Miracle cherry is one of the highest quality hybrids of cherries and cherries. Such shapes are called dukes. The development of this duke was carried out by scientists from the Donetsk Horticulture Research Station. It was possible to breed Duke through the selection of the Griot Ostgeimsky cherry and the Valery Chkalov cherry. The creators of the variety are L.I. Taranenko, A.I. Sychov.
In today’s publication we will present a description of the variety, show photos of the berries and talk about which pollinators are ideal for this hybrid.
Description of the variety
In terms of its characteristics and growth vigor, the hybrid is more reminiscent of a cherry, but in terms of the type of branching it is more reminiscent of a sweet cherry.
The leaf blades of the Miracle Cherry are large, their structure more reminiscent of cherry leaves. But in terms of density, they are more similar to cherry ones.
The stems are straight and quite powerful. They are protected by dark brown bark. The buds are very plump and quite large. In appearance they are more reminiscent of sweet cherry than cherry.
The top of the tree is branched, very much reminiscent of the crown of a cherry tree.
The hybrid begins to produce crops very early. Flower buds are formed during the annual growth.
This Duke managed to retain all the best characteristics of its ancestors. In particular, Miracle Cherry tolerates low temperatures well, which allows it to be grown in regions that are quite unfavorable for most varieties.
In addition, Miracle Cherry has a fairly strong immune system, which protects it from fungal diseases such as monilliosis and coccomycosis.
History of the hybrid
Miracle cherry is a hybrid crop obtained by Ukrainian botanist Liliya Taranenko at the Donetsk Horticultural Research Station in 1980. It is advisable to grow this cherry tree in regions with a warm climate. The hybrid was obtained by crossing the Griot Ostheimsky cherry with the Valery Chkalov cherry. In the USSR, the first hybrid crop, Beauty of the North, was obtained by Ivan Michurin. Over the past 100 years, botanists have continually crossed cherries with sweet cherries.
The result of this selection is called duke or cherry. The first such hybrids appeared in England back in the 17th century. The name comes from the phrase “May Duke”, which translates as “May Duke”. The hybrid culture combines the best properties of cherries and sweet cherries, blooms in May, and begins to bear fruit already in the 3rd season.
Externally, the tree looks like a cherry. It has thick branches, large leaves, large buds, and large, sweet, flat-round berries. And the type of branching of a young tree is like that of a cherry: the branches grow at an acute angle, which is why the crown grows like a narrow pyramid .
This variety received many useful qualities from cherries. For example, average frost resistance, drought resistance, more restrained growth, stable anchorage in the ground, and the fruits of hybrid cherry trees resemble large cherries and have a cherry aroma.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
This hybrid has a number of advantages, thanks to which many gardeners who encountered it liked it:
- The tree begins to bear fruit very early and produces a fairly good harvest.
- It has high frost resistance.
- Resistant to diseases such as monilliosis and coccomycosis, which are a real threat to cherry trees.
- The berries are very tasty and exude a pleasant aroma.
At the same time, we should not forget about the shortcomings of the Miracle Cherry. There are not so many of them, but still:
- This is not a self-fertile variety. This is a significant drawback, since an additional pollinator must be planted next to the duke.
- The tree grows very strongly, which requires constant formation of the crown.
Reviews from gardeners about Duke Miracle Cherry
Reviews about the Miracle Cherry are both positive and negative.
Tamara Konstantinovna, Krasnodar region: “The miracle cherry is truly a real miracle! I have never seen such large and tasty fruits. I’ve been harvesting for the fourth year in a row, and I’m very pleased. The plant does not cause any trouble and does not get sick. Last year I collected 12 kg of fruit from the tree. I recommend to all".
Pavel, Moscow region: “The miracle cherry has been growing on my plot for a long time. The harvest is different every year, the maximum was 8 kg. I like the taste, pleasant, cherry-cherry. I eat cherries only fresh, as they are not suitable for storage and transportation. Occasionally, the plant gets sick with coccomycosis, especially during times of frequent rain.”
Planting a seedling
Before planting seedlings, the area is marked (if several trees are planted). It is necessary to take into account the fact that the distance between mature trees should be at least 4-5 meters. Between rows at least 5 meters. When the area is marked, they begin to prepare the holes. A hole is dug 80x80 cm. The depth is usually from 40 to 50 cm. If the soil is not very fertile, then a hole is dug about 70 cm deep and filled with fertilizer.
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A few days before planting, it is recommended to keep the seedlings in water with the addition of special growth stimulants (Zircon and the like). You can also treat the root system with a solution of potassium permanganate or potassium humate in order to protect the plant from possible fungal diseases. But this procedure is carried out only when the seedling has a weak root system.
The process of planting a future tree is as follows:
- Prepare the pit. Standardly it is 50 cm deep, but here you need to start from the conditions. If the soil is not nutritious, then the hole is made larger. The same applies to the root system. The larger it is, the deeper and wider the hole is made.
- Make a fertilized mixture. To do this, mix 2 or 3 buckets of humus, 1 kg of wood ash, 100 grams of superphosphate and 80 grams of potassium sulfate. This whole mixture goes into one well.
