Photos and descriptions of felt cherry varieties. Felt cherry tree (Cerasus): varieties with photos, cultivation and care How felt cherry blooms

Felt cherry

Felt cherry is a distant relative of the common cherry; it differs from it in the special pubescence that covers the shoots, leaves and even juicy fruits. Many gardeners have already appreciated this variety, its decorative properties and tasty fruits. And they grow these small but very beautiful trees on their plots.

Felt cherry photo and description of the variety

The plant looks like a shrub or small tree up to 3 m in height with a dense oval crown. The leaves of felt cherry are small with a rough textured surface.

The pink flowers, which bloom in mid-May, turn white towards the end of their bloom (after about 2 weeks). During this period, the cherry turns into a huge delicate bouquet. The color is not afraid of frost up to 3 degrees Celsius, so the felt subspecies is widespread in the Moscow region.

Fruiting

The fruits are famous for their sweetness, unforgettable aroma, as well as tender and juicy pulp. They contain many useful substances, such as vitamin C and polysaccharides, which have a positive effect on the human digestive system, blood pressure and heart function.

The plant, as a rule, begins to bear fruit in the second year of its life, and the berries themselves ripen at the end of June. With proper care and good weather conditions, gardeners harvest up to 15 kg of fruit from a mature tree.

As for the varieties of felt cherries, their varieties are divided into three groups depending on the timing of ripening. Let's try to highlight the most popular of them.

The earliest varieties

• Children's - with a wide oval crown of medium density. Its sweet and sour berries have a rich scarlet color and dense pulp, weighing up to 4 g. The yield of the variety is high - up to 15 kg.
• Skazka is a variety of felt cherry with an oval-shaped bush and also medium density. The dark burgundy fruits, weighing about 3 g, have dense, gristly flesh and a pleasant sour taste. The average yield from one plant is up to 10 kg.
• The vigorous-growing Natali variety is distinguished by large dark red berries up to 4.5 g and a rich sweet and sour flavor. They can be stored for up to three days in a cool place and up to a week in the refrigerator. Harvest from mature cherries - up to 7 kg.

Medium varieties of felt cherries

• White - with a spreading crown and small sweet and sour berries, weighing up to 2 g. The variety is named because of the color of the pulp - matte white and very juicy. Productivity is about 10 kg.
• The Yubileiny felt cherry is characterized by an oval, not too thick crown and large berries of a rich red color up to 4.5 g. The dense, gristly pulp has a pleasant sweet taste with a subtle sourness. The average yield is 7-8 kg.

Late cherry

• Ocean Virovskaya is a compact tree with a crown of medium density. Sweet fruits with a sour taste weigh up to 3.5 g. Up to 9 kg of cherries can be collected from one bush.

In order for the flowers to be well pollinated, you need to plant several varieties of cherries nearby, which have the same flowering period, but keeping a distance between them of at least 1 m. Gardeners recommend planting itself in early spring before the buds open or in early autumn. Seedlings purchased at the beginning of frost should be buried before the onset of the new season.

Landing Features:

• Cherries are suitable for sunny areas with loamy or sandy soil where water does not linger. Excess moisture in the soil is detrimental to the root system of the plant.
• For seedlings, you need to dig small holes (up to 0.5 m in diameter and depth), which are filled with a soil mixture with phosphorus and potash, as well as lime and manure.
• When planting a tree, you should trim the roots by about 20 cm. This will help them develop and grow better.
• The seedling placed in the prepared hole is covered with soil mixture and compacted. After this, abundant watering is required.
• The soil around the new plant needs to be mulched with peat, which will help regulate its moisture.

Felt cherries are planted not only with purchased seedlings. To propagate it, you can use cuttings, layering and ordinary seeds sown before winter.

After flowering, cherries are usually fertilized with nitrogenous fertilizers, which are applied at the very edge of the trunk circle. To do this, the soil must be loosened to a depth of 3-4 cm, but very carefully so as not to damage the root system of the plant.

With the onset of autumn, nitrogen is excluded from complex fertilizers, which can activate the growth of young shoots so that they are not destroyed by frost. During this period, felt cherry bushes should also be watered moderately (10 liters per week in dry weather), since excess moisture has a bad effect on the fruiting of plants and their preparation for the winter.

Trimming

To form a beautiful and neat tree, young seedlings are shortened to a height of 40 cm, and from the second year of life, all side branches are cut off by a third.

The crown of the felt cherry tree also requires regular care. It should not be allowed to thicken near the trunk. For good growth and productivity, branches are pruned every spring, leaving up to 10 strong shoots, removing diseased, old and fruit-bearing shoots.

Result:

To decorate your garden with felt cherries, you need to follow simple rules of care and pruning. The main thing is not to leave plants unattended. Then they will certainly delight you with an excellent harvest!

Candidate of Biological Sciences N. TSARENKO, Doctor of Biological Sciences V. TSARENKO (Far Eastern Experimental Station VNIIR named after N. I. Vavilov, Vladivostok).

Many gardeners have appreciated and successfully grown a distant relative of the common cherry - the felt cherry. Thanks to its annual abundant fruiting, winter hardiness, and ability to easily reproduce, it has become widespread both in Russia and in neighboring countries. Felt cherry has long been cultivated in Japan, China, and Korea. From these countries it was introduced to the northern part of the USA and Canada.

Felt cherry is extremely beautiful during flowering: the bush is completely covered with pinkish flowers and resembles a huge bouquet.

The branches of the felt cherry seem to be covered with fruits. In the photo - Urozhaynaya cherry variety.

Cherry variety Damanka. (Breeders G. Kazmin, V. Marusich.) In terms of taste, it is the best variety of felt cherry. Fruit weight - 3-3.8 g. Average yield per bush - 8 kg.

Science and life // Illustrations

Science and life // Illustrations

Science and life // Illustrations

Varieties of felt cherries of early ripening (July 15-25): Natalie (1), Detskaya (2), Skazochnaya (3), Skazka (4).

The fruits of the Belaya felt cherry variety are distinguished by their rare white color.

Science and life // Illustrations

Varieties of felt cherries of medium ripening (July 16-26): Eastern Smuglyanka (above), Yubileinaya.

From the end of June to the end of July (depending on climatic conditions), felt cherries begin to ripen in the gardens of our country. A characteristic feature of this plant is felt-like pubescence of varying degrees of intensity, covering annual shoots, leaves, pedicels and even the skin of the fruit.

Felt cherry (Cerasus tomentosa) belongs to the genus of small-fruited cherries (microcherries), Microcerasus Webb.emend.Spach - species M. tomentosa (Thunb). Despite the external similarity of the fruits, common cherries and felt cherries are genetically very distant from each other and cannot be crossed. Felt cherry is crossed with plum, peach, cherry plum and apricot.

Externally, the plant is a small shrub or tree 1-3 m high with a dense, wide-spreading crown, often oval, less often flattened. Perennial branches are gray-brown, rough, thick. The buds on them are located on short fruit twigs or bouquet branches. Annual shoots are greenish or greenish-brown. The buds on annual shoots are collected in threes together: fruit buds on the sides, vegetative buds in the middle. The lifespan of fruit formations is 3-4 years.

The leaves are small, with a wrinkled and corrugated surface. The flowers are pink, turning white towards the end of flowering, and bloom in the middle - end of May at the same time as the leaves. Flowering is abundant and long (10-15 days). Due to the short stalk, the flowers almost sit on the shoot, and during flowering the bush turns into a huge bouquet, attracting a lot of bees. Flowers tolerate frosts down to -3°C.

