Content
- 1 Is there a columnar cherry?
- 2 Description of columnar cherries
- 3 Columnar cherries: description of varieties with photos
- 4 Varieties of columnar cherries for regions
- 5 Columnar cherries: planting and care
- 6 Pruning columnar cherries
- 7 How to grow columnar cherries in a container
- 8 Advantages and disadvantages of columnar cherries
- 9 Conclusion
- 10 Reviews
Columnar cherry is a compact plant that will produce a sufficient number of berries, and take up much less space than a regular one. It wouldn’t hurt to plant them on your site.
Is there a columnar cherry?
Modern farmers use the column shape for various fruit trees. This trend did not escape the cherry industry either. For the first time in Canada, an apple tree with a similar mutation was discovered in 1964.European breeders took this into account and began to conduct experiments with other fruit crops.
Description of columnar cherries
Columnar cherry trees are formed in the shape of a cylinder. The crown grows upward, the side branches are cut off, forming a column a meter in diameter.
What does a columnar cherry look like?
The plant is small in volume. The crown circumference is one meter, the height of the columnar cherry is 2-3 meters. The plant is strewn with berries and has few leaves.
Columnar cherry root system
The roots are of sufficient depth, but they do not expand beyond the crown.
Productivity
Each plant provides 15 kg of berries depending on the type. Cherries cover the trunk, making it look like an ear of corn.
Resistance to diseases, pests, frosts
The culture loves warm climates. The southern and central regions of Russia are suitable for her. In northern latitudes, you should take care of winter shelter.
Breeders give varieties immunity to diseases and pests. There are still cases of damage by coccomycosis and insects.
Columnar cherries: description of varieties with photos
This plant is less recognized in Russia than apple and pear trees. There are varieties that are grown in different regions of the country depending on their quality.
Popular varieties of columnar cherries:
- Helena;
- Silvia;
- Sam;
- Queen Mary;
- Black;
- Little Sylvia;
- Revna;
- Sabrina.
Below are their characteristics.
Helena
Dessert, bright red berries, weight 2-14 g. The tree is tall, up to 3.5 meters, the crown is a meter in diameter. A high-yielding species, it bears fruit from June 15-20 for a week. Continues to bear fruit for up to 20 years.
Silvia
Similar in characteristics to Helena. The size of the tree and fruit, yield and taste are the same.Selena has an early ripening period - from June 12-18. She has a shorter fruiting period - 15 years.
There is a variety called Little Sylvia with a height of no more than 2 m.
Below is a photo of the red columnar Sylvia cherry.
Sam
The earliest variety. It becomes ripe before June 12, the weight of the berries is 12 g, the fruiting period is 15 years. Serves as a pollinator for different varieties of this crop.
Queen Mary
Dessert, not too cold-resistant. Grown in the middle zone. The annual harvest is 15 kg.
Black cherry
Columnar black cherries are famous for their high yields, large berries and frost resistance. Unpretentious appearance, compact, no higher than 2 meters.
Revna
She has sweet juicy berries. They are well stored and transported. Frost-resistant variety. Disadvantage - smallish berry - 8 g. Ripens in early July.
Sabrina
This is a self-pollinating columnar cherry. Tall voluminous tree. Yield variety, sweet berries. Cold resistance is low. Good immunity to diseases and pests.
Varieties of columnar cherries for regions
To wait for the berry harvest, you need to choose the right variety for the place where it is grown. The main thing is its frost resistance and the period for picking berries.
Columnar cherries for the Moscow region
Suitable varieties are sufficiently frost-resistant, with low requirements for growing conditions. This is Sam, Sylvia, Helena, Chernaya, Revna.
Varieties of columnar cherries for Siberia
Cold-resistant varieties Revna and Chernaya are planted in Siberia. They are immune to disease and are rarely attacked by pests. In this region, columnar cherries should be planted in the spring.
Columnar cherries for the Urals
The climate in the Urals and Siberia is quite similar, so they choose the same varieties - Revna and Chernaya.
Which varieties of columnar cherries are suitable for central Russia
The varieties grown here are not very cold-resistant, but at the same time quite unpretentious.
