Characteristics and description of the sweet cherry variety Amber, planting and care rules
Sweet cherry Yantarnaya is one of the most popular yellow-fruited varieties. This large tree is distinguished by its pronounced amber-yellow color and excellent taste characteristics. It is also chosen for a high degree of resistance to major ailments and pests, undemanding to growing conditions. To grow a fruitful planting, you need to familiarize yourself in detail with all the intricacies of the planting and care process.
The history of selection and breeding of sweet cherries Amber
At the end of the last century, Ukrainian scientists created a yellow-fruited cherry variety, where black Gaucher and yellow Drogana became the parental pair. Work on the development of a new culture was carried out on the basis of the Grishko Research Institute. But then in Russia scientists decided to improve its quality. And already in 2001, Orlovskaya Amber was entered into the State Register.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the positive qualities of Amber cherries are noted:
- high level of frost resistance;
- resistance to monilial burn;
- excellent consumer and commercial qualities;
- early ripeness of fruits;
- no tendency to cracking;
- high productivity.
But, despite the whole list of advantages, the Amber cherry also has its disadvantages, including:
- the need for additional pollination;
- high probability of freezing of fruit buds.
Cherry Yantarnaya is especially famous among gardening lovers, it is also appreciated for its decorative effect.
Description of the variety
In order for a fruit crop to bear fruit abundantly, you need to know the basic parameters and characteristics.
Height of an adult tree and branching of the crown
Cherry Yantarnaya belongs to the category of medium-sized plantings, its height does not exceed 3-4 meters. The crown is quite sprawling, drooping, medium foliage. Sweet cherry shape Amber broad-pyramidal, the length of the main shoots is medium, there is no pubescence, the color is yellow. The color of the bark of the main conductor and lateral branches is gray, the surface is smooth.
The leaf apparatus of sweet cherry Amber is distinguished by a light emerald shade, the plates are oval.The petioles are short, their length is up to 5 centimeters. The formation of ovaries occurs mainly on the bouquet branches. White flowers are formed of medium size, the number of petals is five.
Upon reaching consumer maturity, the color of the fruit becomes amber, sometimes with a pink tint. Their shape is similar to a heart with a pointed upper part, the average weight is 5-6 grams. Cherry Amber begins to bear fruit 4 years after planting in a permanent place. Not only the skin, but also the pulp stands out with an amber hue, it is sweet with a pronounced aroma, sourness is not felt.
Sugar content in sweet cherry Amber is almost 10%, and acidity - 0.5%.
All about pollination, flowering and yield
Since the sweet cherry Yantarnaya belongs to self-fertile plants, it is recommended to plant such pollinator varieties as Vityaz, Ovstuzhenka, Severnaya, Iput near to improve performance. The flowering phase for this variety falls on the second half of May, and the ripening phase of the fruits - at the end of June-early July. Under favorable growing conditions, the yield of amber cherries, on average, is 35-37 kilograms per planting.
Transportability and use of berries
The fruits of the Amber Cherry, when consumed regularly, are a good prevention of various ailments, and also contribute to the normalization of digestion, improving the composition of the blood. Their juice is transparent, the pulp is tender and tasty. The harvest is actively used for the preparation of winter preparations and culinary masterpieces. Sweet cherry Yantarnaya is not suitable for long-distance transportation.
How to propagate a variety
To get a new plant, gardeners use one of the following methods:
- Vaccination method. In this case, cuttings with two buds are used, which are harvested in the fall, and the stock is a shoots, seedlings. Copulation should be done 1-2 weeks before sap flow, making oblique cuts up to 5 centimeters on both the rootstock and cuttings. In addition, you need to make an additional cut (up to 1 centimeter). After joining the two components, the junction is wrapped with tape, scotch tape.
- Cuttings. The length of Amber cherry blanks should be 30 centimeters, their cut parts are kept in a growth stimulator solution for 12 hours, and then determined in greenhouse conditions, deepening by 3 centimeters. The distance between the cuttings should be 5 centimeters, the soil mixture is used from equal parts of peat and sand. Caring for them consists in regularly moistening the soil and maintaining the temperature regime within 25-30 degrees. The formation of roots in the Amber cherry will occur after 3 weeks.
- Seed method. It is more time consuming, but quite possible.
Culture characteristics
Cherry Amber has its own varietal qualities, the knowledge of which allows you to successfully grow it and get bountiful harvests.
Drought resistance and frost resistance
The variety has a high level of tolerance to subzero temperatures and prolonged drought. Cherry Yantarnaya is not afraid of frosts up to 30 degrees. But it is better for the winter period to additionally cover the Amber cherry, the root system must be protected with snow. Irrigation measures should be carried out once a month, if the season is dry, then they are carried out with a frequency of 1 time per week.
