conductor. It is necessary to avoid their crowding - this can reduce the productivity of the crown.
Pollinators of cherry Large-fruited
The best varieties of pollinators for large-fruited cherries are: Francis, Daibera Chernaya, Valery Chkalov.
Important points about fruits
The popularity of this variety among gardeners is due to the high yield and keeping quality of the fruit.
For example, from one mature tree you can get up to 70 kg of berries, which, under certain conditions, can be stored for 1 month without losing their taste and appearance. The berries can be eaten fresh or used to make compotes, jam, juice or puree. The possibility of freezing the fruits is also possible. Transportation is ensured by the presence of a thin but dense crust on the berries. Of no small importance in the process of processing berries is that the seed easily comes away from the pulp.
The taste quality of the berries, according to experienced tasters, reaches 4.6 points out of 5.
Diseases and pests of large-fruited cherries
The warmer and higher the humidity level, the more actively diseases develop. There is a high probability of damage to those fruits that have wounds. They are the first to be hit: the pulp becomes loose and the fruits fall off. The berries that remain on the tree become compacted and turn black, and also become a place for the development of spores that spoil the harvest.
Fruit rot
Moniliosis of the variety can be prevented: it is enough to promptly remove infected fruits, including before wintering. Spraying with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture also helps. After harvesting, you can carry out another treatment - this time with copper sulfate. The ratio with water is 1: 100, at the rate of 3 liters for each tree. When picking affected berries, you should avoid contact with healthy berries to avoid becoming a carrier.
Rust
Another ailment of the variety is rust. It is typical, first of all, for July - the hottest month, when the fruits of most stone fruit trees ripen. At the same time, round-shaped spots appear on the front side of the leaves, which in color resemble rust. Over time, such leaves fall off, and the trees weaken and withstand the winter worse. Just two years and the cherry tree will completely stop bearing fruit.
Scab
Scab can affect both large fruits and cherry leaves. The former quickly stop growing and dry out, while the latter become covered with brown-brown spots and curl up into a tube. The fight lies in preventative measures. At the end of autumn or beginning of winter, it is necessary to dig up the soil around the tree along with the leaves. Spraying in several stages is also suitable:
- when green buds appear,
- after the tree blossoms,
- after harvesting the fruits.
For this purpose, Bordeaux mixture and copper oxychloride are used in the proportions described above to combat rust.
Gray rot
Gray rot can affect young shoots of large-fruited cherries, leaves and fruits. The berries turn gray and acquire an unpleasant odor. The disease is transmitted by the fruits remaining on the tree, they successfully survive the winter, and then the spores infect the new crop, starting with the flowers. As a result, part of the tree or the whole tree may dry out and die.
cherry fly
A pest belonging to the class of insects. It is easy to identify by its 3 mm body and orange color. The fly infects the berries of the Large-fruited cherry, laying larvae of offspring in them. After two weeks, worms develop inside the mature fruits, destroying the crop. The period of activity occurs in May–June, when the air temperature does not drop below +15 degrees, which contributes to the warming of the earth. The insect loves sunny days with hot weather.
The effect of the fruit fly on the Large-fruited cherry becomes obvious after 20 days, when the berries fall. During this time, the pest goes through two molts and pupates in the trunk space of the plant. During the period of activity, the fly destroys up to 60% of the fruits. Control involves loosening and digging up the soil around the tree, which destroys the pupae. Cherry fruits are treated with a solution of Karate and Decis preparations. Repeated spraying after two weeks kills new offspring.
Aphid
Aphids attack large-fruited cherries before other pests. The larvae appear after the buds open. The target of the pest is foliage, eating which the insect slows down growth and reduces yield. The nutrient medium for aphids is plant sap. Affected shoots curl up and do not develop. Cherries lose their immunity and are exposed to fungal diseases. The pest infests the tree within a few days; the eggs laid can survive the winter, so pruning is essential.
Infected branches of the Large-fruited cherry are cut off and burned. The tree trunk circle is cleared of fallen leaves and weeds on which larvae are deposited. Preventive spraying of cherries against fungal diseases reduces the likelihood of pest occurrence. Feeding and watering strengthen the plant's resistance. In spring and winter, the trunk is whitened with the addition of PVA glue.
Weevil
The weevil affects not only ripe berries. The pest uses ovaries, buds and cherry buds. The elephant larva overwinters in the soil and is activated after it warms up. Therefore, the basis of prevention is loosening the soil near the trunk. This is done in autumn and spring before active sap flow begins. Remove the exfoliated cherry bark and whiten the shoots with lime mortar. Before flowering, the beetle is shaken off by hitting the branches. After flowering, the drug Actellik is used, which is diluted with water in the proportions specified by the manufacturer.
