About Morel cherries: description and characteristics of the variety, care and cultivation

Morel is an old European cherry variety that came to Russia from Holland, where it was bred in the 18th century. It has several common subspecies, including Morel Bryanskaya, Nefris, Lotovka - these varieties were included in the State Register in the twentieth century.

Morel is very popular among gardeners and is grown for sale raw, as well as for making various compotes, jams and even wine. In this material we will analyze what the features of this variety are, what varieties there are, how to properly plant Morel on your site and care for cherries in order to get a good harvest every year.

Description and characteristics of the variety

This cherry variety (depending on its variety) can be represented by both shrubs and low trees with spreading crowns. It has the following features:

Tree. Low - the plant reaches an average height of 1.5 meters, sometimes 2 meters. It has a wide spreading crown with a large number of leaves. The branches of the trunk are ashen-light, the shoots are brownish with a silvery coating. The leaves are medium in size, reaching 7 cm in length. The flowers are small, up to 27 mm in diameter, collected in inflorescences of 4 pieces.
Fruit. Large (weighing up to 3 grams), thin-skinned, ruby-colored, have elastic, juicy pulp. Their taste is sweet and sour.

The presented species begins to bear fruit from the 3rd year of life. 10-year-old plants have the maximum yield. In the future, the plant's productivity will gradually decrease if rejuvenating pruning of the cherry is not carried out.

Appearance of Tamaris cherry

Cherries of this type are characterized by the following characteristics:

Tree

It is a low-growing individual with a height of 1.7-2 m. Occasionally it grows to an average height of 2.5 m. Crown, branches. A fairly wide, rounded crown is formed on the tree. It is characterized by average (sometimes below average) density and distinct elevation. The bark on the trunk and main branches is brown in color. Bouquet branches are fruitful.

Escape. They are quite long. The color is predominantly brown with a brown tint. A small number of lentils are formed on the shoots. The buds that grow on the shoots are oval in shape and slightly deviate from the shoot itself.

Leaves. Distinctive features are medium size, the presence of doubly toothed teeth on the edges, and a relatively smooth plate.

The glossy surface of the leaves is usually dark green. Has no pubescence.

At the base of each leaf, 2 small dark red glands are visible. The leaf is held on the branch by a short, medium-thick stalk.

Inflorescences. The medium-sized white flowers look like small roses. Each petal has a rounded silhouette. The standard flowering period is late.

Fruit

Quite large and massive fruits (the average weight of a berry ranges from 3.8 to 5 g) are distinguished by their round shape. The apex of the fruit is slightly flattened, the base is marked by a small depression, and there is a slight seam on the abdomen.

Vyanok, Mayak and Shchedraya can also boast large fruits.

The skin is dark red (purple), and rare small brown spots appear on the fruit. The flesh of the same color has a delicately soft consistency with a lot of juice.

The relatively large, rounded stone is easily separated from the pulp. The fruit is supported by a medium-thick stalk. There is a separating layer between the stalk and the fruit itself.

Peculiarities

Morel is considered one of the most profitable varieties to grow. Its features include the following:

Winter hardiness. Morel is a frost-resistant variety.
Disease resistance. Cherries of this variety are not susceptible to fungal diseases characteristic of fruit crops.
Pollinators. The variety is considered self-fertile. However, pollination of Morel can also be carried out through its various varieties: Lotovka, Amoreli, Chernokorka. This makes the variety more productive.
Ripening period and yield. Morel ripens in mid-July. Productivity of the variety: 6-10 kilograms of fruits per tree.
Transportability. Cherry has a medium shelf life and is well transported over short distances. Some subspecies of Morel (Bryanskaya) tolerate transportation well without losing their presentation.

Morel varieties are resistant not only to diseases, but also to various pests. Thanks to this, gardeners who choose them can reduce the number of preventive treatments of plants per year, using one spraying of trees in the autumn.

Harvesting

Cherries are harvested as soon as they acquire their characteristic burgundy-brown hue.

For this purpose, stepladders or high wooden stairs are used. From old and tall trees, where it is impossible to reach the fruit even with the help of a ladder, the harvest is collected using a long pole with a cup on the upper end. This cup is made from half a plastic bottle.

Important! It will be possible to remove berries from high branches after they are fully ripened, when they begin to fall off the tree on their own.

If you can’t remove the berries using a ladder, you can lay out plastic film under the tree and shake the branches with a long stick.

Varieties

Lotovka berries have a sweet and sour taste; they themselves ripen at the end of July and can remain on the tree for a long time without spoiling. The plant itself is resistant to low temperatures, diseases and pests.