According to the timing of flowering of felt cherries, early-blooming, mid-blooming and late-blooming varieties were distinguished. In the area where return frosts are observed, it is not advisable to plant early-flowering varieties in the garden.

The fruits of the felt cherry are unusually polymorphic. Morphological characteristics are determined by the individual characteristics of varieties and seedlings: the weight of fruits in seedlings ranges from 0.6 to 1.1 g; in the best, selected forms - from 1.2 to 2 g; in varieties - from 2 to 4.5 g. During dry periods, the fruits become smaller, but do not fall off.

The color of the fruits ranges from pink to almost black (as a rule, these are hybrids of felt cherries and sand cherries) and very rarely white. The pulp is juicy and tender. In recent years, varieties have been created with dense, gristly pulp, like cherries. The taste is pleasant, from sour to sweet. The stone is small and does not separate from the pulp.

The average duration of cherry ripening is 10 days, but the fruits can remain on the branches for a long time.

Felt cherry helps increase appetite, improves digestion, it is consumed fresh, it makes delicious preserves, jams, jams, marshmallows, compote, wine, juice.

Fresh fruits contain: sugars - 4.1-9.1%, acids - 0.3-1.3%, dry matter - 8.0-15.2%, ascorbic acid - 11.3-32.6 mg/ 100 g. Felt cherry is rich in biologically active polyphenols that strengthen capillaries.

The average yield from one bush is 5.5-14 kg, depending on the variety and weather conditions. With good care, in some years amateur gardeners receive 15-20 kg or more per bush.

Seedlings begin to bear fruit very early, in the fourth year of life; seedlings from green cuttings - on the third; seedlings grafted with lignified cuttings - on the second. For better cross-pollination, several varieties should be planted in the garden. By selecting varieties of early, medium and late ripening, you can have fresh fruit for a month or more.

In years with long warm autumns, the growth of annual shoots of felt cherries is delayed and they do not have time to fully ripen; unripe parts die from freezing or winter drying, but this does not have a significant effect on the vegetation and productivity of the bush.

Felt cherry is one of the winter-hardy crops; tolerates temperatures down to -40°C. In severe winters, the core and cambium of perennial branches freeze. Such branches have to be deleted.

TIPS FOR GROWING AND CARE

The agricultural technology for growing felt cherries is similar to the agricultural technology for berry crops.

Plants are light-loving. In the shade or with dense plantings, the branches become very elongated, fruiting worsens, and the period of fruit ripening is extended.

Seedlings are planted at a distance of 1.5-2 m from one another. By 8-10 years, the crown of the bushes closes. The best time for planting is early spring, before the buds open. In autumn, bushes are not planted; they are dug in. Cherries prefer light, loamy, sandy, well-drained soils. Heavy, clayey soils, low terrain, and peat bogs are unsuitable for cultivation. The plant does not tolerate prolonged waterlogging of the soil. The root system is superficial, located in the soil horizon at a depth of 30-35 cm.

Felt cherry is characterized by intensive growth, begins to bear fruit early and ages quickly. When cutting shoots in the year of planting to 1/3-1/4 of the length, the main skeleton of the bush is formed in the seedling already in the second or third year. The early onset of fruiting causes active growth of branches in the first years, on which a large number of fruit buds are laid annually.

After flowering, fertilizers are applied along the edges of the tree trunk circles; for each meter of area, 5-7 kg of organic fertilizers, 70 g of phosphorus, 30 g of nitrogen and 20 g of potassium are required. The effectiveness of applied fertilizers is higher if you lim the soil once every five years: add 200-300 g of lime fertilizer per square meter for digging.

In an adult felt cherry bush, no more than 10-12 strong shoots are left. The bushes are prone to excessive thickening, so to create an optimal lighting regime, the center of the crown is thinned out annually. Annual shoots bearing the bulk of the crop are pruned by one third only if their length exceeds 60 cm. When fatty shoots appear inside the crown from dormant buds and the growth of shoots of skeletal branches stops, rejuvenating pruning is carried out. When carrying out anti-aging pruning, the center of the crown and peripheral skeletal shoots are lightened. Several side shoots are removed “on a ring”. As a result, annual shoots appear not far from the place of shortening. All parts of the old crown located above them are removed. The same pruning is used every four to five years to enhance growth, as well as to restore the crown of frozen bushes.

The main method of propagation of varietal felt cherries is green cuttings. Cuttings using lignified cuttings and layering are used much less frequently. They also use grafting: with an eye (budding) and with a cutting. However, in the European part of Russia, seedlings grown from green cuttings and layering may have their root collars buried to the height of the snow cover. In this case, it is recommended to plant seedlings in the garden, grafted above the snow cover or into the crown of the plant. The cuttings are grafted onto clonal rootstock VBA-1 or plum and apricot seedlings.

Felt cherry came to us from China. Because of this, it is often called Chinese cherry. The species is characterized by its small height (up to 2 m) and grows not as a tree, but as a bush.

The most important difference is that on the back of the sheet there are many small fibers. The leaf feels like velor or felt. Hence the name of the bush.

To be precise, the bush refers to to the genus of plum trees and grows throughout China as a wild berry. It began to spread in Russia in the 19th century, starting from the Far Eastern regions as a cultivated plant.

Due to the fact that the bush has an excellent decorative appearance and dense branching of the crown, it is often used as decorative fencing plot.

Types and varieties

Landing rules

Planting methods

Half the success is correct growing planting material. There are two ways to plant cherries:

1. 1. Seeds grow a bush very Just. With this method of cultivation, seedlings retain all the qualities of the mother plant. It is best to take the smoothest, largest berries without signs of disease. bone The cherries are removed, peeled and dried for several days. The material is then stored in a cool place until autumn.

In September seeds are placed in water-moistened sand, and when frosts occur, they are planted in the ground. To do this, make transverse grooves on the beds at a distance 30 cm. The bones are placed in them, apart from each other. 2-3 cm. Each furrow is covered with sawdust, rotted manure and a layer of turf.

1. 1. Saplings. This method is that grown from seeds, cuttings or layerings seedlings planted in the ground. Usually, by the time of planting, the seedlings have grown significantly, become stronger and are ready to endure a harsh winter, if planting is in progress in autumn. You can purchase ready-made seedlings or grow them yourself.

You can grow seedlings yourself from the seed. If you want to receive seedlings in the spring, then by the end of December the bones are placed in damp river sand and stored in this way until spring.

For this purpose, you can use any glass container (jar); it is closed with a nylon lid, but be sure to make holes for ventilation. Great storage space cellar or a household refrigerator. The storage temperature should not drop to -6 ̊ C.

Additional moistening of the sand is not required, but to “calm your conscience” check the condition of the seeds. If the sand is dry, moisten it from a spray bottle. By the beginning of spring the seeds sprout.

If it so happens that the sprouts began active growth much earlier (storage conditions may differ from one owner to another), then they need to be removed from the refrigerator and transplant in a special box for seedlings or just in several flower pots, add soil or moss to the sand and leave until final planting on the windowsill.

At the same time, monitor the condition of the soil. When dry, water. With the onset of the first spring days, sprouted seedlings are planted for permanent “place of residence”.

Soil requirements

In order to the cherry didn't hurt, bears fruit well, you should choose the right place for its growth and properly prepare the soil. The landing site should be protected from the wind and sufficiently light.

The shrub prefers structured soils rich in fertilizer and does not tolerate stagnant water. If the soil is on the site, then it is carried out deoxidation to normal acid-base reaction.

