The best grade of felt

Many have heard of felt cherry, someone was lucky enough to try it or even grow it in their garden. Let's try to figure out what are its differences from other types of cherries, how to properly care for this plant and what varieties of felt cherries should be paid attention to by those who want to grow it in their area.

Description of Felt Cherry

The felt cherry got its name because of the characteristic, felt-like down, which covers young growth, leaves and even the skin of the fruit. The height of an adult tree is usually 2–2.5 meters. The maximum height that a plant reaches, even under the most favorable conditions, is 3 meters. This circumstance greatly facilitates the collection of fruits and the formation of a bush.

Felt cherry bush is short and grows mostly wide

Felt cherry has small wrinkled leaves, pink flowers on a short stalk, which, after 10-15 days from the beginning of flowering, become almost white. Fruits are often pink or red, but can be either white or almost black. Everyone, without exception, likes the taste of felt cherries, and because of their sweetness of the fruits, they are sometimes even called children's cherries. Felt cherry ripens in less than 2 weeks. The flesh is usually thick and tender, but there are also varieties with firm flesh, reminiscent of cherries. The preparation of jams from felt cherries is significantly complicated by its bone - although it is very small, it is very difficult to separate it from the pulp.

Felt cherry branches are literally strewn with mouth-watering fruits

Distinctive features

Felt cherry has great genetic differences from common and steppe cherries, so it can be called a cherry rather conditionally: it belongs to a special genus of "micro-cherries" and is close in origin to plums, peaches and apricots.

Despite this fact, many gardeners note the favorable influence of the proximity of Chinese and ordinary cherries: with the simultaneous flowering of shrubs, felt cherry berries become even sweeter and larger.

Felt cherry is self-fertile, that is, it needs pollinators - and they can be either of a different variety or grown from the seeds of the same tree.

To get a good harvest, it is recommended to plant 3-4 bushes of felt cherries of different varieties close to each other

Felt cherry is widespread in the countries of the East. Its homeland is Central China, therefore it is often called the Chinese cherry.

The plant is quite unpretentious, therefore it can be grown not only in the Far East, but also in the Moscow region and the Leningrad region, as well as in the harsh climatic conditions of the Urals and Siberia.Felt cherry tolerates severe frosts (up to -25-30 degrees), but does not like winter-spring thaws very much, therefore, at the beginning of spring, it is advisable to throw snow under the trees and trample it tightly, and put sawdust or straw on top.

In addition, felt cherry has a decorative appearance both during flowering and during the ripening of berries: framing branches, like sea buckthorn, white-pink flowers, and later juicy oval fruits tightly adjacent to each other make it one of the most beautiful garden trees. ...

Photo gallery: flowering and ripening of felt cherry fruits

Fruits ripen on felt cherry around mid-July. In addition to frost resistance, another distinctive feature of the felt cherry is the presence of immunity to coccomycosis, a widespread fungal disease of stone fruits. But, unfortunately, felt cherry very often suffers from moniliosis.

Cherry moniliosis: symptoms and drugs for treatment

The famous breeder I.V. Michurin noted the high yield of the felt cherry, as well as the sweetness and juiciness of its fruits.

Felt cherry is characterized by a stable yield: depending on the variety, from year to year, from 5 to 10 kg of fruits are harvested from the bush. The cultivation of felt cherries is also practiced for decorative purposes. It also makes an excellent hedge.

Using felt cherries as a hedge

Steppe and felt cherries should not be confused: the fruits of the steppe cherries are more sour and tart, and their pits are very sharp and can cause cuts in the mouth area. In addition, the felt cherry, in contrast to the steppe cherry, does not give root growth.

Video: what it looks like and what makes the view attractive

Popular varieties and their features

Natalie

This variety is considered one of the most durable among felt: the life of the tree is up to 18 years. The cherry is characterized by a wide-oval shape and an average degree of thickening of the branches. Cherries of large size and medium weight - 4 g, with a dark red skin color, sweet and sour taste. Blossoms on May 10-18, fruits ripen in unison in mid-July. The stone is small, making up no more than 5% of the fruit weight.

