Content
Raditsa cherry is an excellent variety with high yields. Being a very heat-loving fruit tree, it is very demanding on climatic conditions and soil. Raditsa has a hard time withstanding winters with little snow and severe frost, so it often freezes. At the same time, the capriciousness of cherries is compensated by a rich harvest of large, juicy and incredibly sweet fruits.
History of selection
The Raditsa variety was obtained by crossing Kommunarka and Leningrad black at the All-Russian Research Institute of Lupine by the famous breeder M.V. Kanshina. In 2001, it was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements. Experts recommend planting cherries in the Central region.
Description of culture
Cherry Raditsa is a rapidly growing, beautifully leafy tree of medium height, endowed with a wide, rounded crown of moderate density.
The bud is large, vegetative, cone-shaped, strongly deviated, generative.
The leaves of the Raditsa cherry are obovate, elongated, medium in size, bright green, with a pointed tip, and have a round base. The leaves are serrated, the plate is straight, the pigmented petiole is medium in size, and has 2–3 glands.
Each inflorescence contains three medium-sized flowers (the petals slightly overlap each other, are snow-white in color, the stigma of the pistil is located at the same level as the anthers, the cup is goblet-shaped, the stamens and pistils are elongated). Fruiting, as a rule, is concentrated on bouquet branches (60%).
The size of a ripe Raditz cherry berry, which varies from 4.6 to 5.7 g, is considered average. The fruit is oval in shape, with a voluminous funnel and a rounded top, a rich burgundy color, almost black; The pulp is dark red, with moderate density. The beige stone makes up 5.2% of its weight and is easily separated from the pulp. Ripe Raditsa cherry berries are very sweet (11.2% sugars), with barely noticeable sourness (0.4%). 100 g of product contains approximately 13.5 mg of ascorbic acid. The taste of the berries is excellent, ripe fruits do not crack.
Characteristics
The characteristics of the Raditsa cherry variety are quite attractive to gardeners.
Raditsa variety seedlings grow rapidly, the height of the Raditsa cherry tree is approximately 4 meters. In tests carried out at air temperatures from 29 to 34 degrees below zero, an adult plant froze by only one and a half points.
Drought resistance, winter hardiness
The Raditsa variety is not drought-resistant.Sweet cherries love watering and require it regularly, but they absolutely cannot tolerate stagnation of water, and due to excess liquid, ripe berries can burst during the ripening period.
Before winter it is worth making moisture replenishment. Adult plants are watered several times during the growing season, in autumn - once a week.
The frost resistance of Raditsa cherries is moderate. The plant easily tolerates low temperatures under snow, but young seedlings need to be protected from frost in severe winters with little snow.
Pollination, flowering period and ripening time
Raditsa cherry is a self-sterile variety. The best pollinators for Raditz cherries:
- Revna;
- And the way;
- Tyutchevka.
Productivity, fruiting
Raditsa is a cherry variety with high yields. The fruits of a bright ruby hue ripen at the beginning of summer. Mature cherries begin to bear fruit at 4–5 years of age. On one hectare of plantings, Raditsa cherries can produce an average of 60 centners of a rich harvest.
Area of application of berries
Ripe fruits of early Raditsa cherries can be consumed fresh, cooked in juices, compotes, tinctures, jams, jelly; The berries are also frozen, candied and dried.
Cherry can have a mild diuretic and laxative effect on the body, as well as help normalize the functioning of the intestinal tract. Experts advise eating cherries for peptic ulcers of the stomach and duodenum, as well as for gastritis.
Resistance to diseases and pests
The Raditsa cherry variety is resistant to coccomycosis and moniliosis, as well as to klyasterosporiosis. The plant has almost 100% immunity to the first two diseases, but the possibility of being affected by clasterosporiasis is 50%.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantages of the Raditsa variety are worth noting:
- high productivity;
- sweet large fruits;
- moderate frost resistance;
- versatility in use;
- immunity to the main diseases that affect plants of this species.
Flaws:
- large trunk height, which makes it difficult to collect fruits;
- lack of drought resistance;
- self-sterility.
Landing Features
Before planting a Raditz cherry seedling, its roots should be placed in the Kornevin solution for half a day. After which the young tree must be carefully examined, getting rid of damaged areas of the rhizome.
- A stake is driven into the recess.
- The seedling is lowered onto an earthen cone on the south side of the driven stake.
- The roots must be straightened so that they do not curl, and the seedling must be sprinkled with soil.
