Content
Of the 150 types of cherries, only 5 are edible - steppe, felt, Magaleb, common, not found in nature today, and sweet cherry. All varieties were bred through selective selection or cross-pollination of wild relatives. How many cultivars exist today is not known for certain; new ones are constantly appearing, and old ones “go out of circulation” as unpromising or are destroyed by coccomycosis. Ural Rubinovaya cherry is an old variety that will remain in demand in the north of Russia for many decades to come.
History of selection
The Uralskaya Rubinovaya variety was created by the Sverdlovsk Horticultural Breeding Station in 1954. In 1955, the cherry was transferred to the State Variety Test, and after another 4 years (1959) it was accepted by the State Register. The developers of the variety are S.V. Zhukov and N.I. Gvozdyukova.
Ural Rubinovaya is a steppe cherry hybrid obtained by crossing the Ideal variety with other Michurin cultivars. It was bred specifically for the cold climate of Siberia and the Urals.Today, the variety is used in the creation of new varieties, acting as a donor of yield, short stature, resistance to frost and drought.
Description of culture
The Ural Rubinovaya variety, like other steppe cherries, grows not as a tree, but as a shrub. It reaches a height of 1.5 m. The shape of the crown is wide-round, with spreading, drooping branches. Young shoots are colored green, then become violet-brown and bare. The leaves are obovate, with a sharp tip and jagged edges. The upper part is dark green, the lower part is light. Flowers are formed on annual shoots or bouquet branches.
The fruits of the Ural Ruby cherry are medium-sized, dark red, round in shape, weighing up to 3.5 g each. The variety belongs to the morels (griots). This means that its pulp and juice are colored red. The taste of the fruit is satisfactory, sweet and sour. The bone is small and separates from the pulp well. The medium-length stalk is firmly attached to the cherry and prevents it from falling off after full ripening.
The Ural Rubinovaya variety is approved for cultivation in all regions. Cherries feel best in regions with a more than cool climate - Volga-Vyatka, Ural, West Siberian.
Characteristics
The State Register of the Russian Federation includes less than 30 varieties of steppe cherries, one of them is Ural Rubinovaya. Despite almost seven decades that have passed since registration, seedlings of this cultivar continue to be in demand.
Drought resistance, winter hardiness
The Ural Rubinovaya cherry variety was bred specifically for cultivation in areas with harsh winters.It is believed to be able to adapt to any weather conditions, including prolonged drought. The buds and wood can withstand frosts below 35 degrees. To a large extent, the variety's resistance to freezing is due to its small size - this bush cherry is 2/3 covered with snow in winter.
Pollination, flowering and ripening period
Ural Rubinovaya is a late variety - depending on weather conditions and the region, it blooms in the last days of May - the first ten days of June. Fruiting begins in the second half of August. Thanks to the strong attachment of the berry to the stalk, you can wait until technical ripeness, but complete ripeness, without fear that the cherry will fall off.
Late flowering allows not only to avoid spring frosts in the northern regions, but also to wait for the flight of beneficial insects. This is especially important because the plant is self-sterile. The best pollinators for the Ural Rubinovaya cherry variety are Polevka, Alatyrskaya, Mayak, Shchedraya, Zagrebinskaya.
Many amateur gardeners plant Ural Ruby not only for the berries. This cherry is an excellent pollinator for almost all late varieties.
Productivity, fruiting
Ural Ruby is distinguished by stable fruiting, that is, it produces a good harvest every year. The berries ripen at the same time and can be picked in one go. An adult bush, under favorable weather conditions and satisfactory care, can produce up to 10 kg. In any case, the weight of the collected fruits is rarely less than 6 kg. During industrial cultivation, 60-90 centners of berries are harvested per hectare annually.
Ural Ruby begins to bear fruit early, approximately in the third year after planting. It consistently produces high yields for 13-15 years. Then the number of fruits gradually decreases, but if you grow cherries not for sale, but for your own needs, the tree can be considered productive for up to 25-30 years.
Area of application of berries
When planting Ural Rubinovaya cherry, it should be taken into account that this is a technical variety. It is not intended for fresh consumption. Juices are made from the berries, jams, compotes, marshmallows and other sweets are made. This does not mean that cherries cannot be eaten fresh. They just have an average taste; if other varieties grow nearby, preference is given to their berries.
Like all griots, the Ural Ruby can be harvested when it is not fully ripe - the fruits are harvested during storage. Overripe cherries of this variety tend to crack, which should be taken into account by gardeners growing berries for sale.
Resistance to diseases and pests
In recent years, coccomycosis has become a real disaster for cherry orchards. When the Ural Rubinovaya was created, he did not pose such a danger. The technical description of the variety states that it has average resistance to fungal diseases.