To pollinate cherries, it is not recommended to plant one plant at a time, since the cherry bush is self-sterile. For cross-pollination, it is enough to plant nearby 3-4 plants of a different variety. If this is not done, then a lonely growing bush will practically not bear fruit.

Planting scheme

When planning the place in which the felt cherry will grow on the site, you should take into account its dimensions: The height of the bush does not exceed 2 meters, but at the same time its crown is actively growing in breadth. Bushes are planted in the ground at a distance of at least 1.5 m from each other.

A hole is dug 0.5 m deep, approximately 0.7 m wide. A drainage of crushed brick is laid at the bottom, and then a layer of humus is sprinkled with a layer of earth, to which lime and nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer have been added.

Before planting, the roots are treated with liquid clay and growth stimulator, for example: zircon, amulet, heteroauxin. You can buy them at gardening stores.

Next, the roots of the seedling are sprinkled with soil, the top layer is lightly trampled down, watered and mulched(that is, covered with organic or synthetic material in order to prevent the growth of weeds or protect plants from unfavorable environmental conditions). Subsequent care consists of watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil and pruning.

Features of cultivation and care

Watering

Since cherry is felt tolerates drought more easily Rather than waterlogging, water it when planting, as the soil dries out, or if fertilizers have been applied.

If the summer is rainy and precipitation falls regularly, it is not necessary to water the cherries. Watering is carried out only in case of prolonged absence natural precipitation.

In regions with very dry climates in summer it is sometimes necessary spraying. You can determine its need by drooping leaves. Spraying should be done in the early morning or evening, when the plant is not exposed to sunlight.

Top dressing

Held Every year. In spring, fertilizers containing nitrogen are applied to stimulate growth. In autumn, on the contrary, use fertilizers that do not contain nitrogenous substances. Organic ones are best - humus, manure.

All fertilizing is done in the tree trunk circle, to a depth 5 cm. Loosen the soil around the bush carefully so as not to damage the root system.

How to prune correctly

Crown formation is important for any fruit-bearing tree and shrub. Cherry trimmed with the aim of increase in growth new shoots, ventilating the bush in order to prevent fruit rotting and the occurrence of diseases. Pruning is done annually spring or autumn.

In autumn At least 6 strong shoots are left, seedlings of the first year of life are pruned to a height of 40 cm. In the second year, the lower branches are cut by one third. In spring When pruning, the 8 strongest branches are left, and all the rest are removed.

If the bush is old, then they do it rejuvenation– cut off all branches of levels 1 and 2. All twisted, dry and diseased branches should also be removed to prevent infection with bush diseases.

Cherry propagation

They will multiply You can grow cherries by cuttings and layering:

By layering propagated as follows: in the spring, only one branch is left at the bush. Over the summer, many young, strong shoots will grow, which are cut off next spring and placed in furrows 5 cm deep. Over the summer, full-fledged planting material grows from the layering.

More one way very simple and does not require any effort or expense: in the spring you need to flex bush branch to the ground and pin it with wire.

A layer is poured onto the joint soil, it is well poured with water, covered with a film and this whole “structure” is pressed down with a brick - that’s all. By autumn in place bending down a powerful root system is formed. We separate the cuttings from the main plant and leave them for growing.

Cuttings. A cutting is a part of a plant that can take root and grow into a new plant. According to reviews, it is better to grow seedlings from cuttings in the soil. For this purpose, the soil is well loosened, add fertilizer(humus is best).

Then sand is poured onto the ground and they are planted in it. cuttings. July ones are taken for planting. 20 cm cuttings with 3-4 nodes. After about a month, the cuttings take root well. It is better if their ends are treated with growth stimulants before planting. Cuttings- This is a convenient propagation method and gardeners often use it.

Protection from diseases and pests

Most often, cherries are affected moniliosis, which causes the leaves and branches of the plant to dry out. Ultimately, the disease leads to the death of the main skeleton of the bush. Subsequently, a gray coating appears on the berry.

At the beginning of the appearance of symptoms, the affected branches are cut out and burned, and the cut areas are smeared vitriol solution or a special garden varnish.

Another common disease is Clusterosporiasis. When it occurs, brown spots appear on the leaves, which subsequently crumble, leaving holes in the foliage. Visible on all shoots red spots, which soon crack and the shoots die off. Red spots also appear on the fruits, from which there is a discharge gums(sticky viscous substance). The affected parts of the bush are cut out and destroyed. The ripening of felt cherry fruits begins by the end of July, mass harvesting is carried out at this time in dry weather to prevent spoilage of the berries and the release of juice.

The fruits are distinguished by the fact that they are severely injured when picked, so they must be picked very quickly. carefully without being crushed.

If you plan to store for several days, then collect in the light stage "immaturity". In this case, the berries will be removed from the bush whole.

Where to buy seedlings and what to look for when choosing

Buy seedlings You can buy it in specialized stores, nurseries for gardeners or in an online store.

The last option is convenient because delivery to the address is possible. But the first option is preferable in that it can be done well consider plant and choose a healthy bush.

When purchasing, you should first pay attention to condition of the seedling. It should be healthy in appearance, smooth, with a well-developed root system.

Also, the seedling must be in the resting stage If you notice the growth of buds on the plant, then you should not buy it.

If you want to purchase varieties with sweet berries, then pay attention for description of the variety. Cherries with light, pink colored berries have a sweet taste and vice versa, dark red and burgundy colors indicate the presence sourness in taste.

Beneficial features

In addition to the fact that felt varieties are distinguished by their decorative properties and excellent taste, they have a lot of other advantages.

It contains vitamins (P,PP,B,C), sugars, malic and citric acids, flavonoids, tannins, iron. Therefore, cherries useful to use people with diseases of the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract.

To obtain high yields, plantings must be cared for regularly, and not from case to case.

If there is a small area for planting felt cherry bushes, to save space, you can plant them in checkerboard pattern.

Pruning branches annually, then the plant will live and bear fruit longer.

Do not leave fallen fruits on the ground, they may contain springs diseases.

You can learn more about felt cherry from video:

In gardens and household plots, the felt cherry is a spectacular beauty, generously bestowing tasty, sweet, juicy, and most importantly, healthy fruits. She has an easygoing disposition and is not at all capricious, so she does not cause problems for gardeners. The felt cherry is cultivated both as a fruit and as an ornamental plant - during flowering it is all covered with flowers, and when it bears fruit generously, you can’t take your eyes off the numerous berries. It is planted in small groups, used to create fantastically beautiful hedges, and used to strengthen slopes.

Distribution area

Felt cherry (Cerasus tomentosa) is known to many as Chinese. This is what they call it because it began its march across the planet from Central China, where in the wild this plant forms dense bushes, and people and birds feast on its fruits. From China, felt cherry moved to Korea, Japan and the Far East. In those parts, the concept of “cherry” is associated only with this species.

At the beginning of the 20th century, felt cherries interested the great breeder Michurin. For 16 years, he crossed its varieties (fortunately, it begins to bloom and bear fruit in the 2nd year), until in 1928 he received a new large-fruited variety, which he named “Ando”. Now felt cherry is successfully cultivated throughout Europe, Canada and North America, except in regions with very harsh winters.

Description

Felt cherries have five characteristic differences from classic cherries:

1. It is not a tree, but a shrub up to 2, less often up to 3 meters high. In old felt cherries, the trunks become woody at the base and are a little reminiscent of a tree whose branches grow from the very root.

2. Felt cherry is called because its young shoots, buds, petiole and leaves, and even to some extent the fruits have a soft edge.