Susceptibility to diseases and pests
Sweet cherries of the Yantarnaya variety have an increased immunity to rust and coccomycosis, but they are powerless against the infection of cylindrosporiosis, a fungal disease. The process of infection is carried out with the help of gusts of wind, the entire above-ground part of the tree suffers from the disease. It is possible to detect the disease on the sweet cherry Amber by the holes in the leaves, where at first there were spots.
Of the parasitic species, cherries are especially attacked by the Amber Cherry Fly, against which surface treatments must be done. They also interfere with the growth and development of the tree, damaging the bark, weevils, small aphids, butterflies, sawflies.
How to plant Yantarnaya on the site
In order for the seedlings to take root faster and adapt to new conditions, you need to know how to plant and care for them correctly.
Choosing a healthy and strong seedling
It is recommended to purchase planting material in nurseries or at exhibitions. They should not contain signs of disease, traces of rot, various kinds of damage. It is best to plant a plant with one central stem and a healthy root system. They should be 1-2 years old. The dried roots are kept in a container with water for three hours.
Recommended timing and landing pattern
When grown in regions with a warm climate, planting work should be carried out in the fall, when the leaves fall from the trees. But for Central Russia, the best period is spring. For planting sweet cherries, Amber is chosen well-lit and protected from through winds, where the depth of the groundwater should be from 1.5 to 2 meters. The distance between plantings should be 4-5 meters.
Pit preparation and landing technology
The landing site should be prepared in advance, 2-3 weeks in advance. The soil mixture for filling the pit consists of two buckets of excavated soil, 500 grams of wood ash and 180 grams of superphosphate. Alternatively, you can use a special compound fertilizer. The technology of planting a sweet cherry seedling in a permanent place involves the following actions:
- Digging a pit 90-100 centimeters deep and 80 centimeters wide.
- Laying on the bottom of a drainage cushion made of expanded clay, broken brick, fine gravel (layer thickness - 7-10 centimeters).
- Filling the pit with a nutrient composition (layer thickness - 10-15 centimeters).
- Installing a wooden peg closer to the center of the pit to tie the seedling.
- Placing a young plant and spreading its roots on different sides.
- Falling asleep and compacting the soil.
- Abundant watering and mulching.
Care of young and adult trees
It is not difficult to take care of the sweet cherry Amber, basically, the whole range of measures includes: irrigation of plantings, loosening, removing weeds, applying fertilizer mixtures, pruning.
Top dressing and watering
In total, over the entire summer season, the tree is moistened three times, only during a prolonged drought, these procedures are performed more often. Considering that a sufficient amount of nutrition was introduced into the ground during planting, it is only worth starting to add nutrients in the fourth year after planting the seedling. Only nitrogen-containing preparations will not interfere with Amber cherries even 2 years after being assigned to a permanent place. Fertilizers with potassium and phosphorus are needed in July, and organics are used at the end of summer.
Barrel circle care: weeding and loosening
Weed vegetation not only takes up nutrients, it also absorbs moisture, depriving cultivated plants of vital components. Therefore, it is recommended to periodically weed in the trunk circle. Due to loosening, the likelihood of oxygen starvation of the roots of the Amber cherry tree is excluded.
Crown formation and anti-aging pruning
To avoid thickening of the crown, pruning is carried out, the main thing is to be in time before the start of sap flow. In March, it is necessary to examine the tree and remove all incompetent branches, and treat the wound surface with garden varnish for early healing.
Insect and disease control
For preventive spraying, it is recommended to use a urea-based working solution (700 grams per 10 liters). The first procedure is done in early spring, and the second - in the fall..
Preparing for winter
For adult plantings, abundant watering is carried out at the rate of 8-10 liters of water per planting. The trunk is hilled, and humus is introduced into the near-trunk circle, the layer thickness should be 10 centimeters. The trunk is protected against pests with a net or a piece of roofing material. And young plants are covered first with agrofibre, and then with spruce branches.
Reviews of summer residents about Yantarnaya
Sweet cherries are popular among gardeners. She has established herself exclusively on the positive side.
Anna, 56 years old, Saratov:
“Amber made me happy with its unusual and tasty fruits. It is a pleasure to look after her. The frost resistance of the variety is quite sufficient for our climate. "
Andrey, 45 years old, Moscow:
“There are no disappointments from the variety, I am very glad that I purchased it and have already managed to enjoy the fruits. The main thing for cherries is to choose the right place and take proper care of them. "
