What could be better than fresh juicy cherries? Fruits from the shelves of the market or supermarket cannot be compared with freshly picked berries. But how to choose the right variety for planting on your site from many? After all, most species that really have unsurpassed taste qualities do not respond well to cold. But there is one variety that has earned positive reviews - the Ovstuzhenka sweet cherry. This is the "brainchild" of the breeder Kanshina. She endures even severe frosts, which cannot but interest the northerners.
Description
This variety is partly self-fertile. This means that even with minimal pollination with the help of insects, no one will be left without a crop. The tree grows quite quickly, but does not grow tall. It has a dense spherical crown.
Ovstuzhenka cherry according to the description is a tree with a raised crown, which is densely sprinkled with white flowers in spring. They can easily endure sharp spring temperature changes,even morning frosts are not afraid of them. Inflorescences consist of three flowers, the petals of which overlap each other.
Ovstuzhenka sweet cherry has a long pistil and stamen. The stigma is on the same level with the stamen or slightly higher. The leaves are egg-shaped, the edges of which are double-serrate notches. Petiole of medium thickness, short. Young leaves are pigmented. This variety is resistant to fungal diseases.
Tree growth
Description of the Ovstuzhenko cherry variety and reviews of summer residents indicate that this is a real find for the gardener. The tree grows quite quickly, but the first 4 years - up, and when it enters the fruiting stage, the branches form a ball. Next to the sweet cherry Ovstuzhenka, varieties such as Iput, Bryansk pink and Raditsa are planted. Then you can achieve a yield from one tree up to 30-35 kg. The fruits are large, dense, ripe cherries almost black. Each individual berry reaches 7 g.
Ovstuzhenka Cherry, based on the description of the variety, is very useful for the heart and the entire vascular system.
Choosing a suitable location
Cherry loves well-lit places. In more shady corners of the garden, the fruits will be less sweet, and the yield may decrease. Even frost-resistant varieties of cherries should be planted in places secluded from the cold. It is better for them to allocate a plot between buildings (sheds, baths, a residential building and a fence).
A female student will appreciate and bestow delicious, juicy fruits in gratitude if you find her a sunny place with a north side closed from the wind.
Notit is worth planting Ovstuzhenka cherries (the description of the variety confirms this) in an area where flooding and stagnant water are possible. It is better to prepare drainage in advance or plant a tree on a hill. If this condition is not met, then the death of the cherry is possible.
Cherry Ovstuzhenka, according to the description, sandy and loamy soils are better suited. On heavy ones it will be difficult for her to develop. You can prepare a good hole for planting. Soil with acidity close to neutral is perfect.
Planting and care
Planting of Ovstuzhenka cherries is carried out in the spring. Under no circumstances should seedlings be buried in the ground. The root neck should not be lowered below 6-7 cm above ground level.
Purchased seedlings can immediately cut off the branches. The roots need to be chosen large and strong, then the tree will take root faster.
Ovstushenko cherry is considered to be self-fertile. It needs pollen from other plants to set fruit. Thus, if there are no other varieties of cherries nearby, then you urgently need to think about planting them. If this condition is met, you can count on a higher yield.
The feeding area of this fruit tree is 12 square meters. During the planting of seedlings, organic fertilizers, potassium chloride and superphosphate are lowered into the pit.
Feeding
Feed cherries with nitrogen fertilizers in spring and superphosphate and potassium sulphate in autumn. In addition, from early spring to late autumn, organic fertilizers should be periodically applied to the tree trunk. If the soils are rich, you should not be zealous with fertilizers, if vice versa, then top dressing is needed annually.
According to reviews, Ovstuzhenka cherries should be cut off almost all the flowers in the first year. Then the tree will take root better. In the future, the yield should also be rationed. For this, greenfinches a few centimeters in size are cut off in an amount of up to 50% of the total crop. Thanks to this procedure, you can count on a larger crop with sweet cherries.
Irrigation
You need to water the tree at least 4 times a month. It is very important to do this in May-June, when the berries are pouring. With a lack of moisture, the harvest of not only this year, but also next year may suffer.
Watering is better to finish by July, when the fruit ripening begins, if this is not done, then you can get cracked fruits. Shoot growth may be delayed, and the plant will not tolerate the winter well. In a dry year, it is worth continuing to water the sweet cherry until frost, so that the tree can be saturated with moisture. Watering regime should be adjusted depending on the weather. On soils with a high level of groundwater, it is necessary to carefully approach the issue of watering, as sweet cherries do not tolerate flooding.
