Content
Cherry is one of the most popular fruit crops. Even those who do not like fruits containing a large amount of acid love jams and juices made from this wonderful berry. Multi-purpose varieties are especially valued. Chernokorka cherry is rightfully considered one of the best.
History of selection
Chernokorka cherry is a Ukrainian variety of folk selection. Where and when it was released is not known for certain. Since 1974, Chernokorka has been included in the list of varieties recommended for cultivation in the North Caucasus region.
Description of culture
Chernokorka cherry grows no higher than three meters. It looks like both a bush and a tree at the same time, it all depends on how it is formed. The crown of Chernokorka is wide and rounded. The drooping branches make the cherry seem squat. The leaves are dark green, medium in size, oval in shape with a sharp tip and base.
Chernokorka cherry flowers are white, large, wide open, collected in 2-5 pieces. Ripe fruits are almost black, the pulp and juice are dark burgundy. It follows from this that the Chernokorka variety is a typical griot. The berries are flat-round, quite large, their average weight is 4-4.5 g, with high agricultural technology or in a good year they can reach 5 g.
People who are far from gardening often wonder: is the Chernokorka variety cherry or cherry? Doubts arise due to the excellent sweet taste of the berries, the tasting score of which is 4.5 points. But the acid in fruits is present in sufficient quantities, it is simply softened by the high content of glucose and fructose.
The pit of Chernokorka cherry is small and separates well from the pulp. The berry is firmly attached to the stalk and is not prone to shedding.
The Chernokorka variety grows well not only throughout Ukraine and in the North Caucasus region. It is planted in the Krasnodar Territory and Rostov Region.
Characteristics
There are no ideal varieties of cherries. But before the mass death of the crop from coccomycosis, residents of the south of Russia and Ukraine considered themselves lucky. Chernokorka cherry had such popularity that even the best modern varieties cannot compare with. And this despite her self-sterility. However, in the south the culture is so widespread that residents rarely think about pollinators - at least several varieties of cherries grow in every yard.
Drought resistance, winter hardiness
The Chernokorka variety is highly resistant to drought.It only needs to be watered when there has been no rain for a month. True, this does not cancel the autumn moisture recharge - it helps the tree to winter well.
The frost resistance of the Chernokorka variety is high. But this applies only to regions where it is recommended to grow this cherry. In colder areas, you should choose a different variety for your garden.
Pollination, flowering period and ripening time
In the south, Chernokorka cherry blossoms in late April or early May. The duration depends on weather conditions. The berries begin to ripen in late June - early July. For the southern regions these are average times. The fruiting period is extended to 2-3 weeks.
The Chernokorka cherry variety is self-sterile. This means that without pollination it will give no more than 5% of the possible harvest. To get a large number of fruits, you should plant Lyubskaya cherries or Yaroslavna, Donchanka, and Aelita cherries nearby.
Productivity, fruiting
Chernokorka cherry produces its first harvest after four years on the site. The variety enters full fruiting in the seventh year. Productivity is highly dependent on pollination, agricultural practices and weather conditions.
If the cherry tree is planted with recommended pollinators, regularly pruned, fed and watered during dry periods, a mature tree can produce up to 60 kg of berries. If Chernokorka is pollinated by unknown varieties and grows as needed, then the yield will drop to 30 kg.However, this is also not bad for a small cherry.
The Chernokorka variety bears fruit consistently, constantly increasing yield. As the tree gets older, the number of berries decreases.
Area of application of berries
The Chernokorka variety is classified as a universal-purpose cherry. Her berries are so tasty that when there are few of them, they are all eaten fresh. When the tree enters full fruiting, jams, compotes are made from it, juices and wine are prepared. Among alcoholic drinks prepared from Chernokorka, aromatic liqueurs are especially popular.
Despite the abundance of juice in the berries, Chernokorka is often dried. True, this is problematic to do in the sun; you need to use an oven, stove or a special dryer.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Unfortunately, the Chernokorka cherry variety, wonderful in all respects, is severely affected by coccomycosis. Even in normal years, several treatments are needed to get rid of the disease. During epizootics (plant epidemics), even repeated spraying does not guarantee the health of the variety. Pests also do not bypass Chernokorka, however, it is much easier to deal with them.
Advantages and disadvantages
Perhaps we need to start with the disadvantages, since the main one is low resistance to coccomycosis, which can make the variety undesirable in the garden. It should also be noted that it is self-sterile, as well as the fact that the description of Chernokorka as a frost-resistant cherry is valid only in the southern regions.
The advantages of the variety include:
- Delicious large berries.
- High frost resistance of the variety in the regions recommended for cultivation.
- Strong attachment of berries to the stalk.
- Consistently high yield.
- Fruits of universal use.
- Chernokorka cherry grows low, which makes harvesting easier.
- Extension of fruiting.
- High resistance to drought.
Landing Features
Chernokorka does not have any special requirements different from other varieties of cherries. But the harvest depends on regular care. An unattended cherry tree can reduce it by 2 times, even in the presence of the “right” pollinators.
Recommended timing
Since the Chernokorka variety is grown in the south, it should be planted in the fall, after the leaves fall. Before the onset of frost, it will have time to take root, and at the beginning of next year it will immediately begin to grow. If you plant Chernokorka in the spring, most likely the tree will die. In the south, a short spring is often immediately replaced by heat, and no amount of watering can compensate for the heat.