- The bottom of the pit is loosened by 10 cm and a bucket of water is poured out. The water should be warm, outside temperature.
- After the water is absorbed, the nutrient substrate that was prepared earlier is added to the hole. The hole is filled approximately 2/3. The soil is compacted.
- A peg is driven into the center, which will serve as a future support for our seedling. The diameter of the peg is about 5 cm, and its height is up to 1.5 m. This should be done before planting the seedling, and not after, so as not to damage its root system. Then the peg is covered with earth, creating a so-called mound at its base.
- Before planting the seedling, it must be inspected again for damaged roots. If there are any, they are immediately deleted.
- The seedling is placed in the ground. It needs to be planted so that the root collar is approximately 6 cm above the ground level.
- The roots spread down the mound.
- Then, they carefully begin to sprinkle the seedling with soil. The soil is poured in layers, and it is compacted in layers.
- When the root system is hidden under a 15-centimeter layer of soil, the seedling is well watered and then completely covered with soil.
Watering and loosening
In fact, these two agrotechnical procedures are interrelated. The variety is quite drought-resistant, but trees, especially when it is very hot, need moisture.
Young seedlings are watered once every 2 weeks by pouring 4 buckets of water under the tree. Fruit-bearing trees are watered less frequently, only three times during the entire growing season: before flowering, during fruit set and after harvesting.
During the period of fruit ripening, the tree is not watered so as not to provoke cracking of the crop.
After watering, the soil under the crown needs to be loosened. Loosen the soil to a shallow depth, up to 10 cm. The main thing during loosening is to do everything carefully so as not to damage the root system (applies to young trees).
Feeding
You need to fertilize the tree in moderation. Excessive amounts of fertilizer will have an even worse effect on the tree than not fertilizing it at all. This is especially true for nitrogen-containing fertilizers, which are applied only in the spring (if you use nitrogen in the fall, the winter hardiness indicator will significantly decrease).
In the first 2 years after planting, the duke does not need any feeding. Naturally, provided that the seedling was planted in a fertilized hole.
In the 3rd year of the tree’s life, it is fertilized in the spring with urea at the rate of 60 g per 1 bucket of water, and in the fall with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (at the rate of 30 g per 1 bucket of water).
Fruit-bearing trees require full-fledged feeding four times a day during the growing season:
- When the season has just begun, the tree is “fed” with ammonium nitrate at the rate of 20 g per 1 m2.
- Before the buds appear, use superphosphate (3 tablespoons diluted in a bucket of water).
- After the flowers have fallen off, apply nitrophoska (50 g of the substance is diluted in a bucket of water).
- After the end of fruiting, fertilize with potassium sulfate (100 g) and superphosphate (100 g/10 l).
Before winter, you need to spread humus around the tree trunk. Also, every year you need to deoxidize the soil with lime at the rate of 500 g per 1 m2.
The most drought-resistant
Dukes tolerate cold better than cherries, but are still inferior to cherries in frost resistance. Therefore, in the northern regions, dukes of bush-like varieties predominate, which are easy to wrap up for the winter. Among them are Toy and Night.
Attention! Of the tree varieties, it is worth noting the Beauty of the North, which perfectly tolerates frosts down to -32 ⁰C.
The hybrid was created by Michurin by crossing Bel cherry and Winkler white cherry. It takes root well in Siberia, the Volga region, and the Moscow and Leningrad regions, but in particularly severe cold weather its buds may freeze, depriving the tree of its entire harvest.
Also winter-hardy varieties include Dorodnaya and Ivanovna. The latter is also highly drought-resistant.
In general, all dukes tolerate drought well, but need frequent watering at the seedling stage.
Young trees need to be watered every week , pouring 2 watering cans under each, while adults need 1-2 waterings per month, but they should be plentiful.
Immunity
The variety has fairly good immunity, which protects the Miracle Cherry from most infections and insects. The miracle cherry is very rarely affected by diseases such as coccomycosis and moniliosis, and the tree is also very rarely affected by the cherry fly. However, there are diseases from which Duke is still not 100% protected.
- Gommoz. This disease causes a light brown sticky substance called gum to appear on the branches and trunk. This disease is caused by broken branches or severe temperature changes. To prevent the appearance of this disease, you need to prune correctly without damaging the tree, and also not to overfeed the cherry with fertilizers.
- Clusterosporiasis. The primary sign of the appearance of this disease is the formation of spotting on the leaf blades. Over time, holes with a red border appear in place of the spots. The best prevention of clusterosporiosis is crown thinning.
- Gray rot. This disease develops best in conditions of high humidity. During gray rot, gray new growths appear on the branches, and then the fruits rot. The best preventive measures are to prune in a timely manner and not to overdo it with fertilizing the tree.
- Powdery mildew. When it is very hot, a characteristic white coating appears on the leaves and branches. This leads to the fact that the leaves begin to fall off and the yield drops significantly. The best preventative measures to combat powdery mildew are timely watering and high-quality tree fertilizer.