3. The berries are small, which is why this species is classified as a microcherry genus, called Microcerasus tomentosa. The fruits are located on very short (maximum 7 mm long) stalks, which gives the impression that they are sitting on a branch, like sea buckthorn.

4. The leaves look like plums. They are the same oval, with a pointed tip and highly corrugated, and not smooth, like classic cherries. By this sign you can accurately determine which cherry is growing in the garden: felt or regular. In summer, the crown of felt cherry is dark green; in autumn it turns orange-yellow.

5. Felt cherry is a self-sterile plant, despite the fact that male and female flowers can be located on the same bush and even on the same branch. To set fruit, at least three varieties of felt cherries need to grow nearby, and cross-pollination occurs between them.

This plant also has other less characteristic features. They mainly concern fruits. Their color, size and taste depend on the variety. On average, the diameter of the berries varies from 110 to 200 mm, weight - from 0.6 to 4.5 g, and the taste is more sweet than all other types of cherries. The color of the fruit can range from white and pink to almost black.

Felt cherry: planting and care

Choosing a place in the garden

Growing any garden plant begins with choosing a place for it on the site. The felt cherry needs to be provided with a corner where there is a lot of sun and there is no nearby groundwater. It will feel best on a small hill where there is no shadow from other trees and where melt water will not stagnate in the spring. If it is difficult to find a sufficiently dry place on the site, you need to arrange good quality drainage for the felt cherry.

This foreigner prefers light, neutral soils. If they are too sour, they should be treated with lime before planting the cherries. Felt cherry feels best on loams, worst of all on heavy clay soils.

Landing rules

As noted above, felt cherry can be used as a beautiful hedge. In this case, seedlings are planted in one row. It is wiser to maintain a distance between them of about one and a half meters. It’s a good idea if the gardener first makes a layout on the ground to make the rows more attractive. Important: rooted cherries cannot be replanted.

If felt cherry is used as a fruit crop, the seedlings should be planted according to a 1.5X3 (meter) pattern, and at least 3 plants of different varieties should be placed nearby. Important: felt cherry does not cross-pollinate with ordinary cherries, so it doesn’t matter whether it grows nearby or not.

Planting is carried out in spring or September. In late autumn, seedlings are buried until the beginning of the next season.

The planting hole is prepared to such a depth that the roots of the seedling are comfortably located in it. Many gardeners recommend trimming them a little first and dipping them in a clay mash. If the soil on the site is heavy, dig a hole for the seedling a little deeper and pour crushed stone on the bottom in a layer of 10 cm.

Felt cherry does not like deep penetration into the ground. Its root neck must “peek out” slightly from the ground, and in adult plants gardeners prefer to even expose the roots a little, sprinkling them with coarse sand to prevent rotting. It is logical that loosening the soil in the root zone of felt cherries needs to be as gentle and not deep as possible.

When planting, the seedling is watered and the soil is compacted around it. In the future, water the shrub only once a month. To prevent the soil around the plant from drying out, it is mulched with grass or sawdust. With a lack of moisture, cherry fruits may become smaller; this must be taken into account during drought.

Rules for applying fertilizers

In order for the felt cherry to bloom luxuriantly and bear fruit well, planting and caring for it must include the application of fertilizers. The first time this is done upon landing. Slaked lime (no more than 800 grams), humus, superphosphate (about 100 grams), wood ash or potassium sulfate (up to 30 grams) must be added to the pit.

Gardeners have different opinions about what kind of fertilizing to do to felt cherries subsequently. Some recommend adding 20 grams of urea per m² in the spring, and 15 grams per m² of superphosphate and 20 grams per m² of potassium chloride in the fall.

Others advise adding up to 8 kg of humus per m² in the spring, up to 100 grams of urea and up to 60 grams of potassium sulfate, and in the summer feeding the cherries with complex mineral mixtures and humic fertilizers.

In any case, the soil must be limed every 4 years. To do this, it is dug up along the diameter of the tree trunk circle with slaked lime at the rate of 250 grams per m².

Pruning rules

In order for the felt cherry to be beautiful and, most importantly, healthy, caring for it includes mandatory pruning. After planting, the seedling is shortened by a third of its length - this speeds up the onset of fruiting. Young plants are not pruned; the branches are only slightly shortened to obtain a more luxuriant bush. Also, if necessary, cut out broken and diseased branches of young cherries, as well as excess branches growing inward. Plants over 4 years old undergo both sanitary and rejuvenating pruning, which consists of removing thickening branches extending from the main shoots and completely cutting out old lateral unproductive branches into a ring. After the young shoots grow, all old branches located above them are removed. A properly formed adult bush should have from 10 to 12 skeletal branches.

Reproduction by seeds

Felt cherry, planting and caring for which is easy, also reproduces very easily. The easiest way is to grow seedlings of this plant from seeds. This method is only suitable for species plants (from nature). The varieties are propagated only vegetatively.

Cherry berries ripen by mid-summer, but they can remain on the branches until spring. If you plan to propagate cherries with pits, you need to collect the fruits immediately after they ripen, separate the pulp, rinse, let dry, put in a box with damp tyrsa and place in a cool corner of the house. In October, you need to make holes in the garden bed up to 4 cm (maximum 6 cm) and plant seeds in them. If they are a little dry, you need to revive them by soaking them in water. They should sprout in the spring, and grow by about 50 cm over the summer. You can plant them in the fall, but it’s not too late to do this a year later. Such seedlings can lose color in the second year, and already in the third year, a young felt cherry, which has been properly cared for, will delight you with a harvest weighing up to 2 kg.

If you managed to get felt cherry seeds later than October, it is already too late to plant them in the garden, but you can try to get seedlings in the house. “Home” seeds should be sown no earlier than December. A pot or box with a height of 10 cm or more, filled with a garden mixture with vermiculite, is suitable. Make depressions up to 4 cm in the soil, put the seeds there, sprinkle with soil, water and put in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment for 3 months. You must always ensure that the soil does not dry out. At the end of this stratification, the pots are placed on the windowsill. Seedlings should appear around April-May. The pots are taken out into the garden, the seedlings are hardened off for a couple of days, and then, together with a lump of earth, they are planted in the chosen place.

Reproduction is vegetative

Felt cherry is best propagated by cuttings. Planting and care have some peculiarities. It is advisable to use young branches as cuttings with a diameter of approximately the size of a pencil and a length of no more than 20 cm. They should have at least 4 internodes. When preparing, the bottom cut must be made obliquely, and the top cut straight. The cut cuttings are kept in a root former for at least 12 hours, after which they are placed in a greenhouse. The soil for them is prepared from sand, earth and peat, mixing everything in equal proportions, or a layer of sand up to 6 cm thick is poured onto a layer of fertile soil. When planting, the cuttings must be watered. It should form roots within 30 days. The greenhouse maintains consistently high humidity and temperature all this time.

Reproduction by layering is another slightly troublesome way to get new felt cherry bushes. Planting and care in this case require attention and effort. The process is as follows: shallow grooves are made next to the cherry bush, at the beginning of the growing season, well-developed annual cherry shoots are bent to the ground, placed in the grooves, secured in this position, directing the free end vertically, and sprinkled with wet soil. The structure needs to be watered all summer. By autumn, new shoots and roots should form on the layering. If the cuttings turn out to be powerful and inspire confidence that they are ready to live independently, they are separated from the mother plant and planted separately. If the cuttings seem rather weak, they are left to overwinter in this form and separated next spring.

With any of the methods described above, in many regions of Russia there is a threat of the root collar of a young seedling becoming warm. Here it is more advisable to grow plants grafted at a level above the snow cover onto a special rootstock, apricot, cherry plum, plum or cherry of the “Vladimirovka” variety.