Felt cherry fruits of the Natali variety have a dark red color

Princess

A short, long-lived variety with a wide-oval plant shape. The use of fruits with light red pulp is universal. The yield of the bush is 10 kg. Harvested at the end of July. With an overabundance of harvest, crushing of fruits is noted: under normal conditions, their average weight is 3.6 g. Due to the increased winter hardiness of the variety, the felt cherry Tsarevna is grown mainly in the northern regions.

The berries of the felt cherry of the Tsarevna variety are unusually tasty and have a slight sourness.

Attention! By analogy with the popular variety of felt cherry Krasavitsa, this variety is sometimes mistakenly called Tsarina.

Alice

The Alisa variety is characterized by an average growth rate, has an oval-shaped bush, the height of which is no more than 1.5 meters. Flowering is observed in the last weeks of May; ripening of fruits occurs at 3-4 weeks of July. Cherries with a maroon color have red juicy flesh. Plants of the Alisa variety not only tolerate extremely low temperatures and drought, but also do not undergo coccomycosis and clotterosporia.... The average yield is 8.5 kg per bush. The disadvantages of the variety include low transportability of fruits and their susceptibility to monilia at high humidity.

Felt cherry varieties Alice

Summer

One of the best varieties bred for the Far East back in 1955. Shows signs of both felt and sand cherries. In the first 2 years it grows rather slowly, blooms a little later than other varieties. The fruits ripen by July 25, remain on the tree without dropping for about a month. Cherries of this variety have an unusual shape, resembling a rounded cylinder, and reach a mass of more than 3 g.The fruits have average transportability, have a table purpose, and can be stored in room conditions for up to 4 days. The maximum yield is 8 kg per bush.

Felt cherry bush of Leto variety in the phase of active fruiting

Salute (self-fertile variety)

For the felt cherry of the Salyut variety, a bush is not more than one and a half high and is 1 to 2 meters wide. Unlike other varieties, the Salyut felt cherry is self-fertile. From a cherry bush of this variety, you can collect up to 10.7 kg. On large cherries of a dark pink color, round in shape, there is a sunken strip - the abdominal seam. The pulp is juicy, the stone is very small. Excellent taste.

Morning

One of the new varieties of felt cherry with good winter hardiness, resistant to clotterosporia and pests. The pubescence characteristic of felt cherry in plants of this variety is poorly expressed. Cherries of the Morning variety have a rounded-angular shape and juicy pulp with dense fibers. Pointed bone. The average weight of fruits is 3 g. Felt cherry Morning is not affected by such a common pest as the plum moth.

Felt cherry berries of the Morning variety are delicious and beautiful, but the moth does not like them

Story

The height of the felt cherry bush of this variety is only 1.3 m. The plant has an oval shape and an average degree of thickening. The fruit is large in size, with a maroon skin and red pulp. The yield corresponds to the name of the variety - more than 10 kg per bush.

Variety Skazka is undersized, but very productive

Delight

A dense cherry bush of this variety grows at an average speed and reaches a height of 1.5 m, has a wide crown. The variety was obtained in the late 70s of the last century by pollination of the Ogonyok plant with a mixture of Red Sweet, Leto and Damanka pollen. It is popular with middle lane gardeners. Fruits of sweet and sour taste have fibrous pulp, large size, prominent seam-strip, fibrous pulp and universal purpose. Ripens at the end of July, yield - 9 kg per bush.

The glossy shine of the Delight felt cherry is admirable

Oceanic virovskaya

The cherry tree of this variety is distinguished by its vigorous growth while maintaining its compact size. There are also high yields - 9 kg per bush. The fruits are large (from 3 to 3.6 g), oval, burgundy, juicy, with a sweet and sour taste and a bright cherry aroma. The ventral seam on the Okeanskaya virovskaya cherry varieties is practically invisible. Flowering is observed from 15 to 25 May; ripening of fruits - from 21 to 27 July.