Recommended timing
The planting site in the form of a pit should be prepared in the fall. Young seedlings are placed in the ground in early spring, almost immediately after the snow melts, but before the buds swell.
Choosing a suitable location
Planting and caring for Raditsa cherries, done correctly, is the key to healthy plants and a bountiful harvest.
Raditsa is recommended to be planted in a sunny place, sheltered from strong winds.
The second condition is moderate soil acidity.
If the soil is highly acidic, you need to sprinkle it with lime or dolomite flour and dig up the soil.After a couple of weeks, at a distance of 3 m from each other, planting holes are dug: 0.8 m wide, 0.5 m deep, mixing several buckets of compost or humus with the top layer of soil. In the spring, you need to pour 1 kg of ash into the hole, and then form a cone from the resulting mixture at the very bottom.
What crops can and cannot be planted next to cherries?
Properly selected neighbors will have a beneficial effect on the growth and development of young cherries (for example, they will protect them from diseases and pests), while some plants can cause irreparable damage to Raditz (growth is inhibited, seedlings begin to get sick and wither).
When planting young Raditz cherries in the garden, you should not place them close to the following plants:
- apple trees (can be planted while maintaining distance);
- raspberries, gooseberries (plants have a shallow root system: the bushes take the most useful substances from the upper layers of the soil, which slows down the development of fruit trees in the neighborhood);
- sea buckthorn (a plant endowed with a developed and powerful root system is capable of oppressing its neighbors, preventing the successful formation of their roots);
- plants from the nightshade family (tomatoes, eggplants, tobacco): they can become a source of verticillium wilt (a disease that affects the wood of a tree, as a result of which it begins to wither and eventually dies).
The following plants can have a positive effect on a young seedling:
- cherries and cherries of other varieties (pollinators);
- cherry plum and plum trees (can protect against diseases and pests);
- elderberry (excellently protects against aphids);
- grape;
- honeysuckle.
Selection and preparation of planting material
- When choosing a Raditz cherry seedling, first of all you need to make sure whether it has a grafting site. This sign indicates that the tree is varietal.
- The diameter of the smooth trunk must exceed 17 cm.
- A healthy two-year-old plant should have at least four branches, each 40 cm long.
- The rhizome should not be dry.
Before planting in the ground, it is necessary to rid the trunk of leaves so that the nutritional components are consumed evenly and correctly.
Landing algorithm
Growing Raditz cherries requires a careful approach and implementation of an algorithm of sequential actions.
- When planting, the cherry tree must be raised so that the root collar is no less than 4 cm above the ground surface.
- The trunk of the tree is tied to a stake, forming a figure eight from the tape so that the trunk is not damaged during the growth process.
- A hole is formed next to the trunk, pouring a roll of soil around the circumference and pouring several buckets of water under each tree.
- You need to put peat or humus mulch on top.
Subsequent care of the crop
In order for the Raditsa cherry to please with its fertility and appearance, it is necessary to provide high-quality care:
- It is necessary to feed a young plant only in the second year of growth (until this time, the useful minerals and fertilizers added to the hole during planting are sufficient);
- in mid-spring the tree is fertilized with nitrogen;
- Preparations for frosts should begin in the fall;
- to obtain a rich harvest, it is necessary to enrich the soil under the cherry with green manure: lupine, sainfoin and vetch;
- to attract bees, you can sow mustard and phacelia around the cherry tree, and in the fall, mow them and compact them into the ground;
- in the year of planting, it is necessary to pay special attention to weeds;
- after a while, the distance around the trunk should be expanded to 1 meter, gradually adding 50 cm and removing unnecessary vegetation.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
Key pest control measures include the following:
- For aphids, cherries are sprayed with Confidor before the buds swell and two weeks later. You can also eliminate parasites with a solution of tobacco dust (you can add soap to it to stick to the leaves);
- to get rid of cherry flies, sticky yellow plastic traps are placed on the trees until the flower buds open;
- It is customary to spray plants against moths with “Nitrophen”;
- In order to protect trees from birds, nets are thrown over the crown.
Conclusion
Raditsa cherry is a worthy variety for the central region. Already four years after planting, the plant begins to bear fruit and produces a large number of large juicy fruits. The dessert qualities of Raditz berries make them universal for sale. The variety is immune to most cherry diseases. Care for cherries, carried out in a competent manner, helps to obtain a bountiful harvest.
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