Content
Prima cherry is widely popular among experienced gardeners because it is a long-lasting, high-yielding, unpretentious and unpretentious plant. Sweet and sour berries, which are always in abundance, are eaten both fresh and processed into juices and jams. However, in order for cherries to bring a rich harvest, it is important to know the agricultural technology of growing the crop, care features, as well as how to protect the tree from diseases and pests.
Cherry Prima always bears fruit abundantly
Description of the Prima cherry variety
For more than two thousand years, cherry trees have been grown in gardens throughout Europe, because the fruits of this crop are not only tasty, but also healthy for the body. More than 100 types of cherries are known, however, Prima is one of the most popular due to its high yield and unpretentiousness.Next, the Prima cherry variety is examined in detail, photos and descriptions of an adult tree and fruit are given, and agricultural technology for growing this crop is given.
Height and dimensions of an adult tree
An adult Prima cherry tree reaches medium size (up to 3 m in height) or can be vigorous (up to 3.5 m). The dense, slightly raised crown with medium-sized glossy leaves has a predominantly round shape. It is recommended to grow cherries of this variety everywhere in the central region of Russia.
Description of fruits
Round, dark red berries with juicy, dense, brightly colored pulp weigh from 3 to 4 g. The fruit has a pleasant taste, with a rich cherry aroma; the seed is easily separated from the pulp.
Prima cherry fruits are sweet and sour and very juicy
A characteristic feature is that its cherries, after ripening, can hang on tree branches until September. At the same time, the gastronomic qualities of the berries are not reduced at all, they do not bake in the sun and do not lose their presentation.
Pollinators of the Prima cherry
Prima cherry is characterized by late flowering. The variety is not self-fertile, therefore for pollination the presence of other representatives of the species in one area is necessary. The following cherry varieties are considered the best as pollinators:
- Vladimirskaya;
- Zhukovskaya;
- Lyubskaya;
- Shubinka.
These varieties, like the Prima cherry, bloom in the second half of May, and therefore are ideal pollinators for each other.
Main characteristics of Prima cherries
Cherry of the Prima variety is a fast-growing, late-ripening crop that loves quiet, sunny and windless places. Under favorable weather conditions, you can begin harvesting from the end of July.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
Cherry thrives in regions with harsh climates and equally tolerates heat and prolonged drought, as well as severe frosts and snowy winters. It is thanks to its drought and frost resistance that Prima is grown in almost all regions of Russia.
Productivity
Prima begins to bear fruit under favorable conditions in the fourth year after planting the seedlings. From one tree you can get up to 20-25 kg of selected berries, however, this is not the limit. Previously, in particularly favorable years, a harvest of 80-83 kg of cherries per adult plant was recorded.
Fruiting depends on the soil and location in which the tree grows, as well as on the schedule of watering and fertilizing. If Prima does not have enough sunlight, there will be few fruits, they will be small and sour. Once every three years, the crown of the plant should be subjected to anti-aging pruning - this increases the fertility of the tree.
The berries have a strong, elastic skin and dense pulp, so they tolerate transportation well and are characterized by high shelf life. The scope of application of the fruit is quite wide - they are consumed both fresh and cooked. Juices are made from cherries, compotes, jams and preserves are made, canned and frozen for the winter.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of the Prima variety include the following characteristics:
- high productivity;
- taste qualities of fruits, versatility of their use;
- good transportability and keeping quality of berries;
- adaptability to unfavorable climatic conditions.
However, despite so many positive qualities, Prima cherries have some disadvantages:
- tall growth makes harvesting difficult;
- The variety is susceptible to a disease such as moniliosis.
In addition, it is necessary to regularly thin the crown to ensure uniform ripening of the crop.
Landing rules
In order for a tree to bear fruit well, it is important to follow the rules of agricultural cultivation techniques, as well as choose high-quality planting material. When purchasing Prima seedlings, you need to pay attention to the root system; it must be well formed and developed. This will speed up the establishment of the plant in a new location.
Recommended timing
Prima cherry seedlings with a bare root system are planted in early spring in a hole prepared in advance and fertilized in the fall. Annual grafted plants are used as planting material. If the cherry seedlings are containerized, they can be planted in the ground throughout the spring-summer period.
