Cherries are a valuable and healthy dietary product. Today, many gardening enthusiasts prefer unpretentious and at the same time high-yielding varieties of cherries. Cherry variety Molodezhnaya perfectly combines these qualities, which is described in this article.
The main characteristics of the variety Molodezhnaya
The Molodezhnaya cherry variety was bred by the breeder Kh.D. Enikeev together with S.N. Saratova. They crossed two varieties of cherries together: Lyubskaya and Vladimirskaya. In 1993, the resulting crossing cherry variety was entered in the state register.
This variety of cherry grows in the central region and in the Urals. Cherry Youth can grow in the form of a tree or bush. A tree or bush grows up to 2.5 meters in height... The foliage of a tree or bush forms a rounded shape, slightly drooping. Leaves of medium size, bright green color.
The inflorescences of the plant consist of five or seven flowers, the diameter of which is 1.8-3 cm. The flowers are white, the stamens and pistil are equal in height, which allows the plant to self-pollinate.
Youth refers to self-fertile varieties... This variety will please you with its fruits pretty soon. Already in the fourth year, the tree begins to bear fruit. And after another four years, vigorous fruiting begins, which lasts until the plant reaches 15-20 years.
Flowering begins in mid-May, and by mid-July you can harvest berries... During the fruiting period, one bush or tree can produce from 10 to 12 kg of berries.
The Molodezhnaya variety has average winter hardiness. The flower buds are also moderately resistant. This variety of cherry tree has an average degree of resistance to diseases such as coccomycosis and moniliosis., as well as to various microorganisms.
A humid and warm climate provokes the development of diseases in a plant.
Description of cherry berries
Fruits are formed on branches of the last year or bouquet.
Berries have a sweet and sour taste, dense, juicy dark red flesh... Their weight reaches five grams. A medium-sized bone is quite easily separated from the pulp. The berries are oblong. Dense fruits are resistant to transportation and mechanical damage.
Cherries of this variety are rich in vitamins and organic acids, as well as phosphorus and potassium.
The taste of the fruits is dominated by sweetness, so their often used in the preparation of various dessert dishes... The berries are great for fresh consumption.
Positive and negative qualities
Youth has many positive qualities.
These include the following characteristics:
- good tolerance by flower buds; lower air temperature;
- plant resistance to fungal diseases;
- berries are easy to transport, as they are quite dense;
- self-fertility of cherries allows pollinating neighboring non-self-fertile plants;
- the plant is resistant to a drop in air temperature and dry periods in summer;
- the berries contain a large amount of vitamins, trace elements, pectins.
However, along with the advantages, this species has some features that should be taken into account when cultivating:
- every year the plant must be treated with fungicides to prevent various diseases;
- it is necessary to carefully select a landing site, ideal is a plain with light winds;
- every year it is necessary to make fertilizing with phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium;
- so that there is no overgrowth, the plant must be cut regularly.
These features of care in no way detract from the value of the Youth.
Cultivation of cherries of this variety and rules for caring for it
In order for the plant to please with a rich harvest, you need to take care of her properlyb. The choice of the place and time of landing plays an important role in this.
Where and at what time to plant?
It is preferable to choose the location for Molodezhnaya cherry on a low hill, which is not blown by the winds and at the same time receives enough sunlight.
The most favorable soil for growing juveniles is sandy loam with neutral acidity.
It is necessary to plant seedlings either in early spring, or in early autumn (end of September). So the plant adapts to the winter cold and overwinters calmly. Later planting dates increase the risk of the plant not being accepted.
Stages of planting a seedling:
- Dig a hole about 80 cm in diameter and 40 to 50 cm in depth. Place top dressing at the bottom of the hole, which includes: manure, nitrogen and phosphate. A plant with damaged roots should not be planted - it is better to cut them off slowly. Top dressing will help the seedling settle in place better and faster.
- Carefully place plant roots in the hole and sprinkle with earth.
- In a circle around the seedling you need form a hole... Mulching it with humus, sawdust, small bricks or expanded clay. So when watering, the water will be better retained and nourish the root system of the plant.
It is important that at first the soil near the seedling does not dry out and is loose.
- Before the first fruiting, you need lime treatment plants.
When planting a 2-year-old seedling, I need to cut it off... First of all, all shoots that extend at an angle of 90 degrees from the branches are cut off. Next, the "skeleton" of the plant is outlined - three main branches. All branches are cut around the main branches, except for those that depart at right angles from the "trunk".
