It is not by chance that the Chinese cherry has received such a "name". Its berries are very similar to the familiar and familiar to all cherries. Its place of origin is China and Korea. But there are many other names for this unusual culture.

Variety characteristics

Kitayka is a felt cherry. Leaves of pale green color on the back are covered with a grayish bloom. Sometimes this shade appears on the trunk, which makes it look like felt.

This plant reaches quite impressive dimensions - up to 2 m in height. And if you create optimal conditions for development, this indicator can rise to 3 m.

The berries of this culture are different from ordinary cherries. They have a lot of juice, and there is practically no acid in the taste, because the concentration of vitamin C in fruits is negligible.

Not everyone knows how the original Chinese cherry blossoms are. The flowering period occurs in April-May and lasts 10-15 days. If spring is early, it can bloom in late March. The buds are distinguished by their extraordinary beauty - pale pink or pure white, reaching 2 cm in diameter. They are located on branches that have not yet acquired foliage and give the shrub an unusual look. Cherry is loved for its decorative qualities; it blooms in a thick ball of flowers, which may seem unnatural. If a lot of inflorescences appeared in the spring, a rich harvest should be expected in the summer.

Chinese cherry

Interesting... Cherries ripen pretty quickly.

Cherry Kitayka has many positive qualities:

  • the main property is constantly high yields;
  • external appeal;
  • good winter hardiness;
  • healthy jams, juices, jams can be made from fruits;
  • the first berries appear quickly enough;
  • the benefits of fruits.

Due to the small height of the cherry bush, picking berries, which ripen 10-15 days earlier than ordinary cherries, is not difficult.

How to grow felted cherries

Chinese radish

This culture is demanding on the fertility and lightness of the soil. It does not tolerate flooding, therefore, drainage must be provided on the site. It is better if the pH of the soil is neutral.

Note! Sandstone or loam is suitable for the plant. Too wet, heavy soils and peatlands are not suitable for cultivation.

The optimal landing site is on a hill, well lit by the sun, away from groundwater.

After the end of flowering, top dressing should be applied to the ground under the crown:

  • about 6 kg of organic matter;
  • 70 g of phosphate fertilizers;
  • 20 g potassium;
  • 30 g nitrogen.

Once every 5 years, lime must be added to the soil.

Top dressing of Chinese cherries

Felt cherry doesn't like shaded areas. To make the pollination process more active, you need to plant several shrubs or varieties (at least 3) in the immediate vicinity. They will bloom pollinating each other.

Felt cherry propagation methods

Felt cherries are called this way for the fluff on foliage, branches and berries. Due to its unusual appearance, it has become in demand among gardeners.

Chinese actinidia

It is very easy to propagate this cherry bush. There are 4 ways:

  • planting bones;
  • graft;
  • branch of the cutting;
  • layering.

Bones

Breeding this culture with seeds is optimal for increasing the number of individuals of the entire species, and not any particular variety. This method is the easiest and most affordable. Shoots usually quickly adapt to environmental conditions.The qualities of the shrub from which the seed was obtained appear in more than half of all planted specimens.

Seed preparation

It is important to select quality seeds. They only need to be extracted from fully ripe berries. Unripe, rotten or spoiled cherry fruits cannot be used. The sorted seed is first washed and then dried. These actions must be performed so that he does not start to sweat before landing. The seeds are dried in a shaded area.

Important! After preparation at the end of August, the bones are dropped into moistened sand. They are left in this state until October.

Sowing

At this stage, the beds are divided into furrows. The depth of each of them should be 3 cm. At the end of October, the seeds are placed in a prepared place.

After the bones are laid out in places, they are added dropwise with sawdust or sand. This ensures the lightness of the soil. At the end of the bed, sprinkle with earth from the site. Then watering and mulching is carried out.

Seeds for sowing

First shoots

With the arrival of spring, the first shoots will appear in the garden. If properly cared for, the shrub will grow very quickly. By the end of summer, the shoots grow up to half a meter high.

If the seedlings have sprouted very densely, it is necessary to transplant. This is best done in spring or autumn.