Morel has several varieties popular in gardening. These include:

Tray. A late variety with burgundy almost black fruits. It is grown for subsequent processing into jam or boiling.
Chernokorka. This is a multi-stemmed bush with a rounded crown, producing dark, juicy and sweet berries. The Chernokorka harvest can be used both for raw consumption and for making jams, preserves, and wine. The variety is self-sterile; in order for it to bear fruit, another variety of Morel must be planted on the site.

Morel Bryanskaya. A plant with a wide, rounded crown, produces large dark red fruits with elastic pulp. The fruits of this variety are very transportable, which is why Bryansk Morel is often grown for commercial purposes. The variety is resistant to frost and disease.
Nephris. This is a medium height tree. Fruiting occurs on bouquet branches, as well as annual branches. The tree produces sweet and sour ruby fruits. Unlike other similar varieties, Nefris is susceptible to fungal diseases and is afraid of frost.
Amorel Nikiforova. Also called "Amorel Rose". Plants of this variety have a spreading, rounded crown. they grow many leaves and light red fruits with a sour taste.
Amorel early. This is a vigorous plant with a rounded crown of medium density. Reaches 4 meters in height. Resistant to diseases and pests. It belongs to the dessert varieties, produces large fruits with a sweet and sour taste. Grows well in Astrakhan, Volgograd, Orenburg, Mordovia.

Find out about the best varieties of cherries for the Moscow region at this link.

You can plant several of the above varieties on your site. This will have a beneficial effect on their productivity.

Chocolate girl

The variety was bred quite recently, at the end of the twentieth century. It has absorbed many excellent characteristics from other varieties. The height of an adult tree reaches 2.5 meters, which allows for high-quality harvesting. The crown shape is an inverted pyramid.

This position of the branches provides sufficient height, even with a very bountiful harvest. The time for flowering begins in mid-May. The tree is self-fertile, but to maintain the yield at a decent level, it is worth planting varieties such as Vladimirskaya and Turgenevskaya nearby.

Trees begin to bear fruit 4 years after planting. Ripening begins in the second week of July. The berries are medium and large. For such small trees, the yield is decent, up to 12 kg per tree. The color of ripe fruit corresponds to the name. The berries taste sweet, with a slight sourness.

Any fruit tree, regardless of type, variety, characteristics, requires careful care. Inexperienced and lazy gardeners believe that trees should not be looked after as well as beds.

Yes, the tree will still bear fruit. But the quality, and most importantly, the quantity of these fruits will be so pitiful that it is better to place plastic trees on the site. You are nothing to them, they are the same to you.

Growing

Plants are planted at a distance of 3-4 meters from each other.

Growing Morel on your own plot is not difficult. To do this, you should consider the following features:

Climatic conditions. The variety is suitable for various climatic zones. However, it is recommended to grow plants in the southwestern and western areas of the garden with good lighting. This will ensure good taste of the fruit.
The soil. Morel can be planted on any soil, including black soil and sandy soil.
Landing. For Morel, holes of 45-50 cm are made, the soil is mixed with humus and mineral fertilizers, and 2 kilograms of wood ash are added. The soil is poured into a mound at the bottom of the hole, after which the roots of the seedling are laid on this mound and sprinkled with soil so that the grafting site is several centimeters above the soil. The tree itself is tied to a peg, and an earthen roller is made around the trunk circle so that the water remains in us. After planting, Morel is watered abundantly.

This article will tell you how to plant cherry seedlings.

After planting Morel, the tree trunk circle of the plant must be mulched. This helps prevent excessive evaporation of moisture and cracking of the soil.

Water three times per season

	Stage 2. Select a location and dig a hole. The cherry tree should be placed in a well-lit area. The distance to the fence is at least one and a half meters, the distance between trees is 3 meters. Dig a hole about 60 cm deep and 80 cm in diameter. If the groundwater is not very deep, then make the hole deeper and add a drainage layer to the bottom
	Stage 3. Prepare the hole. Pour a bucket of humus into the bottom. Rotted manure or compost will also work. Add 50 g of superphosphates and 20 g of potash fertilizers. You can add 100-200 g of wood ash. Sprinkle 200 g of dolomite flour if the soil is acidic. Pour a small layer of soil on top to place the root part on it
	Stage 4. Plant a tree Place the seedling in the middle of the hole. Level it vertically and fill the hole about halfway. Compact well and fill to the top. Make sure that the root collar is above the ground level. You can leave a small depression, or you can add a small bump around the perimeter. Water the seedling. Use 2 buckets of water for each tree.
	Stage 5. Mulch the tree trunk circle. After watering, loosen the soil well. Carefully level it so that the surface is free of holes and differences in height. Add a layer of humus, peat or rotted compost. Mulch thickness – no more than 5 cm

Stage 1. Loosen and mulch the soil

Carry out loosening every month. Processing depth – 10 cm.

Mulch the surface. You can even use grass clippings or sawdust.