If you decide to grow a variety in a temperate climate, you need to plant it in early spring.
Choosing a suitable location
What cherries do not like is close groundwater. If they approach the surface less than 2 m, you need to arrange good drainage or plant the tree on a gentle slope.
Cherries need good lighting and protection from strong winds. And not only cold winter ones, but also drying summer ones.
The soil must have a neutral reaction and a loose structure.Organic matter must be added even to black soil.
What crops can and cannot be planted next to cherries?
It is best to plant pollinating varieties next to the cherry. Other stone fruit crops located nearby will not interfere. But the walnut should be planted further away from the cherry tree. The same applies to oak, birch, and elm. It should be remembered that black currants and cherries do not tolerate each other, and shrubs with rapidly growing rhizomes (raspberries, sea buckthorn) will compete with the crop for nutrients and water.
When Chernokorka takes root, you can cover the tree trunk circle with a lawn or ground covers. This will protect the root from overheating and slow down the evaporation of moisture.
Selection and preparation of planting material
1-year-old seedlings up to 90 cm in height, or two-year-old up to 110 cm in height, take root well. One and a half meter trees are most likely overfed with nitrogen or stimulants. The root system must be well developed, healthy and free of damage. The greenish color of the bark indicates that the wood has not matured; cracks indicate that the seedling is either sick or has been subjected to sudden changes in temperature, and this is unacceptable.
Immediately before planting, Chernokorka cherries with an open root system should be soaked for at least 3 hours, and the container plant should be watered.
Landing algorithm
The planting hole for cherries needs to be dug in advance, preferably a month in advance. If this is not possible, you need to completely fill it with water several times and wait until the moisture is completely absorbed. The diameter of the hole should be approximately 80 cm, the depth should be at least 40 (if drainage is done, this figure increases by 1.5-2 times). Acidic soil is neutralized with lime, and sand is added to dense clay soils.Next, planting is carried out in the following sequence:
- A fertile mixture is prepared: a bucket of humus and 50 g of potassium and phosphate fertilizers are added to the top layer of soil.
- A strong support for gartering the seedling is driven in 20 cm from the center.
- The cherry is placed at the bottom of the pit so that the horse's neck rises 5-8 cm above its edge.
- The root is gradually covered with a fertile mixture. It must be compacted to avoid the appearance of voids.
- The seedling is tied to a support.
- A roller is formed from the remaining soil around the tree trunk circle.
- The cherry is watered with 2-3 buckets of water and mulched with humus.
Subsequent care of the crop
The seedling is watered abundantly throughout the fall and throughout the next season. Then you need to moisten the soil only if the summer is hot and dry. In the fall, water recharging must be carried out.
It is best to feed the crop with ash and mullein. Mineral fertilizers for cherries are selected so that they receive a lot of nitrogen and potassium. Phosphorus is needed in limited quantities, but it cannot be completely excluded.
To obtain a good harvest, formative pruning is carried out before the sap begins to flow. Sanitary – as needed. This operation will help avoid thickening of the crown, which contributes to the development of fungal infections, in particular coccomycosis.
There is no need to cover Chernokorka for the winter in regions recommended for growing the variety. To protect against hares and other rodents, the tree trunk is tied with straw or burlap for the winter; if the cherry tree is formed in the form of a bush, a wire fence is installed.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
Unfortunately, the tasty and beautiful Chernokorka cherry is severely damaged by coccomycosis.Signs and measures to combat the most common problems of the variety are indicated in the table.
Diseases, pests | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention |
Coccomycosis | The leaves turn yellow, spots appear on them, which grow and eventually turn into holes. In mid-summer, the affected vegetative organs fall off | Along the green cone and after leaf fall, the cherries are treated with a copper-containing preparation. Before the onset of frost, spray the tree with iron sulfate. During the period of fruit pouring, 2 kg of wood ash and 60 g of laundry soap are dissolved in a bucket of water. Number of treatments – 2-3 with an interval of 10-14 days | Timely removal of fallen leaves, sanitary and formative pruning, preventive spraying. Treating cherries with non-toxic preparations Epin and Zircon can increase the immunity of cherries. |
Monilial burn (moniliosis) | Shoots and flowers (fruits) begin to dry out. This often happens in wet weather. The fruits are deformed, cracks form on the bark | First, all affected organs are removed, capturing part of the healthy tissue, and the sections are treated with garden varnish. Treatment is then carried out by spraying with copper-containing preparations or other suitable fungicides | Same as for coccomycosis |
Cherry aphid | It affects young leaves and shoots the most, sucking out the cell sap from them. Vegetative organs become deformed, become sticky, then wither and dry out | If the number of insects is small, you can use a solution of laundry soap for spraying. If the aphid colony is large, treat with an appropriate insecticide. | Fighting anthills. Regular pruning |
cherry fly | The insect lays eggs in the berries, from which larvae hatch and eat the cherries from the inside. The fruits soften, rot, and fall off | Folk remedies are ineffective. 60-70% of pests can be destroyed with special traps. Requires insecticide treatment about a month before harvest | Timely pruning, cleaning up fallen leaves, digging up the trunk circle in the fall |
Conclusion
Chernokorka cherry would be the best solution for the southern garden, but the strong susceptibility to coccomycosis is unlikely to please. If you are ready to fight this scourge, plant a pollinating variety nearby and enjoy tasty, healthy and beautiful berries.
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