It is important to remember that this cherry variety requires pollinators. Therefore, if there are no suitable specimens in neighboring areas, you need to purchase them directly when purchasing Prima seedlings and plant them in the ground at the same time.
Site selection and soil preparation
Cherry loves well-lit and draft-free places. Therefore, it is advisable to plant Prima seedlings between courtyard or country houses, however, so that they do not shade the trees.
It is also worth paying attention to the soil in which the cherry will grow. Prima does not tolerate stagnation of water in the root system or periodic flooding during the rainy season.Therefore, if such a possibility exists, you should ensure a good drainage of water or make a mound before planting.
Drained loamy or sandy loam soils with an acidity of 6.5-7.0 pH are most suitable for Prima cherries. If an area with clay or sandy soil is allocated for planting, the plant is likely to develop poorly, bear fruit poorly and die quickly. To avoid this, it is necessary to prepare a large planting hole for the seedling, at the bottom of which drainage should be laid, as well as a substrate rich in humus.
How to plant correctly
When planting young Prima cherry trees on a site, you should keep in mind that they grow quickly and will shade each other in a dense planting pattern. Therefore, there should be at least 9-12 square meters between seedlings. m.
Planting pit width – 80 cm, depth – 60 cm
Organic fertilizers in the form of horse humus or humus (two buckets), as well as 20 g of potassium chloride and 40 g of superphosphate are added to the bottom. The Prima seedling is planted so that the root collar is 5-7 cm above the ground level.
Features of care
Cherry Prima does not require special care and all activities are reduced to regular watering, timely application of fertilizers and annual pruning of the crown. In addition, despite the frost resistance of the variety, in regions with harsh winters it is worth taking care to ensure that the cherry can more easily withstand extreme cold.
Watering and fertilizing schedule
After planting the seedling, it is enough to water it once a week for a month. Then you can switch to a schedule of four times a month - twice a day (morning and evening). Each plant should require at least a bucket of water.It is important not to limit the tree’s watering during the period of fruiting and the active formation of flower buds for the next year (this happens in June and July), otherwise the harvest will be poor both this year and in the future.
If fertilizer is applied in the form of granules, subsequent watering is necessary.
In addition to root feeding during planting, fertilizers are applied two more times a year:
- before flowering: per bucket of water 10 g of urea, 25 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium chloride;
- at the end of the autumn season: cherries are fertilized with organic compounds (40 g of manure per tree), superphosphate (400 g) and potassium sulfate (150 g).
In addition, the soil must be limed once every five years. To do this, 300 to 500 g of ground limestone or dolomite flour are scattered under each tree.
Trimming
In April of each year, before the buds open, it is important to carry out anti-aging pruning of cherry branches. This will help increase the yield of Prima, increase the sugar content of the berries, and also prevent many diseases.
Weak curves, as well as shoots growing inside the crown, are removed completely. Only straight, strong branches are left, growing sideways and not upwards.
It is necessary to prune fruiting shoots that descend to the ground. You also need to limit the height of the tree to 3 m, cutting off branches stretching upward. This will provide an opportunity to develop laterally. It is worth remembering that you cannot remove more than a quarter of the mass of the entire crown at a time.
Preparing for winter
In order for the tree to better withstand early frosts, when there is no snow yet, as well as strong winter winds, it is recommended to mulch the root zone with humus in the fall.You should also wrap the trunk of young trees with a special covering material.
Diseases and pests
Cherry Prima is susceptible to diseases such as monilial blight or moniliosis, and if the plant is not treated, it dies. The causative agent is fungi, as a result of which young leaves and shoots dry out. At the same time, they have a characteristic appearance, reminiscent of the effects of flames. Gray protruding growths appear on the fruits, the berries rot and fall off.
Cherry branch affected by monoliosis
They fight the disease by spraying the affected and nearby branches with a 3% solution of nitrafen in early spring.
Blackened shoots should be removed. Then it is important to spray the tree with 2% Bordeaux mixture before the buds open. And immediately after the end of flowering, repeat spraying with only a 1% solution is carried out.
Conclusion
Prima cherries, grown in compliance with all the rules of agricultural technology, will certainly please the amateur gardener with a bountiful harvest. It is important not to forget to carry out preventive measures to combat diseases in a timely manner, adhere to the watering schedule and apply fertilizers.
