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The popular plum fruit trees have one drawback - they are extremely sensitive to growing conditions. Plum-cherry hybrid has become one of the most useful results of selection of different species - it combines the advantages of plum and cherry and is practically free of disadvantages.
General description of plum-cherry hybrid
A mixture of plum and cherry called SVG is a garden plant that produces its first harvest already in the 2nd - 3rd year of life. The plum-cherry hybrid successfully combines the positive qualities of plums and cherries - it produces large, sweet fruits, but at the same time is highly resistant to frost and damping off, has a beautiful appearance and good immunity to disease.
History of selection
The plum-cherry hybrid was first bred in the United States. The ancestors for the varieties Opata, Beta, Sapa were the Japanese plum and the American Bessey cherry.
As for Russian selection, breeder A.S.Tolmacheva in Krasnoyarsk were bred by SVG Chulyp, Pchelka and Zvezdochka, by breeder N.N. Tikhonov in Primorye - SVG Avangard, Utah and Novinka, the ancestors of which were the same Bessey cherry and Ussuri plum. The plum-cherry variety Lyubitelsky was obtained by breeder V.S. Putov at the Siberian Research Institute of Horticulture, several fruit plants were bred in Crimea.
Characteristics of plum hybrids
Trees of plum-cherry hybrids are small in height. Most often they grow only up to 1.5 m, in rare cases they can reach 2 m. This makes caring for plants and collecting fruits easier. The crown of hybrids can have different shapes - both creeping and pyramidal, but the leaves are always large and green, with jagged edges.
There are many hybrid varieties, and each of them has its own unique characteristics. But some points are common to all SVGs and can characterize the hybrid culture as a whole.
- SVGs have increased frost resistance - they take this quality from cherries. The roots of plum-cherry trees are always branched and powerful, so low temperatures and drought are easily tolerated by these trees.
- Plum-cherry hybrids tolerate late spring frosts well, which pose a danger to ordinary cherries and plums.
- Almost all plum and cherry varieties bear fruit late - in August or closer to autumn.
Resistance of hybrid culture to diseases
Plum and cherry trees are not too sensitive to diseases and pests. However, they also have weaknesses. In particular, moniliosis, a disease in which flowers, leaves and shoots suddenly begin to dry out, is dangerous for plum and cherry plants.
To avoid monilial burns, it is customary to treat plum-cherry hybrid trees with Bordeaux mixture before the flowering period. In summer, the procedure can be repeated. If symptoms of the disease do appear, all affected parts of the plum-cherry plant must be pruned.
Pollination of hybrids
Plum and cherry varieties are self-sterile. Another feature is that not any varieties of plums or cherries are suitable for the role of pollinators, but only similar hybrids SVG or Bessey cherry, with which the breeding of many hybrid varieties began.
Fruiting SVG
Plum-cherry hybrids bear fruit much later than ordinary cherries or plums - at the end of August or even at the beginning of autumn. But the plum-cherry bush will produce its first harvest in 2–3 years, depending on the specific variety, and the harvests will be annual. SVG hybrids bear fruit very abundantly; several tens of kilograms of berries are harvested from one plant.
In appearance, the fruits of the tree resemble plums. However, the taste contains both plum and cherry notes. The berries may differ in color depending on the variety - different plum-cherry plants produce yellow-green, red, dark burgundy fruits.
Area of application of fruits
Berries can be used for culinary purposes in any form. They are pleasant to eat fresh, just picked from the tree, and can also be used to make drinks and homemade desserts. Hybrids are universal and suitable for free use in the kitchen.
In which regions can plum-cherry hybrids be grown?
Plum-cherry trees take root well in almost any climatic conditions. They are well suited for breeding in the Central region and grow well in the southern regions of the country. But of course, gardeners especially highly value the plum-cherry hybrid in Siberia - the plants tolerate northern frosts well.
Advantages and disadvantages of SVG
The advantages of hybrid trees are obvious. These include:
- frost resistance;
- good drought tolerance;
- stable high yield and early first fruiting;
- pleasant taste of fruits.
The plum-cherry bush has almost no disadvantages - especially when compared with ordinary plums or cherries. The only disadvantages include self-sterility - pollinators are required to obtain crops.
Plum-cherry hybrid: varieties
If you are interested in the description of SVG varieties, you can identify several main varieties.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Opata - a spreading low plant up to 2 m, begins to bear fruit at the 3rd or 4th year of life, produces a harvest of large yellow-green berries weighing up to 20 g.