Cherry care rules
Although cherry is a rather unpretentious plant. To get a rich harvest, you must follow some rules in caring for it.
- It is necessary to carry out treatment with special fungicidal preparations annually... This is to protect the plant from various fungal diseases. Particularly careful attention must be paid to this issue if an already infected tree grows next to the cherry.
- It is necessary to regularly apply top dressing to the soil... To do this, in the spring, you need to fertilize the youth with nitrogen fertilizer, and in the fall - with potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Feeding from compost or manure has a positive effect on the growth and development of cherries.
- To improve yields, pruning should be carried out annually... Extra long branches are cut off and young strong and bouquet branches grow in their place. Berries soon appear on these branches. It is better to keep the height of the plant in the range from 2 to 2.5 meters. This will improve the quantity and quality of the fruit.
- Measures for pruning branches and tops of cherries provide an additional flow of sunlight and prevent thickening of the crown.
- The plant loves water and needs regular watering... This is especially true during dry summers.
When watering, it is important not to soak the ground, as high humidity negatively affects Youth.
- When preparing a plant for wintering, great attention should be paid to the root system. For protection against rodents and freezing the roots of the tree are covered with peat or moss.
If all the recommendations are followed, the plant will delight for a long time with a large and tasty harvest.
How to properly collect and store cherries
Harvesting should start from the twentieth of July. The fruiting period ends in August.
In order for the berry to be kept fresh for a long time, it must be carefully sorted. Only dense berries are left for storage, without external damage, the color of the stalk is green... Cover the prepared container (tray, box) with paper. Put the berries on the bottom. In this case, the layer of berries should not exceed ten centimeters. Remove the container with berries and store in the refrigerator. The temperature should be between 0˚C and + 2˚C. In this form, the fruits are stored for two weeks.
If the berries are frozen instantly, the shelf life will increase from three to six months.
You can also make a variety of compotes, preserves, jams or cherry jams and enjoy them all year round.
Features inherent in the Molodezhnaya cherry variety
- Even if you plant only one plant of this type on the site, the harvest will be obtained in one hundred percent of cases... This is due to the ability to self-pollination and the successful structure of the flowers - the pistil and stamens are of equal height.
- When planting a seedling with its own roots, the harvest will be already 3-4 years... And with proper grafting of the tree, berries can form even earlier than this period.
- Excellent resistance to various fungal diseases.
- The negative feature is the accelerated overgrowth... Therefore, it is necessary to remove unnecessary branches in a timely manner so that sunlight is not obscured.
Exposure of young cherries to diseases and pests
Youth, unlike many other varieties of cherry, is resistant to fungal diseases.
The most dangerous disease for this variety is moniliosis.... With this disease, the branches gradually dry out. In this case, the plant can be either completely affected by this disease, or its individual parts.
When establishing this disease, it is necessary to cut off all diseased branches with an indent of 15-20 cm on the healthy parts of the branch. Cut branches must be disposed of to prevent the spread of the disease.
Cherry youth prone to monilial burn, which appears during the flowering of flowers. To cure, it is necessary to spray the leaves of the plant with a special solution. This disease also spreads quickly, so you need to carefully monitor the nearby trees.
When yellow leaves appear on the plant more attention should be paid to it. Especially if the color changes quite quickly and the leaves turn purple. This may signal a disease or a lack of nitrogen fertilizer in the soil.
Reviews of amateur gardeners about Youth
Vladimir: The berries of Youth ripened in my garden. I liked it very much! The taste of the berries pleased me, more sweet than sour. The only drawback is the height of the bush, only 50 cm from the ground.
Nikolay: Raised Youth near Shokoladnitsa. I have never seen so many berries in a season. The trees are literally sprinkled with cherries!
Michael: With the variety Molodezhnaya is well known. A large number of positive properties. The plant is fruitful, self-fertile, tolerates winter well. The berries hang on the bushes for a long time and do not crumble.
Cherry varieties Molodezhnaya are the favorite of a large number of summer residents. The plant has a high yield due to self-fertility.... It is even cultivated on an industrial scale.
The berries are large, with dense and juicy pulp, they are perfectly stored and transported.
There are no complex nuances in the cultivation of this variety. It is enough just to get down to business with responsibility and love, and a rich harvest will soon be provided.