Variety Okeanskaya virovskaya - the result of pollination with a sweet red mixture of pollen of the varieties Leto, Damanka and Ogonyok

Damanka

This variety of large-fruited felt cherry with an almost black color is rightfully considered one of the most delicious. The yield of one bush is 8-10 kg of shiny berries weighing up to 3 g. Another indisputable advantage of this variety is its low susceptibility to moniliosis. Despite the fact that the fruits ripen later than other varieties, it is extremely popular among gardeners. Removed from the State Register, although it is a relatively new variety.

For cultivation in the Moscow region, the varieties of felt cherries Natalie, Tsarevna, Alisa, Damanka and Ogonyok are ideal.

Children

The height of a tree of this variety does not exceed two meters. It is grown mainly in the Far East. A shrub with a broadly oval crown of medium thickening is characterized by high durability. Up to 10 kg of large sweet and sour fruits are harvested from one plant, which will please both children and adults. Self-infertile.

Felt cherries of the Children's variety contain an increased amount of sugar

Dark girl

A low-growing variety with a wide spreading crown, obtained as a result of crossing Peschanovoylochnaya cherry and felt cherry of the Leto variety. The average weight of the fruits is about 2.5 g. The fruits have a tender and juicy pulp and are distinguished by an excellent aroma. The yield grows from year to year and is up to 7 kg per plant.

Felt cherry varieties Smuglyanka

Anniversary

The variety is obtained as a result of pollination of Damanka with a mixture of pollen of the varieties Leto, Krasnaya Sweet and Ogonyok. The Yubileynaya cherry bush has an oval shape, high growth rate and medium thickening. Fruit ripening occurs at the end of July. The yield reaches 9 kg per bush.

Young bush of felt cherry varieties Yubileynaya

White

A mid-season variety, which is characterized by a white color of the fruit, unusual for felt cherries, coupled with the traditionally juicy sweet and sour pulp. Fruits are small in size, bush of medium height. In gardens, it is quite rare, since it does not have any advantages over varieties with fruits of a traditional color.

White felt cherry

Gorgeous

The variety stands out for its record yield (up to 11 kg per bush) with a low plant height (no more than one and a half meters), which is achieved by the wide-oval shape and density of the bush. The fruits are sweet and sour, the pulp is juicy and dense. A fast growing variety, propagates well with green cuttings.

Felt cherry varieties Krasavitsa

Eastern

This variety, obtained as a result of crossing the varieties Leto and Peschanovoilochnaya, is characterized by an average growth rate, it is distinguished by a compact bush and large fruits with dense pulp. It ripens in mid-July and is distinguished by its durability. Productivity - an average of 8.7 kg per plant.

The fruits of the Eastern felt cherry not only look spectacular, but are also suitable for making jams, marmalade and even wine

Video: varieties of felt cherries

Features of planting and care

Since felt cherry bushes do not give root growth, it is especially convenient to grow it from seeds. The seedlings grown by planting seeds retain most of the qualities of the mother plant, and are even better adapted to local characteristics.

Having planted a felt cherry stone to a depth of 4–5 centimeters in September, you will see the first shoots in spring, and after 3 years, remove the first crop from the grown bushes.

The best place for permanent growth of felt cherry is an elevated, well-lit area, not characterized by high humidity. When transplanting, the seedling should not be buried too deep into the ground, and a distance of 2 to 2.5 meters is left between the plants.

Video: growing felt cherries from a stone

How to prune and shape a bush

Already in the first years of the dynamic growth of cherries (up to half a meter over the summer), thickening of the bush should not be allowed, and starting from the sixth year of its cultivation, pruning of rejuvenation should be carried out, which consists in shortening 2-3 old branches.

