Content
Nowadays low fruit trees are especially in demand. Saratovskaya Malyshka cherry is a relatively new variety that is not very tall. It is easy to care for and pick berries, so crop losses are kept to a minimum. If we add to this the good taste of the fruit and early ripening, then the love for the Saratovskaya Malyshka variety among gardeners, especially owners of small plots, becomes clear.
History of selection
Cherry Saratovskaya Malyshka is often called simply Malyshka. This variety cannot be called the newest - it was created in 1995 by the Saratov Experimental Horticulture Station. Authors: G. I. Dymnova, A. P. Kruglova and E. E. Kaverin. The Saratov cherry variety Malyshka was obtained by crossing the griot Rannyaya and Duke 1-2-29.
Description of culture
Cherry Duke Malyshka has absorbed the best features of its parent varieties. It grows as a medium-spreading tree with a dense spherical crown. And although the Malyshka cherry cannot be called a dwarf cherry - the height of the trunk reaches 2-2.5 m, it looks neat and compact.
Thick, smooth branches with brown bark are arched and become bare with age. Numerous lentils on the shoots are clearly visible; they are large, yellowish, with a white border. The large, dark green leaves of Saratov Baby are obovate, serrated at the edges, with a sharp tip and base. The plate is concave, the petiole is medium-sized, red at the base.
The flowers are white, large, appear on bouquet branches. Most often they are single or collected in groups of 3. After ripening, a beautiful large cherry is formed. In the Saratovskaya Malyshka variety it reaches an average of 5 g, but with good agricultural technology and favorable weather conditions it can reach 7-8 g.
The appearance of the fruit is rated 5 points. The one-dimensional berries of the Saratov Malyshka are round, slightly flattened on the side of the stalk, with a slight depression. The apex of the fruit is slightly flattened. The abdominal suture is moderately expressed, subcutaneous points are absent. The pulp, juice and surface of the cherry are dark red. The berry contains a lot of juice, its sweet and sour dessert taste is rated 4.4 points.
The stalk is securely attached to the branches. Fruit holding strength is average. The smooth, ovoid stone is easily separated from the pulp, its weight is about 0.4 g.
The cherry-cherry hybrid Malyshka is recommended for cultivation in the Lower Volga region. But thanks to its resistance to growing conditions and adverse weather factors, the variety is widespread in all Central regions of Russia.
Characteristics
The characteristics of the Malyshka cherry variety make it indispensable for small private gardens located in the central part of Russia. This cultivar has been grown in household plots for more than 20 years, and has earned excellent reviews.
Drought resistance, winter hardiness
The drought resistance of the Saratovskaya Malyshka variety is good; an adult tree needs to be watered only in the absence of rain for a long time. In the Lower Volga region, this cherry has excellent cold resistance. Even in harsh winters, neither wood nor flower buds freeze.
Pollination, flowering period and ripening time
The Saratov Baby cherry in Central Russia blooms in mid-May. Harvesting begins on the twentieth of June. If spring was late, flowering and fruiting are shifted to later dates.
The Malyshka variety is one of the earliest. But it should be remembered that this cherry is self-sterile. This means that without pollinators it will give only 5% of the possible harvest. If you want to get a lot of berries, you should have other cherries with similar flowering periods within a 40 m radius. The best pollinators for the Malyshka variety are Lyubskaya, Turgenevka, and Nord Star.
Productivity, fruiting
Saratovskaya Malyshka cherry grows quickly and begins to produce a harvest after planting for 3-4 years. When testing the variety, an average yield of 14.6 kg per mature tree was indicated. But with good care and favorable weather, this figure increases to 20-25 kg. Conditions also affect the size of the fruit. With an average of 5 g, in a good year one berry can weigh 7-8 g.
Area of application of berries
Saratovskaya Malyshka cherry is a table variety.This means that it is primarily recommended for fresh consumption. Attractive large berries obtained from crossing Duke with Griot will decorate any table. Malyshka got an excellent sweet taste from the cherry, and juicy red pulp from the griot.
