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Duke Nochka is a cherry-cherry hybrid. Its homeland is Donetsk (Ukraine). Nochka cherry has many advantages, for the implementation of which it is important to plant the crop correctly and properly care for it.
Description of cherry variety Nochka
VCHG Nochka was bred by Liliya Ivanovna Taranenko, an honored agronomist. This variety appeared thanks to the American early-fruiting hybrid of the Nord Star cherry and the large-fruited cherry Valery Chkalov.
From the cherry, the hybrid received large buds, straight shoots of a dark brown color. Their branches are covered with smooth bark. Nochki cherry leaves with clearly defined convex veins on the reverse side resemble cherry leaves in appearance, but are larger in size. The foliage is dark green and dense. The front side of the hybrid sheet plates is glossy.
The popularity of Nochki cherries is largely due to its versatility in relation to possible growing regions. The tree feels best in the middle zone and southern regions. Thanks to its frost resistance, Nochka cherries can be grown in areas with harsh winters; the yield will not be affected, but it will be necessary to properly prepare the cherries for wintering.
Height and dimensions of the Nochka cherry tree
Nochka is a low tree, grows approximately 2.7-3.2 m. The cherry tree gave the duke a wide pyramidal crown.
Description of fruits
Nochka produces large, round berries that resemble hearts due to the depression at the stalk. The average weight of cherry fruits is 7-10 g. The inflorescence is a raceme, which can contain 6-8 berries.
The fruits of the Nochka cherry have a dark burgundy skin and a black tint. There is a large bone inside and it comes off easily.
Nochki berries with very juicy burgundy-red pulp combine the taste qualities of the hybrid's parents - cherry aroma and the inherent sourness of cherries. The hybrid has a high tasting score - 4.6 out of a possible 5 points.
The berries are held firmly on the stalks and do not fall off when ripe. They don't bake in the sun.
It was the dark red color with a dark tint of the fruit that gave the name to Nochka
Pollinators for Duke Nochka
The cherry hybrid is self-sterile - it is pollinated by a maximum of 1.3% with its own pollen, if weather conditions are favorable. Flowering time depends on weather conditions. In warm weather, Nochka blooms in mid-May. If the region is cool, then cherry budding occurs at the beginning of June.
The best pollinator for the Nochka hybrid is the Tender cherry – 13% according to research results. This combination ensures maximum hybrid yield.
This variety is recommended for the Astrakhan region and the North Caucasus region
Some varieties of cherries can be pollinators for the Nochka cherry:
- Lyubskaya;
Cherry is suitable for the North-Western, Central, Central Black Earth, North Caucasus, Middle and Lower Volga regions
- Meteor;
Cherry is recommended for the Central Black Earth and southern regions
- Youth;
Cherry is suitable for the Moscow region, the Urals
- Nord Star.
Cherry is common in Ukraine, Belarus, Russian central and southern regions
Main characteristics of Nochka cherry
Before planting a hybrid, you need to familiarize yourself with its basic characteristics. This is important to ensure proper care for the plant.
Drought resistance, frost resistance of Nochka cherry
Cherevishnya Nochka is drought-resistant and not afraid of heat. Coupled with its low watering requirements, this makes the variety desirable in the southern arid regions.
The Nochki cherry is native to a warm region, but it is also frost-resistant. Duke tolerates temperatures well down to -30-35 °C.
Productivity
Cherry Nochka is a fast-growing variety. After planting, the first fruiting occurs in the third year.
Nochka cherry ripening occurs at the end of July. In cooler regions, where flowering begins later, harvest dates also shift.
The yield of Nochka cherries reaches 20-25 kg per tree. This indicator depends on several factors:
- cherry age – the peak is considered to be 12 years, then the yield decreases;
- compliance with the rules of care - pruning, watering, fertilizing, preparing for winter;
- damage by diseases and pests.
If transportation or storage is planned, then the fruits of the hybrid must be collected with petioles. The harvest is consumed fresh and used for making desserts. The variety is suitable for canning, drying, freezing.
You can make compote, preserves or jam from cherries for the winter.
Advantages and disadvantages
Nochka is loved by many gardeners for its advantages:
- frost resistance;
- drought resistance;
- large berries;
- good taste and aroma;
- possibility of transportation;
- versatility in application;
- high resistance to coccomycosis.
All these advantages are countered by only 2 disadvantages of Nochka - the self-sterility of the variety and the low yield of cherries.
Rules for planting cherry Nochka
Planting a hybrid is not difficult, especially if you have similar experience with cherries. One of the important points is the selection of Nochka seedlings, which must meet the following requirements:
- well developed, healthy root system;
- moist bright brown roots, there should be no damage;
- green trunk with clean and smooth bark;
- height 0.7-1.3 m
- age 1-2 years.
The cherry roots need to be treated with mash - mix equal parts mullein and clay. After processing, wrap them with a rag and place them in a bag.
Recommended timing
It is better to plant Nochka in early spring, before the movement of juices begins. If the region is southern, then autumn planting of cherries is allowed.
Site selection and soil preparation
The Nochka tree will grow in one place for 20-25 years, so it is important to carefully choose a site. The following conditions are optimal:
- small hill with a slope of 10-15 °;
- southern or southwestern slope;
- natural protection from wind from the north or northeast;
- slightly acidic or neutral soil; cherries will not grow on acidified and saline soil.