When growing felt cherries, you should be aware that most of its varieties require replacement every 10 years - after 6–8 years, the branches begin to die off, and its yield drops sharply. It should be noted that rejuvenating circumcision is sufficient for a number of varieties.

Principles of pruning and shaping bush cherries

40 years ago, felt cherry was a hit in the gardens of the Moscow region. For the first 20 years since the beginning of its cultivation in this region, it was resistant to coccomycosis, did not require special care and was distinguished by high yields. With the widespread spread of this disease, the yield decreased to a handful from the bush, and the constant fuss with the removal of branches affected by the disease made many gardeners completely get rid of the felt cherry bushes.

Treatment with special preparations and feeding

To prevent infection with monilia during the flowering period of felt cherries, the trees are treated twice with fungicides (Funadzol, Horus, Skor or Strobi): first, the buds are sprayed, then the flowers are sprayed before the fruit begins to form.

For better swelling of the buds in the spring and to protect against diseases after flowering, felt cherry is treated with copper-containing preparations (Hom, Oxyhom).

Felt cherries are fed once a year: immediately after flowering, a mixture is introduced into the soil, consisting of 70 g of phosphorus, 30 g of nitrogen and 20 g of potash fertilizers, and also, depending on the power of the bush, from 5 to 7 kg of organic matter. It is recommended to lime the soil every 5 years.

Video: spraying felt cherries

Reviews of varieties

We have the northeast of Moscow Region. I bought the Ogonyok variety, and also relatives gave seedlings of unknown varieties. If you decide, then it is advisable to purchase several varieties for pollination. Last summer I uprooted 7 felt cherries. It bloomed gorgeous every year to the delight of us and all the neighbors, but after that all the faded branches dried up. In the fall, it was necessary to cut and cut heavily, after which the bushes lost all their attractiveness, although they were restored over the summer. Ours bore fruit well only one summer. Relatives now have the same picture. Apparently, moniliosis has captured vast territories, it is almost impossible to fight it.

In order to get a bountiful harvest of unusually tasty and healthy berries, you need to choose the most suitable variety for your region, follow the rules of agricultural technology and fertilize the felt cherry in time. The result will not keep you waiting long!

Hello! My name is Natalya. I am 27 years old. An environmentalist by education. I love all representatives of flora and fauna without exception. Rate the article:

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Felt cherries, the varieties of which we will consider today, are a relative of plums and apricots. The plant got its name from the felt-like villi that cover both leaves and berries. A compact tree, more like a shrub, is very fond of gardeners, because it allows you to save precious hundred square meters for other plantings. The berry is small in size but tastes sweet. The stone is small, it is difficult to separate from the pulp.

Natalie

Natalie's cherry has the largest berry. The tree is low, but with a lush crown. The leaves are small, and the flowers are large, pink in color. On average, the mass of a cherry reaches 4 g. But in a productive year, when the tree is covered with berries, they noticeably decrease in size.

Natalie blooms in the second half of May. The first harvest, if the seedling is grafted, can be expected two years after planting. It is necessary to plant trees at once in several pieces or next to plants that bloom at the same time, because Natalie needs a pollinator. The tree is resistant to coccomycosis and clasterosporium disease, life expectancy is up to 20 years.

Princess

Felt cherry varieties Princess is cold-resistant and does not require special care. Sometimes in nurseries this variety can be found under the name Tsaritsa. The tree reaches a height of no more than 1.5 m. The crown is spreading, has the shape of a wide oval. The flowers are white, the leaves are small. About 10 kg of berries can be harvested from one tree, however, after 15 years the plant will outlive its life. Other varieties of felt cherries can pollinate the Princess.

Alice

Felt cherry varieties Alice have attractive berries with juicy pulp and sweetish taste with a slight sourness. A self-infertile plant is drought-resistant, but does not tolerate excessive moisture. A reaction to waterlogging can be moniliosis. The yield is quite high - up to 8.5 kg of berries from one tree. The life span of the bush is 17 years.

