Early cherries are planted by those who are impatient to get the first berries after the cold weather, and late-ripening varieties are cultivated by connoisseurs of deep rich taste, which has absorbed the heat and juicy colors of summer. The name of the cherry Gostinets speaks. The sun is hidden in its honey berries, this is a gift, saved in the summer in the end.
Content
The history of the origin of the Gostinets variety
This aromatic mid-late cherry is the fruit of the efforts of Belarusian scientists-pomologists, obtained by crossing Red dense and Aelita. The authors of the variety are R.M. Sulimova, M.I. Vyshinskaya and N.V. Cook. In Belarusian descriptions, sweet cherry is listed as Gastinets. In the State Register of Varieties of the Republic of Belarus since 2005.
Description of cherries
Cherry trees Gostinets are of medium height, with a wide, raised, pyramidal crown. Crown density and foliage are average. Flowers with a white corolla, large, collected in inflorescences. The fruits are rather large, round-cordate, weighing more than 6 g. The color of the berries is yellow with an intense blush. The stone is small, easily separated from the juicy sweet pulp. It has a high tasting score due to its fullness and richness of taste - 4.8 points out of 5.
Cherry fruits Gostinets are rather large, rounded-heart-shaped, weighing more than 6 g
In Belarus, the Gostinets berries are harvested in July. In Russia, fruit ripening is a little late.
The variety is winter hardy, demonstrates stable immunity to moniliosis and coccomycosis. High-yielding, capable of producing more than 300 c / ha of berries. In addition, it begins to bear fruit in the second or third year after planting the seedlings. Partially self-fertile, but in the presence of other varieties, the yield and taste of the berries improve. Pollinated by varieties Gronkavaya, Zhurba and Narodnaya.
Features of growing and care
All cherries love warm, lit areas, sheltered from cold, piercing winds. The ideal place for the Gostinets variety is under the protection of a brick building on the north side. The masonry warms up during the day, giving warmth to the plantings at night. Cherry trees do not tolerate stagnant water and heavy clayey acidic soils. Therefore, before planting seedlings, determine the depth of groundwater, acidity and soil composition. If the aquifers run closer than 2 m to the surface, planting in a mound is used to rid the roots of possible rotting. Acidic soils are adapted to the requirements of cherries by introducing chalk or dolomite flour into the planting pit. For drainage, crushed limestone is poured onto the bottom, and sand added to the nutrient mixture consisting of compost and humus improves the mechanical composition of the soil. A place for pollinators is also selected in advance. Trees are planted at a distance of 3 m in a row and at least 5 m in aisles.
For cherries, you need to choose a warm, sunny area, protected from the wind.
Selection of seedlings
When choosing seedlings, preference is given to trees in containers. They are better transported and easier to bear the stress of planting. Check the condition of the kidneys and root system. To do this, remove the lump from the container. The roots of the seedling should be well developed and fill the container to the bottom.Kidneys - whole, awake.
For planting, both 1-year-old seedlings and 2-year-olds are equally good. 1-year-olds have only a central conductor, while 2-year-olds also have lateral skeletal shoots.
Landing dates also matter. Although the variety is winter hardy, it is best to plant the tree in early spring. It is recommended that the center conductor be cut immediately to a height of 50–60 cm to limit plant height and to stimulate branching.
Landing
Digging planting holes, the lower clay layer of soil is separated from the fertile one and removed. For cherries, rotted compost or humus is prepared in advance to mix with the top layer of soil, as well as a bucket of sand and 3-5 kg of dolomite flour for each hole.
Planting process:
- Dig holes with a diameter of 80 cm and a depth of at least 70 cm.
- The drainage is poured to the bottom.
- The nutrient soil, sand and dolomite flour are thoroughly mixed and added to the pit.
- Fix the landing stake.
- Place a seedling next to it, carefully pour in the rest of the earth, so as not to deepen the root collar.
- Tamp the soil around the trunk.
- Watering and mulching the trunk circle well to reduce moisture evaporation.
When planting cherries, the root collar should remain above the ground
Pruning
In early spring, remove weak, broken, growing inward crowns, overlapping, thickening branches, as well as tops and shoots coming from the roots. As the cherries grow, they try to give its crown a sparse-tiered shape, thus providing better illumination to the branches.
Video: pruning cherries
Watering
Do not lose sight of the fact that cherries do not tolerate stagnant water, and excessive watering is destructive for them. Water displaces oxygen from the soil for the roots. It is recommended to mulch the soil after watering. Peat or freshly cut grass is used as mulch.
Particular attention is paid to watering during flowering and ovary formation, as well as immediately after harvest. About a month before the cold weather sets in, it is recommended to water the cherries abundantly again. In dry season, in order to check the need for watering of trees, they simply rake a layer of mulch and feel the soil. If it is wet, no watering is needed.
Top dressing
If you add enough rotted compost, humus or peat to the planting hole, you don't have to worry about feeding in the next 3-4 years. Then, during the summer, it is enough to enrich the soil with diluted slurry in a ratio of 1: 7 or infusion of chicken manure. It is insisted in advance and diluted 1:10.
Experienced summer residents are advised to make infusions of nettle or other weeds. The benefits of such measures are obvious: the site is freed from weeds, and the trees receive balanced nutrition.
Top dressing is more often carried out in spring or summer. Treated trees tend to be more winter-hardy and disease-resistant.
Tree protection
To protect wood from temperature extremes and the threat of frostbites, it is recommended to whitewash trunks and main skeletal shoots. Some gardeners cover young seedlings for the winter in order to protect their delicate bark from rodents. By the way, the cherry harvest also needs to be saved, since the Gostinets berries are a real delicacy for birds. Gardeners seem to have tried every possible defense: scarecrows, crackers, bird of prey imitators, shiny CDs and garlands. The only effective protection is a net that protects the berry harvest. The height of the Gostinets cherries allows this method to be used.
Birds often peck berries to quench their thirst. It is worth keeping drinking bowls for birds on the site - birds are of great benefit to the garden, destroying insect pests.
Protective net to save cherries from birds
Reviews
Gastinets is an excellent variety. The berries are large, of excellent taste. It is considered partially self-fertile - probably, however, for many years there have been no problems with pollination. The tree was harvested due to its old age - cut diameter in the region of 30–40 cm - and due to disappointment in the cherry culture due to the inability to save the crop from birds.
For the conditions of the north of Belarus, this variety has no equal, along with the varieties Amber and Grafskaya in my garden in taste, in large-fruited, in the beauty of color and consistency of pulp. As for the birds, it is enough for my family and for them.
Cherries are large, sweet, if ripe. And if not ripe - sweet and sour. The point is that there is one drawback. If the wind rises, then the berries will all be "barrels", as they beat each other. And on this variety, dark barrels are immediately noticeable. Doesn't lie at all. Therefore, you need to eat it quickly. It also deteriorates in transportation. There are many fruits. We do not feed it, we do not spray it. That will give birth, for that and thanks! But I know that you can go straight into your mouth from a tree.
Gardeners respect the Gostinets sweet cherry variety with bright honey-berry hearts for yield and winter hardiness. The yellow berries with a bright blush will provide the family with delicious meals and vitamins. The key to a bountiful harvest of cherries is the right place and good tree care.