It is also recommended to mulch a young tree with horse manure for better frost resistance. The stem is wrapped with a covering material. To do this, it is worth choosing a material that will let air and water through. This wrap will also help against pests such as mice and hares.
At Ovstuzhenka's sweet cherry (photopresented in the article) the trunk circle should always be kept clean. You should not plant other plants there, and it is also important to ensure that there are no weeds there. The soil around the tree must not be covered with concrete or sheet metal.
Cutting
If you prune trees correctly, you can positively influence the yield, sweetness and size of the fruit. The procedure will help rid him of diseases.
When planting seedlings, you need to cut the branches at a height of one hundred centimeters. This will help in the fastest laying of the crown.
Pruning is done in early spring, before buds appear. With too violent growth, pruning of young shoots in August is allowed. Before winter, they will have time to move away and thicken significantly. Branches that reach the ground need to be pruned.
It is worth paying attention, the description of Ovstuzhenka cherries (photo of fruits can be seen above) states that it should be thinned out annually, this will help to avoid the appearance of diseases. Leave only upright, well-developed shoots. All weak and crooked cut off.
Better not cut the shoots in one fell swoop, so as not to shock the tree. It is necessary to gradually form a good crown so that the sun's rays reach the fruits without problems.
Useful properties of cherries
The fruits have a rich natural multivitamin complex - here you can find ascorbic acid, and vitamins B1, B2, A, PP, E, and cherries are rich in pectins, carotene, malic acid, flavonoids,micro and macro elements, sugar and coumarin.
This is an early ripe variety of berries - they are among the very first to appear and are an excellent remedy against a spring lack of vitamins. Cherry is widely used in traditional medicine. It is an excellent remedy for the treatment of kidney diseases, has a diuretic effect. Cherry perfectly tones, helps in weight loss, improves he alth and general condition of the body.
Reviews of Ovstuzhenka cherries indicate that the fruits help strengthen the walls of blood vessels, prevent the development of atherosclerosis, and help with hypertension. Coumarins are able to lower the blood clotting threshold, prevent the formation of plaques and blood clots, and help in the treatment of anemia. Ovstuzhenka cherries (reviews confirm this) relieve pain, help with rheumatism, gout, arthritis.
Cherry juice is used to enhance gastric motility, improve digestion, it also helps with stomach pain. In addition, cherry juice lowers blood cholesterol levels. Juice and compote from cherries are advised to be used by those people who do not perceive fruits in their raw form, since acids are neutralized during processing, and cellulose is easier to digest.
The stalks are also used in folk medicine. A decoction of them helps regulate the activity of the heart, they drink it with increased neurosis and irritability.
Tree diseases
Cherry is quite resistant to various diseases and fungi, but it also needs to be strengthened and treated:
- Brownspotting. With this disease, the leaves of the trees are first covered with brown spots, and then holes form in their place. Bordeaux mixture is used to treat a garden tree. As a preventive measure of the disease, they carefully monitor that the diseased branches are cut in time, and the place of the cut must be treated with copper sulphate. Also, in early spring, this product should be sprayed on the soil around the tree.
- Scab. When affected by this disease, the leaves darken, curl into a tube, and the fruits stop their growth and gradually dry out. In order to avoid an unpleasant disease, the tree at the stage of bud formation is treated with a solution of copper oxychloride. For prevention, the leaves are removed in the fall, and the soil around the tree is dug up.
- Mosaic disease. It manifests itself as yellow stripes on the leaves, after which they curl and dry. Unfortunately, such trees need to be uprooted and new ones planted in their place.
- Game flow. With this disease, there is a release of gum on the trunk. To treat such a tree, the gum is removed, and the affected area is treated with copper sulfate.
There are many pests that will encroach on the crop. These include:
- cherry aphid;
- cherry fly;
- false tinder fungus;
- sulphur-yellow tinder fungus.
Crop storage
One sweet cherry can give a gardener up to 30 kg of fruit. If the stalk is not removed, then the shelf life will be slightly longer. Do not leave spoiled fruits with he althy ones. Store no more than 5-6 days in a room with highhumidity and temperature not higher than 4 degrees.
Ovstuzhenka Cherry is a universal variety. It is suitable for compotes, as well as for purees, juices, jams and pastries. When frozen, the berries practically do not lose their taste.