Summer

Cherry has both self-fertile and self-fertile varieties, which include Summer. The shrub is compact, the fruits are large. But in comparison with other felt cherry varieties Leto differs in slow growth. The color of the fruits is heterogeneous, after ripening the berries do not crumble for a long time, up to 7 kg of cherries can be harvested from one bush.

Salute

A low tree that is not recommended to be watered often. Felt cherry Salute is considered a durable variety.If you take proper care of the bush, you can harvest a large crop - up to 11 kg from one tree. The skin color of the fruit is pink, and the sweet and sour pulp has a deep red color. The berries ripen from 20 to 25 July. The advantages of the variety include:

• high productivity;
• simultaneous ripening of fruits;
• resistance to low temperatures.

The only drawback is that the bone is poorly separated from the pulp.

Morning

The main positive characteristic of the Morning variety is its resistance to bacterial diseases. The bush grows quickly, it is not afraid of frost. It is easy to care for the crown of medium density. The berries are small, but firm and tasty.

Story

Cherry Skazka, according to experts, is the best variety. Burgundy fruits have a sweet and sour taste. The plant is not afraid of either drought or frost. With abundant watering, the berries can be affected by the moniline. A bush of only 1.3 m in height brings up to 10 kg of harvest. The simultaneous ripening of all berries takes place from 15 to 20 July. Grafted seedlings of the Skazka variety begin to bear fruit already 2 years after planting.

Delight

Felted cherry called Rapture is characterized by a dense crown that needs to be pruned frequently. But the fruits of this variety are large-sized and juicy. The harvested crop is subject to long-term storage if favorable conditions are created. The berries ripen at the same time on the twentieth of July.

Oceanic virovskaya

This felt cherry of the Okeanskaya variety belongs to tall crops. On average, the tree reaches a height of 1.8 m, and in warm regions, its height increases by another 1 meter. The berries are small, but very attractive in appearance and sweet in taste. It is interesting that the fruits of Okeanskaya virovskaya do not have the usual cherry aroma. The bush needs pollinators, lives up to 17 years.

Damanka

Felt cherry, called Damanka, bears fruit only in the first half of August. Due to its dark color, it is very similar to sweet cherry. Differs in excellent productivity and outstanding taste. It is necessary to plant at least two pollinators nearby, since the variety is self-fertile. With proper care, up to 10 kg of fruits can be harvested from one tree.

Children

Tall cherry bush Nursery reaches up to 2 m in height. The tree begins to bloom in May, and bear fruit in the second half of July. The flesh of the berries is dense, sweet-sour in taste, the fruits themselves are quite large. The tree belongs to long-livers, it needs pollinators.

Note that these characteristics still correspond to the felt cherry Osennyaya Virovskaya.

Dark girl

The self-fertile variety of Smuglyanka cherry has an increasing yield. A noticeable increase is observed by the age of eight. The berries, however, are small, but tasty. The variety is resistant to severe frosts.

Anniversary

The description of the Yubileinaya variety can be skipped too much. The variety is distinguished by high growth rates, excellent productivity. The fruits have excellent taste. The only drawback is self-infertility, but this problem can be solved.

White

Cherry White is a unique variety, because it is the only one of its kind in the world. It fully lives up to its name, because the white cherry is both outside and inside. In terms of taste, albino is not the most interesting, rather it can be grown in the garden as an exotic.

Gorgeous

The tree of this variety adapts well to severe frosts, but it does not tolerate transportation well. Large fruits are covered with tiny hairs, which gives the impression that the berries are terry. The yield is high, and also delicious preparations are made from this cherry variety.

Felt Cherry Care Video

In this video, you will learn how to care for a felt cherry.

Felt cherry, or, as it is also called, Chinese, fell in love with the inhabitants of all of Russia. It is decorative, gives high yields of sweet berries, is undemanding to care for, and is frost-resistant - all this makes it possible to grow varieties in all regions.In addition, this type of cherry begins to bear fruit from the second year after planting, there is no need to wait for the first harvest for years. So, today we are getting acquainted with the felt cherry. Description, photos and reviews of gardeners are attached. In the same article, you can learn how to plant varieties correctly, care rules.

