17 best varieties of sweet cherries for the Leningrad region with description and characteristics
Heat-loving fruit trees in the Soviet Union were planted in Moldova and Ukraine, Krasnodar Territory and Voronezh, where they were engaged in the cultivation of berries and fruits on an industrial basis. Neither cherries, nor apricots, nor peaches took root in the middle latitudes. Russian breeders decided to breed fruit trees that would not require a lot of sun and could withstand frosts. The work was carried out for years, but varieties of sweet cherries were created that yield crops in the Leningrad region, although they did not get into the State Register.
Features of growing trees in the Northwest region
In winter, in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, and in the entire region, there are no severe frosts, it is softened by the proximity to the sea. In summer, the weather changes dramatically, it often rains. A serious obstacle to the cultivation of sweet cherries in the Northwest was that most varieties were not independently pollinated, and in order for the tree to bear fruit, it was necessary to plant at least 2 winter-hardy berry plants.
Self-fertile
The ovary on fruit trees is abundantly laid when the temperature is the same, there are no sharp jumps, and the weather is dry. For self-fertile varieties, the proximity of pollinators is not necessary, but when several trees are planted nearby, the yield increases significantly. Sweet cherries take root in the Leningrad Region:
- Mountain girl. Pleases with burgundy berries with sweet and juicy pulp. The plant is not afraid of frost, but does not withstand prolonged drought.
- Hotel. The stock for the variety created by Belarusian breeders is cherry. On a tree that is resistant to disease, orange fruits ripen with an average weight of 6 g.
- Astakhov's favorite. The culture is developing rapidly, yields a stable harvest of large burgundy cherries. Individual berries weigh more than 8 g.
In the Leningrad region, an early variety, Bereket, is planted, the flowers of which do not require the proximity of pollinators. The tree withstands cold winters but suffers from moniliosis.
Undersized
In the Northwest, it is better to plant low sweet cherries up to 3.5 m in height. Such plants are easier to care for, easier to handle from pests. The cuttings are grown on a dwarf rootstock, and a tree barely reaching 2.5 m in height can easily endure severe frosts.Berries on cherries are laid in the 4th year, but after 10 years it is already necessary to change the stock.
In the Leningrad region, the Ovstuzhenka variety feels comfortable. In gratitude for the care, the tree rewards with dark red berries that do not crack in wet weather. The undersized cherry Raditsa yields large and sweet fruits and is immune to fungal infections caused by ascomycetes.
Winter hardy
Although southern crops adore warmth, Russian breeders have managed to create hybrid varieties that do not die in short-term frosts up to 32 ° C. In the North-West in the fall, cherries are watered abundantly, the trunk circle is covered with peat, spruce branches, and humus.
The Zorka variety has increased winter hardiness. In the early stages, medium-sized orange berries ripen on a tall tree. Withstand very low temperatures:
- Bryanochka;
- Tyutchevka;
- Leningrad yellow.
The beautiful and tall cherry tree Fatezh, in addition to winter hardiness, is immune to fungal infection. In sweet berries of a red-orange hue, there is a sour taste.
How to plant correctly
In order for the tree to develop, the fruits ripen, it must be placed on a site where the heat-loving culture will be comfortable.
Seat selection
Cherry is demanding on lighting, it bears fruit well if it grows in the sun. When placing a seedling, you need to ensure that no shadow from other trees falls on it. For a thermophilic culture, it is advisable to choose a place on the southern slope, closed from northern winds. A fruit plant does not take root in lowlands, swampy areas where cold air accumulates.
Bad neighbors
It is better to plant sweet cherries of even self-fertile varieties next to the same stone fruit crop as itself.
Apple tree
Many summer residents place plants on the site, not considering compatibility. The leaves of trees and shrubs emit components that can deplete the soil and change its composition. The apple tree takes nutrients and moisture from the cherry, prevents it from growing and developing.
Pear
Stone fruits should not be placed near fruit trees, the roots of which exude a large number of compounds. They get along badly with a pear.
Plum
Cherry develops normally, grows and bears fruit in the vicinity of the cherry, which serves as a pollinator, and with mountain ash, many berries are laid and everything ripens. It is not recommended to plant plum with a southern crop, which has a weaker root system.