Diseases and pests

1. The biggest enemy of the felt cherry is the Monilia fungus, which causes monilial burn or moniliosis. The fungus acts very quickly and can destroy the plant in one season. External signs of the disease are expressed in the drying out of leaves, inflorescences and entire branches, as if the cherry had suffered from treatment with too concentrated chemicals. With the further development of the disease, the bark on the branches begins to crack, and gum flows out of the wounds. Treatment measures consist of removing all branches with signs of disease and treating the cherries with Fundazol according to the instructions. You can also use “Topaz”, “Khoros” or “Topsin”. In the fall, after the leaves have fallen, the cherry and its neighbors should be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture (3%) and in the spring with the same mixture, only 1%.

3. Many gardeners are confident that the fungus Blumeriella jaapii, which causes coccomycosis, never infects felt cherries. Planting and caring for the plant, subject to all norms and rules, is such an effective prevention against this disease that it really almost never occurs on felt cherries. But there is no way to exclude him from the list. If a plant is sick, multiple dark spots-dots appear on its leaves, the leaves turn yellow and fall off during a period unusual for leaf fall. A sick cherry tree does not have time to prepare for winter and may not survive the frost. The fight against coccomycosis involves treating the garden with fungicides.

4. It is rare, but it happens that a felt cherry is attacked by a fungus with the beautiful name Taphrina. It brings a disease called pocket disease. Characteristic signs are that cherries bear seedless, gnarled, elongated fruits. These “pockets” are collections of fungal spores. To prevent the felt cherry from dying from this disease, caring for it should include the process of picking off all diseased berries and treating the plant with fungicides.

In addition to invisible mushrooms, felt cherries are attacked by larger pests. Among them are aphids, plum moths, plum mites, and leaf rollers. You can fight them using traditional methods or insecticides.

In winter, the main threat to the crop is mice and hares. To protect the trunks, they are tied with spruce branches with the needles down, wrapped with spunbond, old nylon stockings, and special rodent baits and burdock are laid out. Cover the root collar especially carefully.

Features of felt cherry

This beautiful plant confidently wins the hearts of Russian gardeners. The main advantage for which the felt cherry tree is valued is that everyone can plant and care for it, even those who have no time at all or do not have sufficient experience.

Not everyone knows that the felt cherry belongs to the Plum genus. The reason lies not only in the fact that they have similar leaves, but also in the fact that felt cherry is able to cross-pollinate with plum, it is used for grafting on plum, or vice versa, plum is grafted onto felt cherry, since these plants have a common genetic ancestry. But it only has the name in common with the ordinary cherry. If you plant a felt cherry bush next to an ordinary cherry in the hope of cross-pollination, you will not get a harvest. And it’s also impossible to graft a felt cherry onto an ordinary one and vice versa. It is better to try to graft a strong and healthy felt cherry onto an apricot or cherry plum.

Felt cherry is also impressive due to its high frost resistance. Planting and caring for it is possible in regions where other fruit crops freeze out. Felt cherry tolerates frosts down to -40°C, and only immature young shoots, as well as very old branches, can freeze. In the spring they are removed without loss of decorativeness and productivity of the plant. Felt cherry flowers can withstand temperatures down to -3°C. If, during the harshest winters, the above-ground part of the plant freezes completely, it must be removed at the root. The roots will give rise to new shoots, which will bear fruit in 3 years.

Another useful property of the crop is drought resistance.

6. Productivity. Many authors write that it is possible to harvest up to 20 kg of harvest from one felt cherry bush. Perhaps this is true if you give the plant some special care. But breeders say that the average yield of most varieties with normal good care is 9-10 kg per bush. There are felt cherries that produce only up to 7-8 kg of harvest. These are “Summer”, “Alice”, “Altana”, “Darkie”. Some varieties bear fruit better and allow you to harvest up to 12 kg per bush. These are “Amurka”, “Children’s”, “Triana”.

7. Taste of berries. Experts assessed the viscosity, sweetness, astringency, wateriness, and presence of sourness in felt cherry fruits and rated its varieties using a five-point system. The Altana variety received the highest score (5). “Ogonyok”, “Amurka” and “Yubileinaya” earned 4.5 points each. The lowest rated varieties were “Children’s”, “Triana”, “Beauty”, “Fairy Tale”, “Tsarevna”. They were given only 3.8 points.

Obviously, each variety has advantages and disadvantages. The task of gardeners is to choose the highest priority and properly care for it.

Felt cherry is a crop valued by Russian gardeners from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. The plant takes root and bears fruit in any climate except the Arctic and subarctic. The trees regularly produce abundant harvests with compact sizes, are not capricious, require little care, and tolerate harsh winters well.

Description of felt cherry

History of the variety

Felt cherry or Prúnus tomentosa (formerly Cerasus tomentosa) is a plant belonging to the numerous genus Prunus (Prúnus). It is closely related to all types of plums, peaches, apricots, and cherry plums. Fruit formation through cross-pollination is also possible. Interestingly, with closer “relatives”, steppe and common cherries, viable hybrids are not obtained. The culture received its name because of its appearance. Young shoots, the underside of the leaf blade, stalks, berries - everything is covered with small short hairs, similar to pile or felt.

Felt cherry - a low compact shrub

The historical homeland of felt cherry is the central regions of China, as well as territories with a similar climate in Korea and Mongolia. But it was from the Celestial Empire that culture began its triumphal march around the world. Therefore, it is also known to gardeners as Chinese.

Felt cherry reached Russia (then the Russian Empire) relatively late - only towards the end of the 19th century. The new product was quickly appreciated in the Far East. There is still the first association with the word “cherry” is “felt”. Due to the specific climate, other varieties do not take root well and are therefore practically absent. To the west of the Urals, at that time, felt cherries were grown for purely aesthetic reasons, decorating the garden with flowering bushes with graceful leaves.

Soon the domestic breeder I.V. Michurin became interested in the crop, purchasing several plants in Blagoveshchensk in 1912. It was Michurin who first “domesticated” wild seedlings, achieving a significant increase in fruit weight. As a result, he developed the Ando variety. The matter was not limited to one hybrid. In the USSR, the Far Eastern Research Institute of Agriculture regularly delighted gardeners with interesting and successful new products. Most of them are cultivated to this day, remaining an unsurpassed standard.

Felt cherry is a low (maximum 3 m), but spreading shrub with a spherical or slightly flattened crown. The shoots are thick, the leaves are small, wavy along the edges. Its compactness makes the plant, affectionately nicknamed “microcherry” by gardeners, a desirable crop for all happy owners of a standard 6 acres, where there is simply catastrophic lack of space.

You can admire the flowering for 1.5 - 2 weeks

The berries are small (up to 2.5–3 g), but very dense and sweet. The slight sourness present in some varieties only adds piquancy. Color varies from white to dark burgundy, almost black. The stone is small and difficult to separate from the pulp.

Advantages and disadvantages (table)

pros	Minuses
Decorativeness	Lifespan: 10–12 years
Cold resistance	Fruits are distributed frequently in autumn: susceptibility to moniliosis creates a real possibility of losing the entire harvest in a few days
Fruiting period: berries ripen on average 7–10 days earlier than ordinary cherries	Severe intolerance to waterlogging
Productivity: average - 8–10 kg per bush	Self-sterility of some varieties
Simple harvest procedure	Low indicators of transportability and shelf life
Early fruiting: you will harvest your first harvest 2–3 years after planting	The need for regular pruning: the bush quickly overgrows
Drought resistance	Early flowering: lack of pollinating insects
Health benefits (vitamins B, PP, C, high iron content)
Resistance to coccomycosis

Video: fighting moniliosis

Distinctive features

Felt cherry is sometimes confused with steppe cherry. But the latter can be easily identified by the presence of dense growth at the roots, which is basically absent in the felt cherry. Most often, steppe cherry looks like dense, randomly overgrown thickets.

