Content
Cherry variety Vocation combines compact growth with high yield. It is easy to care for, frost-resistant, and its berries are very tasty. From the article you can find out why cherries with such attractive characteristics are not particularly popular among summer residents and gardeners.
History of selection
The Cherry variety Vocation was obtained within the walls of the Ukrainian Research Institute of Irrigated Horticulture, which is located in the city of Melitopol, Zaporozhye region. The author of the variety is the famous breeder N.I. Turovtsev, who has experience in breeding several dozen varieties of cherries. The second name of the variety is Rosinka and it was obtained by crossing the Melitopol dessert and Samsonovka cherries. Perhaps, thanks to this fact, the cherry variety received another name among the people - Samsonovka Melitopol.Apparently, the Vocation cherry is a rather old variety; at least, it existed back in the 80s of the last century, but the exact date of its breeding is unknown.
Description of culture
Plants of the Vocation variety grow small in size, reaching only 2-2.5 meters in height. Nevertheless, the Vocation variety is not a bush cherry; it looks like a real tree with a thick and rounded shape, only dwarf.
Dwarf cherry Vocation is grown mainly in Ukraine and in the south of Russia: from Voronezh and further south, although it can withstand frosts down to -25°C.
The fruits of this variety have a flat-round shape and are quite large in size. The average weight of one cherry ranges between 5 and 6 grams.
The color of cherries is rich, red-burgundy. The core is juicy, the juice is also characterized by a red tint. The small oval pit is easily separated from the pulp, especially when the cherry is fully ripe.
The taste of the fruit is rich, sweet, and has a slight sourness that harmoniously sets it off. According to professional tasters, the taste of cherries received a score of 4.6 points.
The fruits contain:
- 16.48% dry matter
- 10.03% sugars
- 0.96% acid
Characteristics
Most of the characteristics that distinguish the Prizvanie cherry variety can satisfy the tastes of the most fastidious gardeners.
Drought resistance, winter hardiness
The variety can be characterized as winter-hardy, since the trees can easily withstand winter temperatures down to -25°C, and the buds in the spring can retain up to 65% of the flowers during repeated frosts.But still, for most regions of central Russia and to the north, where frosts in winter can exceed -30°C, growing the Prizvanie variety will be problematic.
But the cherry of this variety deserves such a characteristic as drought resistance 100%. If there is insufficient watering, the berries will only dry out slightly on the trees, and the harvest for the next season will not be planted as intensively, but otherwise the tree will cope well with unfavorable conditions. Although, if possible, it is better not to subject trees to such tests.
Productivity, fruiting
The Vocation variety is distinguished by early fruiting; it can begin to produce the first harvests 2-3 years after planting. Every year the number of berries brought increases, and an 8-10-year-old tree is quite capable of giving its owner buckets of berries, which in total will weigh up to 30 kg. For a dwarf tree this is a very good indicator.
Area of application of berries
The Vocation cherry variety can be called universal, since its berries have a good taste. This means you can use them to make aromatic cherry jam, prepare compotes for the winter and delicious liqueurs. Berries can also be dried, frozen, made into candies, marshmallows, and much more.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Cherry Vocation is also resistant to many pests and pathogens. The variety is perfectly capable of resisting the brown hawthorn mite and shows good resistance to common cherry diseases, such as monoliosis and coccomycosis.
Pollination, flowering period and ripening time
According to the timing of fruit ripening in the descriptions of different sources, cherries of this variety are classified either as early or middle varieties.
The flowering period of the Vocation variety occurs around the beginning of May. And here lies the main trouble. The fact is that the Vocation variety is self-sterile. That is, for pollination and good harvests, it needs at least two other varieties of cherries or sweet cherries to grow nearby (at a distance of no more than 300-400 meters).
In addition, they must coincide with the Vocation cherry in terms of flowering dates. It turns out that owners of small plots who want to plant a dwarf Rosinka tree to decorate them must definitely buy two other varieties of cherries, preferably self-pollinating ones.