- SVG Beta - a low shrub up to 1.5 m, one of the highest yielding. Fruits with rounded dark burgundy berries, the average weight is 15 g or a little more.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Samotsvet - a variety with early productivity, bears yellowish-green sweet fruits up to 20 g already in the 2nd year of growth. Reaches a height of 2.3 m, characterized by a pyramidal crown shape.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Maynor - another early-harvesting, 2-year-old, weather-resistant variety of Canadian origin. It produces large dark burgundy berries weighing up to 15, and goes well with the Samotsvet variety as a pollinator.
- SVG Pyramidalnaya - a hybrid with a pyramidal crown, as reflected in the name. It begins to bear fruit for the first time after 2 or 3 years and produces yellow-green berries weighing about 15 g.
- SVG Omsk night - a very low variety, up to only 1.4 m in height. Brings the first harvest in the 2nd year of life, produces fruits weighing about 15 g - dark, almost black.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Sapalta - a medium-high variety with a rounded crown, increased frost resistance, and purple sweet fruits.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Hiawatha - a medium-sized variety with a high crown, bears dark purple round fruits weighing up to 20 g. The berries of the plant taste sweet with a slight sourness.
- Plum-cherry hybrid Compass - a hybrid with late May flowering and very small red-brown fruits weighing up to 15 g. Reaches 2 m in height, tolerates drought and freezing temperatures well.
Planting and caring for plum-cherry hybrids
Plum cherry trees can vary greatly in the color, size and taste of the fruit. At the same time, planting a plum-cherry hybrid and the rules of care are approximately the same and quite simple, which makes growing SVG pleasant for gardeners.
Landing rules
In order to successfully root a plum-cherry bush, it is enough to adhere to the following simple rules.
- It is preferable to plant plum-cherry bushes in the spring, especially in the northern regions. This is due to the fact that even seedlings of frost-resistant hybrids are very sensitive to frost - and the first winter during autumn planting may be too traumatic for them.
- The hybrid prefers sandy or loamy soil - just like ordinary plums and cherries.Excess moisture is especially dangerous for it - plum and cherry bushes tolerate it worse than drought.
Planting a plum-cherry tree is carried out as standard. Dig a small hole, approximately twice the size of the roots of the seedling, and place fertilizers on its bottom. Next, the seedling is carefully placed in the center of the hole and sprinkled with soil, not forgetting to leave the root collar above the surface. 2 - 3 buckets of water are poured under the trunk, and the moistened soil is mulched.
How to care for SVG
Caring for SVG - a plum-cherry hybrid - is generally reminiscent of caring for a plum, with the difference that the plum-cherry hybrid is much less demanding in terms of growing conditions.
- Drought-tolerant trees require watering only as needed. In the absence of natural precipitation, 3–4 buckets of water can be poured under the tree trunk once a month; if drought occurs during the harvest period, once every 10 days.
- A young plum-cherry hybrid can be fed with potassium fertilizers in the summer. Before the onset of winter, it is recommended to add organic fertilizers under the trunk. But you should be careful with nitrogenous substances - they can provoke too rapid growth of shoots, which will negatively affect the yield.
- Plum-cherry varieties require mainly sanitary pruning - it is needed to get rid of dry branches and to thin out the crown. It is also recommended to pinch fast-growing branches at the end of summer.
- Mulching is carried out immediately after planting - and before the onset of winter. This will protect the soil from freezing.You can also cover the ground around the trunk before cold weather with spruce branches.
How does SVG reproduce?
In order to increase the number of plum-cherry hybrids in your garden, it is not necessary to buy new seedlings. You can propagate existing hybrids using cuttings or horizontal layering.
- In the first case, during the period of active growth at the beginning of summer, it is necessary to separate several shoots from the plum-cherry tree, trim them and keep them in a root-forming solution, and then root them in a greenhouse until autumn. With the onset of September, the seedlings are dug up and sent for storage in a closed barn - full planting is carried out only after 2 years.
- When propagating horizontal layering, suitable branches are bent to the ground, fixed and sprinkled with soil. When the cuttings take root and are well established in the soil, they can be separated from the mother plant.
Conclusion
The plum-cherry hybrid is a very interesting option for garden growing. It requires very little care, and the tree produces large, sweet and plentiful fruits.
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