Among the pests, cherry aphids and sawflies should be highlighted. The variety is rarely affected by these insects, but it is better to treat the cherry with insecticides before problems arise.
Advantages and disadvantages
If we do not forget that Ural Rubinovaya is a technical variety, not a dessert one, it can be considered one of the best. The advantages include:
- Early entry into fruiting. The first harvest is harvested 3 years after planting the garden.
- Durability. Fruiting lasts about 30.
- Frost resistance.The variety can withstand temperatures down to 35 degrees.
- Drought resistance.
- Thanks to the small size of the bush, harvesting is convenient.
- The variety grows well in regions with cold climates.
- High content of vitamins and microelements in fruits.
- Easy to care for.
Among the disadvantages of the variety are:
- Late ripening. Berries can only be picked in the second half of August.
- Low yield.
- Technical grade. Fresh berries do not taste good.
- Self-sterility. However, this can be applied to almost all varieties.
- Low resistance to coccomycosis.
Landing Features
Although the Ural Ruby cherry is approved for cultivation throughout the Russian Federation, it feels best in a cool climate. In the southern regions the variety behaves worse.
Dates and place of landing
The best time to plant cherries in northern latitudes is early spring. The tree must be placed on the site before the buds open. Autumn planting is possible, but the survival rate will be worse - the plant will not have time to get stronger and take root before the onset of frost.
It is best to place the cherry tree on a well-lit hill, choosing a gentle western, northwestern or southwestern slope. In flat areas it grows worse, but in lowlands it will simply die or be constantly sick and will not produce a good harvest.
The soil should be loose, neutral and fertile. Light loams work well. Groundwater should not approach the surface closer than 2 m.
Selection and preparation of planting material
The choice of cherry seedlings must be approached responsibly. Buy planting material only from nurseries or large garden centers. Choose varieties intended for cultivation in your region.If the cherry is grafted, the rootstock also needs to be zoned, otherwise the plant will die in the first winter.
One-year-olds should not be higher than 80 cm, two-year-olds - 110 cm. If the seedling has grown to 150 cm or more, it means that it is overfed with nitrogen. The green color of the bark signals the same thing - in a well-ripened shoot it is brown. Pay attention to the root system - it should be healthy and well developed.
Landing algorithm
Cherries should not be planted close to each other - this will reduce the illumination of the bushes, which will lead to a decrease in yield. In addition, heap placement will increase the likelihood of infection with coccomycosis or another disease. The optimal layout for a cherry orchard is 4.0x2.5-3.0 m.
Planting is carried out in the following sequence:
- The roots of the seedlings are soaked in water for at least 3 hours.
- Dig holes measuring 50x50x50 cm, add a bucket of humus, 50 g of potassium salts and superphosphate to each.
- Too clayey soil is improved with sand, and acidic soil with dolomite flour or lime.
- Cherries are planted so that the root collar rises about 5 cm above the soil surface.
- The hole is filled with a nutrient mixture, carefully tamping the soil as it is filled.
- Water the cherry, using 2-3 buckets per bush.
- The tree trunk circle is fenced with an earthen roller and mulched.
Subsequent care of the crop
In the first year after planting, cherries need regular watering. Then the tree trunk circle is mulched and weeds are removed. Water the bushes only in dry weather. Cherries need the most water at the beginning of the growing season and after the formation of ovaries. Watering is stopped 2-3 weeks before harvest.In dry autumn, be sure to carry out moisture recharging, which will help the tree to survive the winter safely.
Cherries need high doses of nitrogen and potassium, and less phosphorus. You can simply add a bucket of humus and a can of ash under each root at the end of the season.
Cherries undergo not only sanitary pruning, but also formative pruning. It consists of shortening upward growing shoots. In mature plants, you need to remove the oldest skeletal branches one by one.
To protect cherries from hares or other rodents, the stems are tied after leaf fall, but before the onset of frost. In this case, they use reeds, straw, burlap or spruce branches. This material allows air to pass through and at the same time serves as protection against severe frosts.
Diseases and pests
The Ural Rubinovaya cherry variety is rarely affected by pests, but it often suffers from coccomycosis and moniliosis. To avoid this, in early spring and immediately after flowering, the bush is treated with a copper-containing preparation, and after leaf fall - with iron sulfate.
If a sawfly or aphid does appear on the cherry, the plant is sprayed twice with insecticides at an interval of 2 weeks.
There are no perfect varieties of cherries. Ural Ruby is an excellent industrial crop intended for cultivation in cold climates. If it is treated in a timely manner against coccomycosis and fed, it will provide you with berries for jams and pollinate dessert varieties.
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