This cherry is also good in preparations. First of all, juice and compotes are made from it - they have a good taste and attractive color. Other processed products include preserves and jams. Desserts with Saratov Malyshka cherries turn out especially well.
Thanks to its dense pulp, good taste and high transportability, this variety can be used as a commercial variety.
Resistance to diseases and pests
The Saratovskaya Malyshka variety is moderately resistant to typical cherry diseases and pests. Coccomycosis and moniliosis are severely affected only during epizootic years.
Thanks to its compact, dense crown, the Malyshka cherry tree suffers little from birds.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Saratovskaya Malyshka variety showed itself best when grown in the Lower Volga and Central regions. It is also planted in other areas, but there it yields less and gets sick more often. The advantages of Baby include:
- High yield.
- Good resistance to drought.
- Attractive appearance and good taste of berries.
- High frost resistance of the trunk, flower buds and wood.
- Early ripening.
- The versatility of fruit use.
- Good transportability of berries.
- Compact size for easy harvesting.
The disadvantages of the Saratov Baby include:
- Insufficiently strong attachment of berries to the stalk.
- In northern regions, cherries may freeze. In particular, early-blooming flowers can be subject to return frosts.
- Insufficient resistance (average) to coccomycosis.
- Self-sterility of the variety.
Landing Features
Saratovskaya Malyshka cherry does not have any special requirements that are different from other varieties. The main thing here is to follow the rules for planting and placing seedlings on the site.
Recommended timing
It is better to plant Baby cherry in early spring, before the buds open. This is especially important for this variety, since it blooms already in mid-May. So it is recommended to prepare the planting holes in the fall. If a seedling is purchased at the end of the year, it is recommended to bury it on the site and move it to a permanent place in the spring.
In the southern regions, it is better to plant cherries after leaf fall. A late frost will allow the plant to take root before cold weather sets in. In addition, in the south, spring has recently quickly given way to heat - the seedling will suffer from the heat if placed on the site in the spring.
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Choosing a suitable location
The best place for cherries will be a sunny place on a small hill with a gentle slope. If strong winds blow in the region, the crop should be planted under the protection of other trees or buildings. The main thing is that the cherry has enough sunlight. Groundwater should be no closer than 2 m to the surface.
The soil needs to be neutral, loose, with a lot of organic matter. Acidic soil needs to be improved with dolomite flour, chalk or lime. Dense soils are made permeable by introducing sand and a large amount of humus.
What crops can and cannot be planted next to cherries?
Since Malyshka is self-sterile, the best neighbors for her will be pollinating cherries of the Lyubskaya, Nord Star or Turgenevka varieties. You can plant other stone fruit crops nearby. Cherry does not like the neighborhood of walnut, oak, maple, birch.
The close location of beds with nightshade crops - potatoes, tomatoes, peppers will increase the likelihood of Baby's infection with fungal diseases. Cherry will compete with raspberries, sea buckthorn and other shrubs with rapidly expanding roots for moisture and nutrition.
After the crop takes root well and begins to produce a harvest, the tree trunk circle can be planted with small ground cover plants. They will retain moisture and protect the cherry root from overheating in the hot summer.
Selection and preparation of planting material
The demand for low-growing cherries is great. Therefore, it is best to buy Saratov Baby directly from a nursery or a reliable garden center that values its reputation.
When choosing a seedling you need to pay attention to:
- on the root system: it must be well developed and intact;
- to the height of the trunk - optimal for one-year-old cherries - 80-90 cm, two-year-old cherries - no more than 110 cm;
- the bark of the Saratov Baby should be brown and smooth, the branches should be elastic.
Container plants need to be watered before planting, and cherries with an exposed root system should be soaked for at least 3 hours.