General Description of Felt Cherry

In this form, there are many varieties, with the best of which we will get acquainted in the further content. Now we propose to consider a general description and photo of varieties of felt cherry.

This is an openwork low tree, or a shrub, reaching a height of two to three meters. In springtime, the branches of this beauty are decorated with orange-white, pink-white or pure white flowers. During the fruiting period, the felt cherry changes its dress from flowers to berries, which can be pink or bright red beads. In general, the plant pleases the eye for quite a long time.

Why felted? The fact is that its shoots, the underside of the leaves, and sometimes the fruits themselves, are decorated with gentle light puffing.

This beauty now belongs to the genus of plums. Today, during the transition from genus to genus, it is called both cherry and plum. Despite the fact that there are similarities with ordinary cherries, it will not work to cross the varieties. But with cherry plum, plum and peach - please!

Spreading

Felt cherry has spread throughout the world from Southeast Asia, where it grows in the wild. What is interesting is that in the Far East of Russia, the felt cherry is considered a real cherry. But oddly enough, many people in the street do not graft the plant, using it only for decorative purposes. In the gardens of Europe and North America, it is a popular fruit crop, although it appeared there only in the 20th century.

Felt cherry ended up in the European part of Russia thanks to Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin. It was he who first brought the seedling, acclimatized it, and bred the first large-fruited variety Aldo.

Advantages

There are many advantages in the description of varieties of felt cherry, these are:

• fruiting and ripening of berries occurs almost two weeks earlier than that of ordinary cherries;
• tolerates winter and severe frosts well;
• the harvest is stable every year;
• decorativeness of the plant;
• does not give root suckers;
• disease resistance.

Also, the advantages include the beginning of fruiting - this is the second year after planting a seedling, or the third or fourth year when grown from a seed.

As for the taste, the berries are sweet, very juicy, children especially like the taste, who themselves, without the help of adults, can pick fruits from low bushes.

The average yield of one adult plant is 8 kilograms. But reviews of felt cherry claim that if you take good care of the bush, the yield is much higher.

A good harvest from a plant can be obtained for 10 years.

Planting recommendations

According to the flowering time, the felt cherry, reviews of which will be at the end of the article, is divided into early, medium and late varieties. For example, residents of the Moscow region, where flowering begins from mid-May, should not choose early varieties.

If the autumn is long and warm, then the cherry may not have time to ripen the annual shoots, the growth of which becomes protracted in such a climate. As a result, such shoots freeze and die, but this factor does not affect the quality of the future harvest.

Fruit application and benefits

Photos of felt cherries are available in this article. It can be seen from them that this is a real decoration of the site! But the benefits of the plant are not only in beauty. Felt cherries are used for making juices, compotes, preserves; they are also good fresh.

Their benefit lies in the fact that they are recommended for anemia, cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the fruits are widely used in traditional medicine for:

• lowering the temperature;
• raising appetite;
• antiseptic effect;
• mild laxative effect;
• prevention of colds and viral diseases.

The best varieties of felt cherries

Let's talk directly about the varieties. According to gardeners' reviews, the best are:

