High-yielding unpretentious cherry variety "Mayak"

Frost-resistant and unpretentious cherry varieties are popular and take root well in all regions of our country. At the same time, the tree does not require constant attention from the gardener and is able to develop correctly and bear fruit abundantly with minimal maintenance.

Mayak also belongs to unpretentious and hardy varieties. A relatively young and not yet widespread variety, it is distinguished by high-quality tasty large fruits and resistance to negative environmental factors.

The article will tell you about the features of the Mayak bush cherry variety and the rules for its cultivation.

Description of cherry varieties Mayak

Lighthouse is a cherry, bred by domestic breeders from Yekaterinburg. The variety was obtained by re-pollination of annual Michurinsk cherry seedlings. Originators - S. V Zhukov and N. I. Gvozduyukova.

It was entered into the state register in 1974. It is recommended for cultivation in central Russia, but it is suitable for cultivation in regions with a more severe climate. It is actively grown in Siberia, Belarus, Ukraine and the Baltic states.

Note! Despite the fact that the variety is recommended for cultivation in central Russia, higher yields are recorded in cities with a southern climate.

Main characteristics

The description of the Mayak cherry variety impresses experienced and novice gardeners. It is a hardy plant with high yields and excellent fruit flavor.

Characteristics of Mayak cherry varieties:

1. Wood. Low, bushy. The height varies within 1.7-2 m. The crown is spreading enough rare - elongated horizontally - form. The branches are thin enough, flexible, but strong. The bark is gray.
2. Leaves. The leaf plate is elongated ovoid, the base is wedge-shaped, and the tip is pointed. The edges are jagged. The texture of the sheet is quite dense, elastic, glossy. The leaf plate is bent with two moans in a boat-like manner. The color of the leaves is dark green, without purple tint. The petioles are green with a purple tint, the length reaches 0.7 mm and the thickness is 0.1 cm.The buds are cone-shaped, reaching a length of 0.4-0.5 cm.
3. Bloom. The open flowers are flat, reaching 4.2 cm in diameter, the petals are free. The cups are goblet, the sepals have pronounced serration. The stigma is located at or slightly above the anthers. The length of the pistil reaches 1.1 cm, and the stamens are 0.7 cm. The flowers form inflorescences of 3 pcs. Ovaries are formed on annual shoots and bouquet branches. The plant is partially self-pollinated. Flowering lasts from late May to early June (average week).
4. Fruiting. Lasts from July to September. The fruits are large. Each berry reaches 1.8 cm in length and 1.7 cm in the tire, the pulp thickness is 0.7 cm. The weight of each fruit varies within 5-6 g. Fruits are round, slightly compressed on both sides on the sides. The skin is dark red, thin, glossy. The pulp and juice are red. The taste is sweet, with a slight sourness. The stone is oval in shape, makes up 6.2% of the fruit weight (approximately 1/4 g), has a brown color and is easily separated from the pulp. The petiole reaches 4.7 cm in length and 1.2 mm in thickness. It is so firmly attached to the berry that it comes off along with the pulp. The cherry fruits Mayak contain 1.7% acids, 7.4% sugars. 100 g of the product accounts for 2 mg of vitamin C and 101 mg of vitamin R.The berries are prone to cracking.
5. Productivity. High from an adult tree, an average of 15 kg of fruits are harvested. In the southern regions, the yield rises to a maximum of 25 kg.
6. Ripening terms. Mid-season. Ripening is not amicable. Lasts from July to August.
7. Immunity. Middle. No resistance to fruit rot and coccomycosis. It is especially often affected by aphids and plum sawfly.
8. Resistance to negative environmental factors... High frost resistance. The plant is able to withstand cold snaps down to -30… -35ºC. It is drought-resistant.
9. Transportability. Low. Cherries spoil quickly. Has a tendency to cracking.

Shrub cherry Mayak begins to bear fruit as early as 3 years after planting. With proper care, it yields more than 30 years.

Note! Cherry Mayak, although it is considered partially self-pollinated, gives high yields only if there are other varieties of this crop on the site. Cherry varieties are considered suitable pollinators: Nizhnekamskaya, Truzhenitsa Tataria, Shakirovskaya.

Advantages and disadvantages

Cherry Lighthouse has a number of advantages. These include:

• high frost resistance;
• drought resistance;
• high productivity;
• large-fruited;
• long-term fruiting;
• good fruit taste.

The variety also has disadvantages. They are listed:

• susceptibility to certain diseases and pests;
• low transportability;
• spreading of the crown.

Planting seedlings

Cherries are planted in open ground in early spring or after leaf fall. It is recommended to buy seedlings in advance - in the fall and store them outdoors under the cover of spruce branches. Such planting material is hardy and hardened.