At first glance, steppe cherry is similar to felt cherry, but there are many differences

It is also characterized by increased branch flexibility and smaller size. The tallest steppe cherry bushes do not grow higher than 1.5 m. Another characteristic feature is the stone, pointed at both ends.

The lifespan of steppe cherries is longer - on average about 20 years. On one bush you can find ripe berries of different shades - from bright scarlet to deep burgundy. Felt cherry fruits are designed in a single color scheme.

Steppe cherry in its natural form can rarely be found. Due to its rarity, the plant is listed in the Red Book.

The most common varieties

Natalie

Felt cherry Natalie enjoys the well-deserved love of domestic gardeners

Natalie is a common variety of felt cherry. Its homeland is the Far Eastern Experimental Station of the All-Union Research Institute of Plant Growing. The variety was obtained in 1979 by pollinating the Leto felt cherry with a mixture of pollen from the Krasnaya Sladkaya, Ogonyok, and Damanka varieties. The tests lasted almost 20 years. The Natalie variety was included in the State Register in 1997.

The plant is quite low (1.7–2 m), but spreading. The crown is not too thick, but the shoots quickly increase in length. The leaves are small - maximum 6 cm long, the tip is very pointed. The flowers are very large (up to 2.5–3 cm in diameter), pinkish, fully bloomed specimens look like small saucers. The outside petals are also pubescent.

Natalie's fruits are one of the largest among felt cherries. The average weight of the berry reaches 4 g. But in particularly successful years, when the cherry is literally hung with fruits, they become noticeably smaller. The berries look like wide ovals, tapering downwards. The color of the skin is dark scarlet, almost the color of blood (from a distance the berries may appear black). The pulp is bright red, dense, very juicy. Characterized by the presence of small “cartilages”. The stone is very small, beige. Its weight does not exceed 5% of the total weight of the berry. Natalie's taste is sweet and sour. Ripe berries are separated from the stalk quite easily. The total yield from one bush is 8–10 kg.

Cherry blossoms in the second ten days of May. The berries ripen in 2 months - closer to the twentieth of July. Natalie is distinguished by massive fruiting. The first harvest from grafted seedlings can be expected 2 years after planting in a permanent place, from trees grown from seed - in the 4th–5th season. The average lifespan of a tree is 15–20 years.

Natalie needs pollinators. It is better if there are several bushes. Choose varieties that bloom at the same time.

A significant advantage is resistance not only to coccomycosis, but also to klyasterosporiosis.

Princess

Because of the short stalk, the Tsarevna cherry from afar resembles sea buckthorn

Felt cherry Tsarevna is found in some nurseries under the name Tsarina, but this is incorrect. The variety was bred at the Far Eastern Research Institute of Agriculture in 1977. To obtain it, breeders crossed the Leto felt cherry and the Red sweet cherry. After testing and zoning, the variety was included in the State Register (1999) with the note “recommended for cultivation in the Northern, Northwestern, and Far Eastern regions.” The extreme popularity of the variety is due to its exceptional cold resistance (down to -40ºС) and low maintenance requirements.

The plant is low, maximum 1.5 m, spreading. The crown is medium dense, in the shape of a wide oval. Young shoots have a reddish tint. Even the old branches are quite thin. The flowers are snow-white, collected in inflorescences of several pieces. There are a lot of them, the flowers completely cover the branch. The leaves are small (up to 5 cm long, on short petioles).

Princess berries weigh on average about 3–3.5 g. At the base, the fruits are slightly beveled. The skin is very thin, crimson-pink in color, covered with almost transparent short hairs. The characteristic stripe – the “seam” – is clearly visible. The berries shine beautifully in the sun. The pulp is not too dense, but juicy, sweet, with fibers, and a slight sourness is felt.

Despite its more than compact size, Tsarevna bears fruit abundantly. You can remove about 10 kg of berries from one bush. They ripen at once, usually at the end of July. About 2 months pass from the time of flowering.

A significant drawback is that after 15 years the tree ceases to exist. The best pollinators for the Tsarevna are other varieties of felt cherries - Natalie, Vostorg, Skazka.

Like any felt cherry, Tsarevna categorically does not tolerate excess moisture. Even in hot, sunny summers, it needs to be watered a maximum of 2-3 times per season.

Alice

Felt cherry Alice - a productive crop with large berries

The “birthplace” of the felt cherry Alice, like many other varieties, is the Far Eastern Experimental Station of the All-Union Research Institute of Plant Growing. It was there in 1977 that successful results were first obtained from pollinating the Leto variety with a mixture of pollen from Damanka, Ogonyok and Sandfelt cherry. After 20 years, Alice was included in the State Register.

The plant is a low (up to 1.5 m) densely overgrown bush. Young shoots on it are light brown, old shoots turn gray, but retain small specks.

The berries are large (up to 3.5 g), noticeably elongated along the vertical axis. The so-called beak is clearly visible on the stalk, and there is a wide “seam” on the side. The skin is dark, burgundy; to see the edge, you need to try very hard. The pulp is bright scarlet, like the juice. The taste is balanced, sweet, with noticeable sourness. The berries are very dense and juicy. Noticeable fibers in the pulp do not spoil them at all.

Alice blooms at the end of the second ten days of May. Fruits in the twentieth of July. Mass fruiting. In the most successful years, you can harvest 8–8.5 kg of berries from one bush. The tree will last in your garden for 15–18 years.

Summer

Felt cherry berries Summer is noticeably lighter than its relatives

The homeland of the felt cherry variety Leto is the Far Eastern Research Institute of Agriculture. It was obtained as a result of spontaneous pollination of seedlings grown from the seeds of the sand-felt cherry. Summer is one of the oldest varieties, which has become the basis for many more modern breeding hybrids. Experiments with the first plants began in the mid-50s of the 20th century. In 1997, the variety was zoned for cultivation in Primorye and Khabarovsk Territory.

The bush has external signs of both felt and sand cherry. It is quite compact, erect, and hardly gains any growth in the first few years. The shoots and leaves are heavily pubescent. The leaves feel harsh to the touch. Branching is moderate or weak. The flowers are large, pastel pink, but there are very few of them. And flowering is “late” by 2–3 days compared to felt cherry. Most often it begins in the middle of the third decade of May and ends in 8–10 days. The flowers never open completely; the calyx looks like a funnel.

The berries are large (3–3.5 g), round. Their characteristic irregular shape is due to the presence of a “bevel” to the base on one side. The seam is clearly visible, including because it is different in color. A sharp, hard “beak” is required. The skin is unevenly colored - the bright scarlet color at the base noticeably fades at the stalk. The bone is pointed at the top and widens at the bottom. The pulp is very juicy, sweetish, with sourness. When eaten fresh it seems a little bland. The juice is pinkish.

The summer felt cherry harvest ripens quite late - towards the end of July. You don’t have to rush into harvesting - ripe berries hang on the tree for about another month without compromising quality. At room temperature, the fruits are stored for 3–4 days. The average yield per plant is 7–8 kg.

Unlike other felt cherries, the Leto variety is better resistant to moniliosis, but it suffers greatly from the codling moth and is less cold-resistant.