1. Princess. It is a winter-hardy variety, mid-season. Miniature bush - only up to 1 meter in height, oval crown, wide. Despite its modest size, the "Princess" is very generous - up to 10 kilograms of harvest can be harvested from one plant. The berries are shiny, bright pink, weighing an average of 4 grams. The fruits are rich in vitamins, sweet, juicy.
2. Tiana. This is also a miniature bush, frost-resistant, self-fertile. The yield is high - up to 10 kilograms per plant. Berries are dark pink in color, wide, oval, average weight 4 grams.
3. Children's. Low bush, early ripening variety. The fruits are bright red, sweet. The plant is resistant to fungal diseases, tolerates the winter period.
4. Autumn Virovskaya. Winter-hardy and drought-resistant medium-ripening variety. The bush is up to 1.8 meters high, the yield is abundant. The berries are sweet and sour, juicy, bright red in color, can reach burgundy when fully ripe. Berry weight up to 3 grams. The plant is resistant to diseases.
5. Natalie. This is an early ripe variety of felt cherry. The plant tolerates all adversity - frost and drought, which do not affect the quality and taste of the fruit. The height of the bush is up to 1.8 meters, the average weight of the berry is 4 grams. The fruits are juicy and sweet.
6. Oceanic Virovskaya. This is a late-ripening variety, drought and frost resistant. The bush is round, low. Up to 10 kilograms of burgundy berries can be harvested from one plant. The taste is good, the fruits are juicy and sweet and sour.
7. Damanka. This is one of the newer varieties. Late ripening, frost-resistant, fruits are large, burgundy, sweet and sour.
8. White. It is a one of a kind albino cultivar. The fruits are white in color, this applies to the skin, and pulp, and bones. The taste is sweet and sour, juicy. The weight of the berry is small, only 2.5 grams, no special advantages are noted. This cherry grows well in the Moscow region. mid-season variety. Gardeners plant this species not so much for food as for an exotic decorative species.
9. Alice. This is a mid-season, winter-hardy variety. The yield is high, the berries are large.

Unfortunately, we cannot present all the photos of the varieties of felt cherries in the review. They are all very similar, only the color of the fruit and the size of the bush itself differ.

Choosing a landing site

This species can be planted both in spring and in autumn. But still, spring planting is preferable before the buds bloom. In this case, the seedling will have time to get used to the new "place of residence", will get stronger, more easily overwinter. Using our tips, you can easily find on your site the best place for her, where the bush will grow and bear fruit excellently.

1. The place should be open, sunny, with light fertile soil.
2. The felt cherry, the photo of which is in the article, simply does not tolerate acidified soil. A year before the expected planting, the soil must be calcified so that the pH reading is 5.5-6.0.
3. The place should be such that water does not stagnate, and the close passage of groundwater is simply unacceptable. Felt cherry does not like excess moisture; its aboveground part may simply die. There were cases that new shoots grew from the preserved root.
4. For a good harvest, it is recommended to plant up to three varieties of felt cherries. You can plant a plum, peach tree, cherry plum or apricot nearby. Varieties of ordinary cherries are not suitable for cross-pollination, this has already been written earlier. Some gardeners do not know this, and the yield of their bushes is lower than that of those who plant on the recommendation for cross-pollination.

Landing rules

Having chosen a suitable site, you need to plant the seedling correctly so that it adapts more quickly, gets stronger, and brings its first harvest the next year.

1. In the allotted area, it is necessary to dig a half-meter deep hole. It should be about 80 centimeters wide.
2. At the bottom, you need to lay useful baits, these are: three buckets of humus or compost, a fertile layer of earth, 400 grams of dolomite flour or lime, a tablespoon of superphosphate.
3. The seedling must be placed vertically in the hole, sprinkle it with earth, without burying the root collar.
4. Abundant watering is the first thing for good engraftment. After planting, pour water in an amount of 20 to 40 liters.
5. Mulching the soil around the tree will help fight weeds and retain moisture during the dry season (although the tree is not afraid of drought, mulching will not hurt).

When planting several seedlings at once, one must not forget about the distance between them, it should be at least 2 meters. This will allow sunlight to be distributed more evenly, avoiding darkening and thickening.

Felt cherry care is necessary, like all cultivated plants. It is about him that we will talk further.

Top dressing

The plant itself is not particularly picky, but if you want to get maximum yields annually, you need to fertilize every year. how to do it and what is needed?