Digging a hole
Sweet cherry adores loose soil, does not survive in areas where water comes close to the surface. The pit for the tree should stand for a month or 3 weeks. If planting is carried out in the spring, in the fall you need to dig a hole to a depth of 60 cm and a diameter of about a meter. Fertile soil is combined with 2 buckets of humus, add 60-80 g of potassium salt and superphosphate. The pit is filled 2/3 with the mixture and watered.
Landing
Cherries are placed at a distance of 5 meters from fruit crops. The leaves are cut off from the tree, the roots are dipped into the water for 6 hours. At the bottom of the pit, a small mound is made, a seedling is placed vertically on it, and soil is sprinkled on top. The soil is compacted and watered abundantly. The trunk circle is covered with mulch.
Transportation
The seedlings must be purchased from a nursery or a nature reserve. Sweet cherries are grafted on Vladimir cherry or other varieties that are not afraid of the cold. A tree that is one or two years old takes root well. For transportation over a long distance, the roots are wrapped in 3-4 layers of wet newspapers, packed in plastic wrap or simply covered with sphagnum moss.
Growing tips
If you pick up winter-hardy varieties, plant cherries in a favorable place for them, carefully look after them, protect them from pests, carry out disease prevention, it is quite possible to harvest sweet and fragrant berries even in the Northwest.
Fertilizer
Since mineral substances are poured into the pit when planting cherries together with humus, the tree is first fed in a year or two. In the spring, watered with diluted rotted manure or fertilized by dissolving 2 tbsp in a bucket of water. tablespoons of urea.
When flowers appear on the cherry, potassium salt with superphosphate is added in liquid form. Once every three years, they dig up the earth in the trunk circle, embed compost or humus in the soil.
Pruning
In the spring, 3 weeks after planting the tree, the side branches and the top are cut in half. The central trunk is made 20 cm longer than the rest of the shoots. The crown of the sweet cherry is formed in 2 or 4 tiers, consisting of 3 branches. Every year, weak growths are cut, dry and broken shoots are removed.
Severe frosts lead to kidney death. Only when the leaves bloom, they get rid of the frozen branches. Places of cuts are covered with garden varnish or paste. The affected trees are fed with fertilizers containing nitrogen.
Diseases and pests
Cultivars that are bred for cultivation in cool climates are immune to viruses, but in wet weather they are attacked by fungi that cause perforation and gray rot. To prevent the activation of pathogenic microorganisms, after flowering, trees are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate. The second processing is started by picking the berries.
For the prevention of perforated spotting in early spring, cherries are sprayed with "Nitrafen".
Stone fruits growing in the cool Northwest climates are attacked by:
- sawflies;
- leaf rollers;
- cherry flies.
To cope with harmful insects, in early spring and several times more trees are sprayed with insecticides - "Iskra", "Actellik", treated with "Karbofos". Nets, stuffed animals, shiny disks that are hung on trees help protect berries from starlings and sparrows.
Yield rationing
In the Leningrad Region, the fruits of stone fruit crops do not always have time to ripen. To accelerate the ripening of cherries, the excess ovary is cut off. The first flowers that appear on young plants are completely removed.
How to choose seedlings
When buying a tree for growing in a summer cottage or in the yard, you need to carefully consider it. You need to purchase cherries with a smooth, even trunk and root collar without damage. The leaves should be free from stains, plaque, insect marks. It is necessary to buy fruit trees that are adapted to the local climate.
The best varieties
For planting in the Leningrad region, cold-resistant sweet cherries, created by Russian breeders for growing in mid-latitudes, are suitable.
Seda
The variety, whose fruits ripen at the end of July, is not afraid of diseases, does not attract pests very much. On a tall tree with a ball-like crown, berries with a shiny dark red skin ripen.
Ugra
Sweet cherry of medium height pleases with sweet and sour small fruits in the form of a heart. The plant is flat and can withstand frost and slush.
Red dense
A tall tree tolerates low temperatures normally, but is affected by fungal diseases. The yellow berries with a beautiful blush weigh a little less than 5 g.
Leningrad pink
A tall tree, the branches of which form a dense crown, begins to bear fruit after 5 years, requires pollinators. Cherry ripens in the middle of summer, acquiring a beautiful pink hue. Up to 2 buckets of berries weighing a little more than 3 grams are picked from one tree.