Firework

Felt cherry Salute is heavily pubescent

Felt cherry variety Salut is a low-growing plant, maximum height is 1.6–1.7 m. The crown is quite spreading, dense, in the shape of a flattened oval. Its diameter practically coincides with the height of the tree.

This cherry blossoms quite beautifully, although due to the fact that the snow-white petals are freely arranged, the flowers seem a little sloppy.

Flowering later - in the third ten days of May. The harvest ripens in 2 months. Mass fruiting. The first berries can be removed 4–5 years after planting the plant in a permanent place. For felt cherries, this is quite a long time, especially considering that the Salyut variety tree lives for about 15 years. But the yield is stable, annual and high - over 10 kg from each bush. The crop needs pollinators.

The berries of the Salut variety are large - about 3.5 g on average, crimson-pink (professional artists call this color scarlet), the flesh is bright scarlet and sour. They resemble a wide oval in shape. The pubescence of the fruits is pronounced, and is also clearly visible on the shoots and leaves.

Morning

Felt cherry Morning rarely suffers from cleasterosporiosis, typical of stone fruits.

Felt cherry of the Morning variety is a compact bush with a not too thick crown, which quickly grows.

The fruits are quite small - less than 3 g, pubescence is weakly expressed. The berries are round at the stalk and sharply pointed at the base. The pulp is permeated with dense fibers, but it is very juicy and has a balanced sweet and sour taste. The stone is small and round, which is generally atypical for felt cherries.

In addition to good winter hardiness, the advantage of the Morning variety is its low susceptibility to clasterosporia and codling moths.

Fairy tale

Felt cherry crown The tale is quite rare: it makes maintenance work easier

The Skazka variety is one of the shortest among felt cherries. The height of the plant rarely exceeds 1.2 m. It is relatively new - the first successful hybrids from pollination of the Leto variety with a mixture of pink and red cherry pollen appeared in 1986. In 1999, the variety was included in the State Register.

The crown of the plant is not too thick, so the task of pruning is easier. Young shoots have a pleasant brown color; with age they turn gray and begin to peel off.

The Skazka variety blooms very beautifully. Large (2.6 cm in diameter) flowers with soft pink, almost overlapping petals literally dot the plant.

Skazka berries are quite large - 3.2–3.5 g, elongated vertically, and have a regular spherical shape. The “funnel” in which the stalk is attached is very deep. The skin is dark scarlet, almost black, the hairs on it are transparent and short. The pulp is fibrous, but very dense and juicy, blood-red in color (like the juice).

Felt cherry Skazka blooms at the beginning of the last ten days of May. Fruiting can be expected by the twentieth of July. The plant will last in the garden plot for no more than 18 years. The variety needs pollinators. The average yield from one bush is about 10 kg. An additional advantage is high resistance to clasterosporiasis. As a disadvantage, a decrease in the size of the berries is noted when the harvest is too abundant.

Delight

Felt cherry Delight has slightly wrinkled leaves

Felt cherry variety Vostorg is an achievement of breeders of the Far Eastern Experimental Station of the All-Union Research Institute of Plant Growing. The hybrid was obtained in 1977 as a result of pollination of the Ogonyok variety with a mixture of pollen from the Red Sweet, Leto and Damanka felt cherries. After testing, the variety was included in the State Register in 1999. It is mainly grown in central Russia.

The bush, compared to other felt cherries, has an average height (about 1.5 m), the crown is spreading and dense. The leaves are slightly wrinkled. The flowers are quite small (1.8–2 cm in diameter), but there are many of them.

The average weight of one berry is 3.3 g. The shape is specific - characterized by the presence of a deep funnel at the point where the stalk is attached, a small bevel at the top, and a sharply visible seam strip. The peel, like the pulp and juice, is bright scarlet, the first to shine glossy in the sun. The pulp is dense, juicy, and even the presence of fibers does not spoil it. The taste is very pleasant, refreshing, sweet and sour.

Flowering begins at the very end of the first ten days of May. The berries ripen towards the end of July. The average yield from each bush is a little more than 9 kg. With proper care and regular anti-aging pruning, the plant can live up to 20 years. The crop needs pollinators.

Okeanskaya Virovskaya

The branches of Okeanskaya Virovskaya are literally strewn with fruits

Felt cherry Okeanskaya Virovskaya is the result of pollination of the Red Sweet cherry variety with a mixture of pollen from Leta, Ogonyok and Damanka, carried out in 1987 at the Far Eastern Experimental Station of the All-Union Research Institute of Plant Growing. The variety got into the state register very quickly - not even 10 years passed.

The culture is quite tall. The average height of the plant is 1.8 m; in warm southern regions it increases by almost another meter. The flower is very large (2.8 cm in diameter), fully opening, it resembles a saucer. It has only 24 stamens, which is unusual for felt cherries - almost all have one more.

The berries are not too large (2.7–3 g), but beautiful. They are distinguished by a bright burgundy skin color, an almost complete absence of seams, a not too deep funnel at the stalk and a slight bevel towards the base. The stalk is very short - 0.2–0.3 cm. The pulp is bright scarlet, with noticeable fibers, but dense and juicy. The taste is harmonious, sweet, with piquant sourness. The fruits of Okeanskaya Virovskaya have practically no characteristic cherry aroma.

Flowering begins in mid-May, the crop bears fruit in the last ten days of July. From one bush you will remove 8.5–9 kg of berries. The average lifespan of a plant is 15–17 years. The variety needs pollinators.

Damanka

Due to its color, damanka is very similar to small cherries

The felt cherry Damanka ripens later than all its relatives - only in the first ten days of August. Such terms are connected with the fact that one of its “parents” is a sand cherry. The variety is relatively new, but has already managed to win the love of domestic gardeners. This is due to the outstanding taste of the fruit and high yield. Compared to other felt cherries, Damanka suffers noticeably less from moniliosis. Now for some reason the culture is excluded from the State Register, but this does not affect people’s love in any way.

From one bush you can get about 10 kg of large, almost black (actually dark burgundy) berries with dense, juicy pulp, practically without fiber.

The only drawback is that the plant is self-sterile. Plant 2-3 pollinating varieties nearby.

Children's

Children's felt cherries are really loved by children because of their sweet taste.

Felt cherry Children's is the result of the creativity of breeders of the Far Eastern Experimental Station of the All-Union Research Institute of Plant Growing. Her “parent” is Summer. Free cross-pollination occurred with seedlings of Rozovaya and Otbornaya cherries. The first hybrids with stable varietal characteristics appeared in 1986. 13 years passed before inclusion in the State Register. Zoned for cultivation in Primorye and Khabarovsk Territory.

The bush is quite tall (1.8–2 m), the crown is oval, flattened, not too thick. The flowers are quite large, about 2.5 cm in diameter, the petals are arranged freely.

The berries are large, on average 3.5 g. Under particularly favorable weather conditions, the berries can reach a weight of 4 g. The fruits are round, slightly compressed from the sides, the “beak” is clearly visible at the stalk, and there is a side seam. The skin is bright scarlet, pubescent. Juice and pulp are the same color. The pulp is very dense, sweet and sour, with noticeable fibers. On average, 10 kg of berries are harvested from one bush.

Flowering begins in mid-May or a little later. Mass fruiting occurs in the second ten days of July. Compared to other felt cherries, Detskaya is quite durable - the life of the tree will be about 18 years. The crop needs pollinators.

Dark-skinned girl

Felt cherry Smuglyanka bears more and more fruits every year

Felt cherry Smuglyanka, also known as Eastern Smuglyanka, appeared in 1978. Breeders crossed the Leto and Peschanofoilochnaya varieties. The variety entered the State Register in 1999.