1. After flowering, you need to add 5 to 7 kilograms of organic matter, 40 grams of potash, 70 phosphorus and 30 grams of nitrogen fertilizers along the edge of the trunk circle. And so under each bush.
2. Fertilizers will be much more effective if liming of the soil is carried out every five years. To do this, you need to take 200-300 grams of lime or dolomite flour for each square meter of soil, and add it during the autumn digging period.

Pruning

You need to start forming the crown of the felt cherry, photos and reviews of which are available in this article, immediately after planting. If the seedling is one year old, then it should be shortened, leaving about 40 centimeters above the ground.

If a seedling of two years old is purchased, then it is cut like this: leave only 5 or 6 main lateral branches, shorten them by a quarter. The rest of the branches are cut out without pity.

In subsequent years, you need to regularly thin out the crown, removing old, weak and dead branches. From the seventh year of life, anti-aging pruning is necessary. Even those old branches that bear fruit well are removed.

Felt cherries are often planted as decoration - as a hedge along the paths. In this case, it is recommended to cut it to 80 centimeters above the ground.

How to protect cherries from pests?

Plum and cherry aphids, as well as scale insects, are very partial to this type of cherry. If these pests have begun to attack your beauty, then actellik and fufanon will help.

Birds also do not mind trying sweet, juicy fruits. Of course, we will not poison the birds, we will be helped from their attacks by a blocking net.

Diseases to which felt cherry is susceptible: leaf spot, gray fruit rot, moniliosis. How to deal with a disaster? For the treatment and prevention of diseases, early spring spraying will help:

1. The first is carried out immediately after the snow has melted. A 3% Bordeaux mixture is used.
2. The second spraying is done before the tree starts to bloom. Here, a weaker mixture is needed - one percent Bordeaux or copper oxychloride.

After such prophylaxis, not a single "sore" will dare to stick to the bush.

Reproduction

Felt cherries can be propagated independently, using your own shrubs, or by asking a neighbor in the country to share a piece of your own. How to do it? There are several ways.

1. Seed reproduction. Such reproduction gives the most persistent offspring, which has retained all the basic qualities from the mother. Only large, ripe berries are used. Having removed the seed from the berry, it must be placed in wet sawdust or sand to avoid drying out. You need to store the seed there before planting, which is carried out in the second half of October. To do this, you need to pick up a bed, dig a hole 3 centimeters deep, bury a bone, and mulch the soil with peat on top. For the entire next season, you need to take care of the sown seeds: weed, water, and fertilize.If the plants grow up to 60 centimeters before the fall, then you can transplant them to the main place. If not, you will have to wait another year.
2. Reproduction by green cuttings is carried out in the last days of July. It is necessary to select a strong shoot, cut it off with three internodes. Remove the bottom sheet when planting. You need to plant it in river sand, mixed in equal parts with peat. Cover with foil to create a greenhouse effect, moisturize constantly.
3. Reproduction by horizontal layers. You can graft on native seedlings, and on other types of plants: plum, cherry plum, blackthorn. It will not be possible to graft felt cherries to an ordinary cherry. The ideal time for budding is from mid-July to early August.

Gardeners reviews

As promised, at the end of the article we will give examples of gardeners' reviews about felt cherries. The people who have already dropped her off and got to know her well write the following:

The berries sit well on the branches, even when ripe, they do not fall for about a month. They are well removed from branches without stalks, so the berries do not need to be peeled before processing. But, this is bad, because the harvested crop is not stored even in the refrigerator, it needs to be processed as soon as possible. It is for this reason that felt cherries cannot be found on sale.

The seeds in the berries are very small, they are quite difficult to move away from the pulp, it is difficult to peel for jam. But the fruits are sweet, making preparations requires less sugar than those made from ordinary cherries.

The plant is unpretentious, it patiently waits for the owner to cope with his important affairs and take care of it. Does not dry out and does not shed fruits during drought, which is liked by the inhabitants of the southern regions.

In general, in the reviews, basically, only positive comments, there are few comments on the varieties, and even those are not so serious.