Muscat
By crossing the varieties Severnaya and Pobeda, breeders have created winter-hardy cherries that bear fruit well on the wild cherry rootstock. The almost black, heart-shaped berries have a sweet taste and nutmeg aroma.
Chermashnaya
The stem and branches of a tree of medium height are not afraid of frost. The variety bears fruit well in a temperate climate, with the right choice of place, it pleases with a harvest in the North-West. The yellow berries are picked in June.They weigh 4.5–4.7 g and have a juicy and sweet pulp.
Valery Chkalov
The early ripe cherry, bred in the 50s, is still popular among summer residents and gardeners. The tree with a pyramidal crown grows up to 6 meters in height. The weight of dark red berries reaches 8 g. The branches can withstand low temperatures, but the buds freeze under 23 ° C frost.
Leningrad black
A tree with a spreading crown begins to bear fruit already in the 3rd year. Berries weighing up to 3.5 g, when ripe, acquire a dark cherry or almost black color. Compotes are cooked from them, juices and tinctures are made.
Knight
Cherry, created on the basis of the Valery Chkalov variety in Belarus, is distinguished by high yield and frost resistance. Dark red small fruits have juicy pulp, ripen by mid-July.
Jealous
Sweet cherry with a pyramidal crown is immune to fungal diseases, tolerates cold and damp weather normally. Dark red berries weighing 4.6-4.8 g do not crack from moisture, covered with dense skin.
Gift to Stepanov
A frost-resistant variety, bred just a few years ago, bears fruit in the northern regions, is unpretentious in care, pleases with a stable harvest of berries weighing up to 5 g, covered with a shiny burgundy skin.
Dawn
Sweet cherry, created for cultivation in the Leningrad region and in the Moscow region, does not suffer from severe frosts, tolerates a short drought.
Up to 30 kg of beautiful orange berries are removed from the tree, which are not damaged during transportation, since they are covered with a thick and dense skin.
Leningrad yellow
The unpretentious variety is distinguished by its rapid growth, but bears fruit only in the fifth year. Amber-colored berries hang on a tree with spreading branches until the beginning of autumn.
Bryanochka
The stem and shoots of self-fertile sweet cherry easily withstand frosts, do not suffer from coccomycosis. The flowers of a tree growing up to 3–3.5 m in height are well pollinated if the varieties Tyutchevka or Ovstuzhenka are planted nearby. Sweet pink berries do not crack in wet rainy weather, ripen at the end of July. One tree gives up to 30 kg of fruit.
Fatezh
Sweet cherry with a spherical crown and drooping shoots can withstand severe frosts, but the flower buds of the tree freeze. For the plant to be pollinated, self-fertile varieties are planted nearby. Small sweet and sour berries weighing about 4 g ripen in the 20th of July.
Tyutchevka
A cherry tree with a height of 4 m begins to bear fruit in the fourth year. The plant is not afraid of frost, withstands drought, and is resistant to fungal infection.
The berries of the Tyutchevka variety have an original wide shape, sweet dark red pulp. Thick stalks easily fall behind, the crop tolerates transportation well.
Iput
Cherry of this variety forms a wide-pyramidal crown. Tree buds do not freeze at 31–32 ° С frost. Berries ripening in the second half of June have a small stone that easily lags behind the juicy pulp.
Reviews
Thanks to the work of domestic breeders, gardeners can grow heat-loving crops not only in the south, but also in regions with a cool climate.
Kuznetsov Petr Vladimirovich, 53, Vyborg: “Five years ago, I planted 2 cherries: Bryanochka and Tyutchevka, which survive in the North-West. He cut off the first flowers, and this summer he has already harvested. I liked the taste of the pink berries of Bryanochka. I bought Tyutchevka as a pollinator, but the dark red fruits of this variety are also sweet and juicy. "
Ivanchuk Svetlana Sergeevna, 47 years old, Tikhvin: “I heard that cherries are grown in our region, but I didn't really believe in it. In the nursery, I really saw the seedlings of the southern culture, and the seller said that they were adapted to the North-West region. From the Leningradskaya black on the 4th year I already ate berries. The Fatezh variety has not yet borne fruit, but the tree has grown well ”.