Care

Caring for Morel is not difficult. In order for the plant to develop well, it is necessary to ensure that the soil near the bush is always loose and free of weeds (they can damage the roots of the plant). To do this, in the summer, 2-3 shallow loosening is done, and in the autumn, digging is done to a depth of 25 cm to 30 cm. At the same time, fertilizing is applied to the soil. The Morels also provide watering, fertilizing, pruning and proper preparation for winter. Compliance with all agrotechnical requirements for growing this crop allows the gardener to obtain a good harvest regardless of climatic conditions.

Find out when you can replant cherries from this material.

Watering

Such cherries do not need frequent watering, since this crop is drought-resistant. It needs to be watered three times a year:

The first watering is carried out during flowering. It must be combined with fertilizing.
The second is carried out when the fruit increases in size.
The last third watering is carried out in early November after the leaves fall.

The amount of water used for irrigation depends on the climatic conditions in the growing region. Usually it is 2-3 buckets. For this procedure, only clean filtered water is used, since it does not contain bacteria that can cause certain cherry diseases.

Feeding

Various types of fertilizers are used to feed cherries. Among them:

Nitrogen fertilizers. Urea or ammonium nitrate are used as such. Such fertilizers are applied 50-70 grams at a time. Fertilizing is carried out three times a year: in early spring, then immediately after the tree has finished flowering, then another 15 days after flowering.
Phosphorus fertilizers. Apply 150-200 grams per plant once a year.
Potash fertilizers. Apply in solid form at 70 grams per plant.
Organic fertilizers - compost or humus. They are applied once every three years during the autumn digging of the soil.

A solution of mineral fertilizers can also be used to feed trees. To prepare it, 15 grams of potassium sulfate and urea, as well as 25 grams of superphosphate, are diluted in 10 liters of water. If you use this fertilizer, you will not need to use dry potash fertilizers.

Trimmings

For proper tree growth, the gardener needs to carry out formative and sanitary pruning.

Formative pruning is carried out in the spring. A one-year-old seedling is pruned at a height of 60-80 cm to form 4 powerful branches and a trunk up to 50 cm. The next year, the central conductor is shortened by 0.6 meters, 2-3 branches are formed for the second tier. General branches are shortened by a third. After crown formation is completed, the height of the tree is limited to 2-2.5 meters.

During formative pruning, improperly growing shoots are also removed so that they do not thicken the crown. They are cut into rings.

Sanitary pruning of cherries is carried out once a year in autumn or spring. With this pruning, all diseased and weak branches are removed, and fruit-bearing branches are shortened. The general branches are not touched during this processing of the tree. This pruning helps increase the tree's yield.

Any type of cherry pruning should only be done with a clean, disinfected tool. Cuts need to be treated with garden varnish. Otherwise, the plant may get sick and die.

Preparing for winter

Preparing fruit trees for winter.

Despite the fact that Morel is considered a frost-resistant plant, it also needs to be prepared for winter. In order for it to survive the cold season well, you need to do the following:

Dig up the soil in the tree trunk circle and water the plant. This is necessary so that the roots receive the right amount of moisture and nutrients.
Carry out sanitary pruning, remove all unnecessary branches. All cuts must be treated with garden varnish.
Fold the outer branches in a circle or fan, cover with straw and wrap in burlap.

Read about cherry varieties for Siberia here.

Also, after the leaves fall, you can treat the branches with pest control agents. This will get rid of insects that hide in the bark for the winter. It is better to use combination drugs for this purpose.

Pros and cons of the variety

It is not for nothing that Morel is highly rated by gardeners. The advantages of this variety include:

Easy to care for.
High yields already in the first years after planting.
The versatility of the variety. Morel fruits can be used for raw consumption, as well as for processing - making jam and wine.
Resistance to diseases and low temperatures.

Also, the advantages of this variety include drought resistance. Such cherries will not need frequent additional watering even when grown in the southern regions.

You can find out why the cherries dried up here.

The disadvantages of Morel include poor transportability of the fruits of some of its subspecies (for example, Amoreli rosea), as well as the low commercial quality of the fruit.

conclusions

Morel is a common type of cherry that comes in several varieties. It is characterized by increased frost resistance, resistance to diseases, and high yield. Most Morel varieties do not require pollinator varieties.
Cherries of this variety are universal in use. They can be consumed raw, and also used to make jams, preserves, and wine.
The most popular types of Morel are Amorel, Lotovka, Chernokorka, Nefris.
To plant the plant, you can use any soil, including sandy soil. You can plant cherries in different climatic zones; you just need to choose sunny areas of the garden for them. The plant is planted in holes dug 45-50 cm deep
For further care, you need to know how and what to feed in spring and autumn, carry out formative and sanitary pruning, water several times a year, loosen the soil, as well as mandatory preparation for winter.