Graft

The culture is sometimes bred by vaccinations. To do this, you need to select several cherry cuttings by cutting them off the fruiting plant.

Shoots are harvested in winter - in the second half of the season. Those that have at least 4 kidneys are selected. After cutting, the cuttings are placed in warm liquid.

Now they need to be treated with paraffin or wax. Thanks to this technique, the slices will retain the juice. Alternatively, the cuttings can be wrapped in plastic.

Grafting Chinese Cherry

They are stored in this state until spring. In the second half of March, they are vaccinated. Good survival rate is observed in the following plants:

  • Peach;
  • Blackthorn;
  • Vladimir variety of ordinary cherry;
  • Apricot;
  • Cherry plum.

Cuttings

For cuttings, plants should be used that bring a bountiful harvest.

The optimum cutting size is 10-15 cm. Cut shoots must be soaked in water with the addition of a growth regulator. This product can be purchased at gardening stores. A bunch is collected from the cuttings and placed in liquid for at least 24 hours.

Then the soaked shoots are dropped in a special nutritious light soil mixture to a depth of no more than 3 cm. After that, they are wrapped in plastic wrap. If the weather is hot, put gauze on it, folded in several layers.

This propagation method is optimal for high-yielding varieties with large berries.

On a note! Both hardened and still green shoots are suitable for cutting.

Horizontal bends

The horizontal bending method is suitable for propagation of the mother shrub. The procedure is started as soon as the snow cover melts.

Care

The Chinese cherry is a crop in which the flowers are not pollinated by their own pollen. Because of this, several varieties are placed side by side for high yields.

Chinese Cherry Care

Cherry Hope

The optimal planting time is the beginning of spring, when the buds have not yet had time to bloom. The procedure can be carried out in autumn, but not later than September. Seedlings purchased later are stored until spring.

Additional Information! The central branches are thinned out every year, leaving 10-12 best shoots.

Chinese cherries bring many healthy berries. They appear already in the 3rd year of growth. If properly planted and well looked after shrubs, up to 4 kg of fruits can be harvested from one plant. They ripen at almost the same time. There is a lot of juice in the berries, they have a pronounced aroma and sweetness. The colors can be different - from pale pink to deep red. The specific shade depends on the variety.

Fresh berries cannot be stored and transported for a long time. Because of this, they are not sold in stores.For transportation, you should pick unripe fruits when they grow to their maximum size and almost completely pick up color.

Diseases and pests

Unfortunately, in the 60s of the twentieth century, a new fungal disease of cherries, coccomycosis, was brought from Scandinavia to Russia. It oppresses the greenery of the bush.

If you do not take any measures, the leaves will begin to fall off from the plant, as a result of which it hibernates without proper preparation and suffers even from slight frosts. Over the course of several years, it weakens greatly and dies in one of the coldest winters. Almost all varieties traditionally grown in the European part of Russia are susceptible to this fungus.

Breeders have developed new varieties that are able to fight this disease. But it is impossible to completely protect the plant from coccomycosis. These varieties start to get sick later than other plants, and the fungus spreads much more slowly.

Coccomycosis

There is another disease that poses a danger to garden plants. It came to Russia in the 90s of the XX century. This is moniliosis or fruit rot - a fungus that attacks the shrub during the flowering period. It develops in cherry blossoms. Then, through the peduncle, it enters the branches and multiplies inside the plant, gradually destroying its structure. As a result, in late spring - early summer, you can observe a general drying of the shoots. At first glance, the branches look scalded, therefore the disease is also called a monilial burn.

Important! The development of the fungus is facilitated by the abundance of rain and moisture during the flowering period in spring, during the ripening of berries in summer.

Excess water leads to cracks in the fruit. For this reason, monilial burns are especially common in areas where rainfall is abundant. These are the northwestern regions, the non-chernozem zone, the northern and western regions of the Chernozem region, and the southwest of the North Caucasus.

The widespread spread of these diseases and an increase in the concentration of fungal pathogens in the soil leads to the fact that it is impossible to cultivate cherries without spraying with chemicals.

So, in order to get a good harvest, you need to choose the right place for planting, take care of the tree and protect it from diseases.