Landing algorithm
The planting pit must be prepared in advance. Standard size: width - about 80 cm, depth - not less than 40 cm. When digging a hole, the top, fertile layer of soil is put aside and mixed with a bucket of humus, potash and phosphorus fertilizers (50 g each). If necessary, add sand and soil deoxidizer (lime, dolomite flour).Then proceed according to the following scheme:
- A strong peg is driven in a little away from the center of the pit.
- The cherry seedling is placed in the middle.
- The root is gradually covered with fertile soil, constantly compacting it.
- The standard is tied to a peg.
- The root collar is left to rise 5-8 cm above the soil surface.
- An earthen roller is poured around the tree trunk circle.
- The young tree is watered with 2-3 buckets of water.
Subsequent care of the crop
In the first season after planting cherries, you need to water them regularly, loosen the tree trunk and weed them out. weeds. When the tree takes root, moisten the soil only if there is a long absence of precipitation. In the fall, be sure to do moisture recharging.
Loosening the soil under the cherry tree is only necessary in the first years. Then the tree trunk circle is filled with ground covers growing in the region that can tolerate shade.
The best fertilizer for cherries is cow manure and ash. They are applied at the root in the fall. If you use mineral fertilizers, you need to remember that the crop needs a lot of nitrogen and potassium, but phosphorus should be limited (but not completely eliminated).
Cherry trees need to be pruned regularly. This will avoid many diseases and increase the yield. The variety Saratovskaya Malyshka tends to expose old branches. Pruning promotes the development of new shoots and the formation of a large number of bouquet branches, on which cherries are formed.
There is no need to cover this cherry for the winter in the regions recommended for cultivation. The crop is saved from hares and other rodents by wrapping the trunk with spruce branches or burlap, or by installing a protective net.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
The variety Saratovskaya Malyshka is moderately resistant to fungal diseases.This cherry tree suffers greatly from them only during epizootic years. Prevention and control measures for the most common ones are shown in the table. Other diseases will be discussed in another article.
Problem | Signs | Treatment | Prevention |
Coccomycosis | First, dark spots appear on the leaves, then they turn into holes. A plaque forms on the back. The diseased leaves will fall off mid-season. Brown spots with a whitish coating appear on the fruits | Treatment with appropriate fungicides according to instructions. Spraying with copper-containing preparations gives good results. | Regular pruning to avoid thickening the crown and spreading the disease. Preventive spraying with copper-containing preparations on a green cone and iron sulfate after leaf fall. In autumn, all plant remains are collected under the tree and burned. |
Moniliosis | The tree looks damaged by high temperatures. First, leaves, flowers or berries die, then entire branches die | Diseased vegetative organs are removed, taking about 10 cm of healthy tissue. The wound surface is first treated with a copper-containing preparation, then with garden pitch. The tree is sprayed with an appropriate fungicide | Same as for coccomycosis |
The Saratovskaya Malyshka variety combines the genes of cherries and sweet cherries. Among the pests it is most often attacked by aphids. If there are few insects, they are fought with folk remedies, for example, a solution of laundry soap. In case of severe damage, treat the cherry with insecticides.
General prevention against pests is the same as for coccomycosis. In the spring, 10 days after treatment with a copper-containing preparation, spraying with a systemic insecticide is carried out.
Harvesting and processing
It must be remembered that cherries do not ripen during storage. In relation to this culture, the term “technical ripeness” does not make sense. If the berries are to be transported, harvesting should not be delayed.
Cherries should be picked immediately after they are ripe. Otherwise, it will become prey for birds, and the berries of the Saratovskaya Malyshka variety may fall to the ground, since their attachment to the stalk is average. In addition, it is in overripe fruits that all sorts of larvae and small caterpillars like to settle.
The sooner you process the crop, the more nutrients it will retain. Fresh cherries of the Malyshka variety can be stored in the refrigerator for 6-7 days.
Conclusion
Cherry Saratovskaya Malyshka is a beautiful compact tree. Its fruits ripen early, have good taste and attractive appearance. The variety is excellent for growing in small areas.
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