Some of the best pollinators for Vocation cherries will be the following varieties:
- Memory of Enikeev
- Sania
- Youth
- Chocolate girl
- Baby
- Griot Moscow
Many of them are also small in size and can fit into the dimensions of a small garden. But those who choose for themselves one, only variety, cherry Vocation can scare away.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages | Flaws |
High yield - up to 30 kg per tree | Self-sterility - it is necessary to plant two more varieties of cherries |
Great berry taste | Insufficient frost resistance for northern regions |
The small size of the trees makes it easy to harvest and process |
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Precociousness |
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Universal variety to use |
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Resistance to diseases and pests |
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Drought resistance |
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Landing Features
To ensure that your cherry tree will please you for many years, pay attention to the following nuances when planting.
Recommended timing
Plants with an open root system can be planted both in autumn and spring, only in autumn there is usually more choice and the seedlings look healthier. But in regions with harsh winters, autumn planting can lead to freezing of young seedlings, so spring is more preferable.
Choosing a suitable location
Choosing a sunny and windless place for planting is the key to long life and abundant fruiting of tiny cherry trees.
Heavy soils are diluted with sand, and acidic soils are diluted by adding wood ash to the planting hole. Groundwater must be at a depth of at least 1.5-2 meters.
What crops can and cannot be planted next to cherries?
Among the crops whose proximity to cherries is undesirable can be listed:
- Vegetables from the nightshade family: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and tobacco, due to common pests and diseases.
- Trees with an extensive root system such as: oak, birch, poplar, linden, spruce, pine.
- Shrubs like raspberries, gooseberries, currants, sea buckthorn - due to common diseases.
- Apricots and peaches - due to different agricultural management techniques
But very favorable neighbors for cherries will be:
- Cherry – can help with pollination
- Plum, cherry plum, sloe - the same care
- Honeysuckle
- Elderberry – protects against fruit aphids
- Hawthorn, rowan, grapes.
Selection and preparation of planting material
Seedlings of the Prizvanie variety can be sold both with open roots and in closed containers.The open root system should be fairly branched, at least 20-30 cm long, without dry and dark areas. The height of the shoots should be about 100 cm. Check that there are no signs of disease or damage on the bark and leaves.
Before planting, the roots of the seedling are usually soaked for several hours in a solution of the fungicide Maxim.
Landing algorithm
In the spring, when planting, cherry seedlings should not have their buds in full bloom - this will improve its survival rate. A distance of 3-4 meters is maintained between trees for better illumination. A peg is placed in the center of the dug hole according to the size of the root system, and around it the roots are straightened, which are gradually covered with the prepared soil mixture. The root collar should be directly at ground level. The soil around the roots is compacted, and the shoot is tied to a peg. The seedling is watered, immediately mulched, and during the first season after planting, watering should be regular - approximately once every 10-15 days, depending on the weather.
Subsequent care of the crop
Growing cherries The calling is not difficult - watering, fertilizing, pruning, protection from pests and diseases.
You need to water the cherry so that the ground underneath remains moderately moist, but the cherry does not tolerate excess moisture. You can start fertilizing trees from the beginning of the fruiting period. In spring and early summer, fertilizing is used, mainly containing nitrogen, and closer to autumn, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are needed.
Pruning for cherry trees allows you to remove the thickening of the crown, serves to prevent fungal diseases and improves the quality of ripening berries. It is best to do it in early spring, a few weeks before the buds open.Be sure to remove all damaged and dry branches, as well as those that cross each other and grow towards the center of the crown.
To protect against rodents and frost damage, the tree trunk is painted with garden whitewash before branching. In order for the cherry to survive the winter better, in the autumn, after the leaves fall, the soil around the trunk must be well shed (about 8-10 liters per seedling) and the tree trunk circle must be mulched.
Diseases and pests
Description of the problem | Prevention | Solutions |
Fungal diseases | In autumn, 2 weeks before leaf fall, spray with urea solution (1.5 tbsp per 10 l of water), and after the leaves fall, treat with 1% Bordeaux mixture | In the spring, during bud opening, spray with 3% Bordeaux mixture, and after flowering, treat with Skor, Horus, Topsin-M
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Pests | In spring, double spraying with Fitoverm or tobacco dust solution | During budding, treatment with a systemic insecticide: Aktara, Konfidor and others |
Conclusion
Cherry Vocation is a productive and tasty variety with easy care, and if you solve the pollination problem by planting additional varieties of cherries, you can enjoy an annual harvest of dessert and healthy berries in your garden.
Reviews
Reviews from gardeners about Vocation cherries are few, but everyone speaks warmly of this variety.