The bush is very low (no higher than 1.2 m), but has a dense spreading crown and large flowers. Unlike most varieties of felt cherries, they are located on rather long (0.7–0.8 cm) pedicels. Young shoots have a noticeable reddish or brick tint, the leaves are slightly concave due to a powerful central vein. There are 24 stamens in the flower - one less than most felt cherries. Almost exclusively last year's shoots bear fruit.

The berries are medium-sized, about 2.5 g, round in shape, with a noticeable beak. As it ripens, the color of the skin changes from bright scarlet to burgundy. From a distance the fruits may appear black. Characterized by the presence of a side seam and a deep funnel at the stalk. The pulp is very tender, aromatic, almost without fibers.

Flowering occurs in the second decade of May. Harvest is in mid-July. At first the yield is low (4–5 kg), but every year it increases. The average lifespan of a tree is 16–18 years. The culture is self-sterile.

Anniversary

Felt cherry Yubileiny quickly won the recognition of experts

Felt cherry Jubilee is a relative novelty. It was obtained in 1997 by pollinating Damanka with a mixture of pollen from Summer, Red sweet, and Ogonyok. The success was obvious - after 2 years the culture was included in the State Register.

A bush of medium height (1.6–1.9 m), with an oval crown, not too thick. The shoots quickly increase in growth. The youngest ones have a noticeable reddish tint. The leaves are concave in the middle. The flowers are small, each with 26 stamens - one more than the vast majority of felt cherries.

One berry weighs on average 3.5 g, has a round shape at the base, and is slightly beveled on the sides closer to the stalk. The funnel is deep, the side seam is clearly visible, and the presence of a “beak” is characteristic. The skin is a bright burgundy color and has a glossy shine. The pulp, like the juice, is bright scarlet, very juicy, with noticeable fibers. The taste is refreshing, sweet and sour.

Yubileinaya blooms quite late - in the last ten days of May. Mass fruiting begins in mid-July. The yield is average - 8–9 kg per bush. With proper care, you can expect the tree to live 17–20 years. The variety requires pollinators.

White

Felt cherry White - one of a kind albino

Felt cherries of the Belaya variety during the fruiting period are easily and unmistakably identified by any person who does not have even minimal knowledge of selection. It fully corresponds to the name - it is a one-of-a-kind albino hybrid.

Everything about this cherry is white - the skin, the pulp, and even the pit. The bush itself is small, compact, the berries are small (up to 2.5 g), sweet and sour. The variety does not have any outstanding advantages; it is rather interesting as an exotic plant grown to the envy of its neighbors. Suitable for growing in many areas, including the Moscow region.

Gorgeous

Felt cherry Beauty fully lives up to its name

The “parent” of the felt cherry Beauty is the Summer variety. In 1985, at the Far Eastern Experimental Station of the All-Union Research Institute of Plant Growing, it was pollinated with a mixture of pink and red cherry pollen. The variety received recognition in 1999, entering the State Register.

The average bush has a height of 1.5–1.8 m, the crown is wide, rounded, and quite dense. The flowers are not too large, with 26 stamens and loosely spaced petals. It seems that the slightest breath of wind is enough for them to separate from the peduncle.

The berries are large, each weighing about 3–3.5 g, sweet, with a slight sourness. They are round in shape, slightly flattened on the sides. The seam is visible only as a narrow strip. The skin color is crimson, the pulp and juice are bright scarlet. The pulp is juicy, dense, with noticeable fibers. The stone, unlike most varieties of felt cherries, is round.

Flowering begins in the last ten days of July, fruiting - after 2 months. The yield is high - more than 10 kg per bush. The tree will live in the garden plot for 15–18 years. The crop needs pollinators.

Features of agricultural technology

Basically, the rules for growing felt cherries are no different from the agricultural practices characteristic of common cherries. But there are some nuances.

Landing

• For planting, choose only a dry place well warmed by the sun, preferably a small hill or hillside. Felt cherry categorically does not tolerate shade and heavy silt, clay, or peaty soil. Failure to comply with these conditions negatively affects the quantity and quality of berries, the growth and development of the plant, and its winter hardiness.
• It is advisable to immediately plan to plant three or more seedlings, even if the selected variety is declared as self-fertile. The minimum distance between bushes is 1.5–2 m.
• If possible, remove plantings as far as possible from ordinary cherries. Crops suffer from the same diseases and pests; mass infection and loss of the entire crop are possible.
• The best time to plant felt cherries is early spring, before the leaves appear. In warm southern regions, the procedure can be postponed to the beginning of September, but not later.
• They dig a shallow hole - take out a cube of soil with an edge of about 0.5 m. Good feeding is required - rotted manure or humus (2.5–3 l), dolomite flour or sifted wood ash (700 g or half as much), simple superphosphate (50 g ), potassium sulfate (25 g). Everything is thoroughly mixed beforehand.
• Immediately before planting, trim the roots to a length of 15–20 cm to better develop the lateral ones. When purchasing a seedling, ask the nursery at what depth it was planted there, and try to maintain the parameters in the garden plot.
• A lot of water is poured into the planting hole. It should be enough to get a thick porridge of soil and fertilizers mixed with it at the bottom. It is in this “chatterbox” that the roots are placed.
• After planting a felt cherry, be sure to mulch the tree trunk with dry peat. This way you can reduce watering and, if necessary, regulate soil moisture.

The place for the felt cherry must be sunny and dry

Top dressing

Felt cherry is demanding on the presence of nutrients in the soil. Therefore, when the plant fades, 5 liters of organic matter, 30 g of urea or ammonium sulfate, 70 g of simple superphosphate, and 20 g of potassium nitrate are added annually to the tree trunk circle. Every 3–5 years, the soil acidity level is brought to neutral by adding dolomite flour or wood ash.

Simultaneously with the application of fertilizers, the soil is loosened, but very shallowly (maximum 4–5 cm). The roots of the felt cherry are located very close to the surface.

When it becomes necessary to use additional fertilizers or chemicals to control pests, they are carefully tested on individual side branches 10–12 days before the intended treatment, experimentally determining the required concentration. The dose recommended by the manufacturer for regular fruit and stone fruit trees may severely burn felt cherry leaves.

Trimming

For regular abundant fruiting, felt cherries require annual formative pruning. When carrying out this process, it should be remembered that the fruits ripen mainly on annual shoots. About a quarter is cut off from them if their length exceeds 0.6 m.

The fruits of the felt cherry clearly demonstrate the origin of the name

A seedling planted in spring is pruned to a height of 40 cm after a year. After another year, a third of the length of all side shoots is removed.

After waiting for the first fruiting, 8–12 of the most developed and strong skeletal shoots are left in the center of the crown. The lateral ones are cut to the growth point, provoking the appearance of new growth. All small branches growing deeper and downwards are also removed.

Of course, you need to get rid of all dried and broken branches damaged by pests and shoot diseases. In the latter case, additionally cut off 7–10 cm that seem healthy to you. Most likely, there are pathogenic bacteria, fungal spores, and insect larvae present there.

Without regular pruning, the felt cherry quickly grows wild and stops bearing fruit.

Watering

Watering is needed very moderate and rare. In rainy, cloudy weather it is generally excluded. Excess moisture for felt cherries is destructive in the truest sense of the word. The plant tolerates prolonged drought much better than high humidity. By the way, research by biologists indicates that felt cherries can also grow on saline soils.

The felt cherry harvest is a spectacle that will reward the gardener for all the effort that goes into growing it.

Video: nuances of growing and caring for felt cherries in temperate climates