This is Sabrina, Queen Mary, Little Sylvia.
Yellow columnar cherries bear fruit abundantly.
Columnar cherries: planting and care
Can be planted in spring or autumn.
Planting columnar cherries in spring
Rules for planting columnar cherries in spring:
- The best place would be a flat area, not shaded by buildings or tall plants. Low swampy places with close groundwater are not suitable.
- The soil required is sandy loam, fertilized with humus, with low soil acidity. Add lime or dolomite flour to acidic soil.
- Make holes 50 x 50 x 60 cm, with a mound of fertile soil in the center. A seedling is placed on a mound with its roots spread out.
- The roots are covered with soil and watered. The surface is mulched to avoid crust formation. Columnar cherries are planted at a distance of one and a half meters. Adjacent rows are spaced three meters apart.
Growing columnar cherries
Caring for columnar cherries is standard for fruit trees. Basic fertilizing is done twice a season. The first is done at the end of March with dry fertilizers on the snow. Apply complete complex fertilizer. In August, fertilize with mixtures that do not contain nitrogen.
Watering is important. This plant requires a lot of water to produce berries. It is important to monitor the condition of the soil around the tree. To retain moisture, the soil around the tree is mulched or tinned.
Pruning columnar cherries
In the first year of plant growth, the crown of the seedling is cut off, leaving a growth of 20 cm; the side shoots are cut off at a distance of 12 cm from the trunk. The same distance is left between them. The columnar formation of cherries is carried out in July.
In the 2nd year, shoots are pinched 20 cm from the trunk, and a growth of 30 cm is given.
In the third year, the side shoots are pinched again, retreating 35-40 cm from the trunk. The central shoot is allowed to grow 25 cm and the top is cut off in July.
In the 4th year in the spring, you need to prune columnar cherries by thinning out the side branches, cutting out thin ones and those growing inward.
By the 5th year, the tree should reach a height of 2-3 meters, further growth is limited. In July, green side shoots are pinched and thinned out.
Starting from the age of 6, sanitary pruning of columnar cherries is done every three years in the spring.
Treatment of columnar cherries from diseases and pests
For prevention, in April the kidneys are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture (1% solution). This will protect against fungal diseases. The treatment is repeated after flowering in May.
Summer treatment with iron sulfate is protection against pests and diseases, feeding with microelements. It is good to use the drugs “Chorus” and “Skor” for the treatment of clyasterosporiasis. Spray at the beginning of budding, repeat after flowering.
In autumn, before leaf fall, the tree trunk area is treated with urea (0.6 kg/10 l of water). The leaves are collected and burned.
How to grow columnar cherries in a container
Seedlings are planted in a 15 liter pot. Make the soil loose and light, and arrange drainage in the pot. The soil mixture is enriched with mineral fertilizers.
A tree planted in the spring will begin to bear fruit the following year. Of the first flowers, the largest ones are left after 10 cm. For containers, self-fertile columnar cherries are used.
Container plants are trimmed and formed. The size of the tree should be smaller than in the ground. The maximum height is one and a half meters. Side shoots are left no more than half a meter long.
Water the plant as the soil dries out and feed it every 10 days during the growing season. In winter, container trees are placed in a cool room and watered rarely. In the spring they are taken outside. Low-growing varieties are used for growing in containers. A good choice would be Little Sylvia.
Advantages and disadvantages of columnar cherries
There are pros and cons of columnar black cherries, like any plant.
The advantages are as follows:
- Compactness. You can get a good harvest of berries from a smaller area.
- Decorative. A tree with red berries scattered right along its trunk looks very unusual.
- These are mainly early ripening varieties; tasty fruits can be obtained in early summer.
- Convenient berry picking.
The disadvantages include the difficulty of care, which consists in the need for annual formation of the tree crown in the first years of development, as well as the relatively low yield in relation to the occupied area.
Conclusion
Columnar cherries are just beginning to gain popularity among Russian gardeners. But whoever tried to do this will not refuse it. This is a good solution for small garden plots.