If you plan to plant Nochka cherry in the spring, then the place must be prepared in the fall. To do this, you need to dig a hole and add a nutrient mixture:
- compost or humus 2-3 buckets;
- ash 2 l;
- superphosphate 0.3 kg.
How to plant correctly
Algorithm for planting Nochki cherry:
- Form a small mound in the hole prepared in the fall.
- Carefully straighten the roots of the seedling and place it on a mound.
- Cover the soil in layers, compacting each of them.
- Do not bury the root collar. The grafting site should rise 2-3 cm above the ground surface.
- Form a tree trunk circle and an earthen roller in diameter.
- Water the bush generously and mulch it. A cherry bush needs 2-3 buckets of water.
If the area was not cultivated in the fall, then all preparatory procedures must be carried out at least 2 weeks before planting the cherries.
It is necessary to apply organic fertilizers - manure, humus, bird droppings
Features of care
The main care for Nochka cherries consists of watering, fertilizing, and pruning. It is important to carry out each stage correctly and in a timely manner.
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Nochka is a drought-resistant variety and has a negative attitude towards waterlogging. Watering cherries is needed during the following periods:
- before flowering, if the weather was dry;
- during budding, ovary growth, if there are dry days;
- after harvest;
- before cold weather - this type of watering is called moisture-charging.
When growing Nochki cherries, fertilizing is necessary.This is necessary for good growth and development of the duke, a rich, high-quality harvest. You should act according to the schedule:
- Spring feeding of cherries. Add ammonium nitrate, urea, and nitroammophoska. For 1 m² you need 20-30 g of fertilizer. They bring it in for digging.
- Duke flowering. Apply 5-6 kg of humus or compost per 1 m². It is effective to use fertilizer for mulching after watering.
- Autumn, when the berries are picked. During this period, after watering, liquid fertilizing must be applied. You need to add 0.5 liters of bird droppings or 1 liter of mullein to a 10-liter bucket of water, leave for 1.5 weeks, then dilute in 5 parts of water. For 1 m² you need 3-3.5 liters of fertilizer.
Trimming
The need for such a procedure arises when the Nochka tree turns 5-6 years old. By this time it is completely rooted and strengthened.
The height of an adult tree rarely exceeds 3 m, so cherry trees do not need formative pruning
The night requires sanitary pruning, when damaged, dry and diseased branches are cut out. Such work is carried out in early spring or late autumn, when there is no sap flow.
Cherries also need rejuvenating pruning; drooping branches that no longer bear fruit must be removed. Such procedures are carried out until the plant is 15 years old.
Preparing for winter
Cherry Nochka is a frost-resistant hybrid, but it still needs to be prepared for winter:
- Whiten the trunk and skeletal branches when the leaves fall. This will protect the bark from temperature changes at the end of winter and premature heating of the wood during it.
- Cover the cherries for the winter. The roots of Nochka require such protection, since for the most part they are located in the upper layers of the soil.In areas with frosty winters and little snow cover, you need to mulch the tree trunk circle. Sawdust, straw, foliage, and humus are suitable for this. A layer of mulch of 15-20 cm is sufficient.
Diseases and pests
With high resistance to coccomycosis, Nochka cherry is not protected from other fungal diseases. The hybrid may suffer from the following problems:
- Hole spotting, called clasterosporiasis. First, small black dots appear, which within 2 weeks grow to red-burgundy circles. Inside them, the sheet dries out and holes appear. The leaves dry out and fall off. Before flowering, Nitrafen is used to treat cherries, followed by biofungicides - Quadris, Horus.
Hole spot spreads quickly, and its signs are hard to miss
- Monilial burn, called moniliosis. Shoots, leaves, and stalks of cherries are affected. The disease manifests itself as blackening and sagging of the affected parts and can lead to the death of the tree. The drugs are used as for perforated spotting.
Affected cherry shoots are cut out, capturing 0.2-0.3 m of healthy wood
The hybrid can also suffer from pests:
- Cherry fly. The cherry pest appears when it gets warm; the first food is the sweet secretions of aphids. Caterpillars feed on ripe berries.
Fighting the pest is simple - you need to get rid of cherry aphids
- Weevil. It feeds on young shoots, leaves and flowers of cherry. Until the temperature reaches 10 °C, beetles can be shaken off onto a cloth or film at night or early in the morning to destroy them.
When it gets warmer, only fungicides like Decis, Nitrafen, Fufanon will save you from the pest.
- Slimy sawfly. It looks like a hybrid of a slug and a caterpillar, 4-6 cm in size. It eats cherry leaves, leaving only the veins.For prevention, autumn digging of the soil is necessary; if larvae are found, collect them manually or wash them off with a stream of water.
If the damage to the cherry is massive, then you will have to use insecticides
- Aphid. For prevention, you need to destroy anthills on the site, and use systemic insecticides such as Iskra, Phytofarm for control.
The main danger of aphids is that the pest multiplies rapidly
Conclusion
Duke Nochka is a cherry-cherry hybrid with excellent taste and aroma. It can be grown in different regions; the plant is not afraid of droughts and frosts. Proper care and timely disease prevention will ensure a good Nochka harvest.