Selection and preparation of a seedling

In order for the plant to quickly take root and take root well, it is important to choose high-quality planting material. Pay attention to the following parameters:

1. Dimensions. The height of the seedling should vary between 60-100 cm. The trunk diameter should be at least 2.5 cm.
2. Root system. It must be strong and have many branches. The roots should not be dry, it is important that they are moist when cut. The diameter of the entire root system should vary between 20-30 cm. Seedlings are sold with a closed (in an earthen coma) and open root system. The first option takes root better.
3. Branches. The seedling must have several shoots. They don't have to be dry. To check this, the bark is scraped off from a small area. Green moist tissues should be found under it.

Choose one year old or two year old seedlings. It is believed that two-year-old cherries take root better.

Seedlings with a closed root system are planted without pretreatment. An open root system is first immersed in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate for 60 minutes, and then for 12 hours in a root formation stimulator "Kornevine".

Soil preparation and step-by-step planting instructions

In order for the Mayak cherry to bear fruit for a long time and abundantly, it is important to choose a suitable place for it. The tree is planted in a well-lit, non-shaded area of ​​the garden. Groundwater should not be closer than 1.5 m to the surface. It is important that the tree is in an elevated position and not in a valley.

The lighthouse grows best in loamy, sandy and sandy loamy soils with neutral acidity. If the indicators are above 6 PH, dry lime is added.

Preparing the soil for planting seedlings begins in 3-4 weeks. The soil is dug to a depth of 0.5 m, cleared of weeds and plant residues. The soil is watered with a hot solution of copper sulfate.

Note! Cherries are not planted on the site of the old garden for 5 years after the garden is uprooted.

The holes for planting steppe (bush) cherries are placed at a distance of 2-3 m from each other, they should have a depth of 60 cm and a diameter of 60-80 cm. The soil removed from the hole is mixed with 5 kg of humus. 1 kg of ash, 30 g of potassium nitrate and 40 g of superphosphate.

Landing technology:

1. A 5 cm layer of drainage (shell rock, expanded clay, crushed stone) is poured onto the bottom of the hole.From a part of the nutrient mixture, a mound is formed at the bottom of the hole. It should be in the center.
2. The tree is placed on an earthen mound. Its roots are evenly distributed around the elevation.
3. The hole is covered with the remaining fertile soil. This is done in layers, compacting each layer to expel the air lines.
4. The tree is abundantly watered with 3 buckets of warm water. If the soil has settled, add more soil.
5. A hole with sides is formed around the cherries, 50-60 cm in diameter. Mulch (hay, straw, bark, sawdust, peat, humus) is poured into the resulting circle.

Note! Cherries can be planted next to other fruit trees. The exceptions are currants and gooseberries - these shrubs increase the risk of infection of plants with infections and pests.

Subtleties of further care

Cherry care Lighthouse does not take long. This unpretentious plant requires a minimum of gardener's attention.

However, it is important to follow the basic rules of care:

1. Watering. Young cherries are watered 3-4 times per season. If the winter was snowy, then at the beginning of spring this is not necessary. The soil is moistened in May, twice in the summer, on the driest days, and once in the fall, if there is little rainfall. For irrigation, use warm settled water. The procedure is carried out in the morning or evening when the sun is not active. 2-3 buckets of water are poured under each tree.
2. Loosening and weeding. The soil is loosened after each watering and heavy rainfall, as well as in preparation for wintering and after thawing of the soil. In the process of loosening, weeds are removed - the main cause of infection of fruit trees and shrubs.
3. Mulch. Mulch reduces the frequency of loosening, slows down the growth of weeds, protects the roots from diseases, pests and cold snaps. In addition, such a layer acts as an additional fertilizer. Bark, hay, straw, humus or peat are used as mulch.
4. Formation. Cherry Lighthouse is prone to thickening and overgrowth of the bush, so formative pruning will have to be given sufficient attention. It is carried out in the spring, 3 weeks before the swelling of the buds. During formation, from 7 to 12 skeletal branches are left, located at a minimum of 15 cm from each other. All weak, inward growing and thickening branches are removed. Annual shoots are not shortened. The growth point for the convenience of caring for the Lighthouse is limited to 1.5-2 m.
5. Sanitary pruning. Sanitary pruning is recommended in the fall after leaf fall. Sick and dry branches are removed.
6. Top dressing. The first top dressing is applied 3 years after planting. In early spring and July, nitrogen fertilizers are used. After harvesting, potash and phosphorus preparations are used. Organic matter is added once every 3-4 years.

After pruning, the cut sites are treated with garden pitch to avoid gum leakage, which weakens the tree and becomes the cause of its infection.

Disease and pest control

Cherry Mayak is most susceptible to coccomycosis and root rot. Coccomycosis is expressed in the appearance of small red spots on the leaves and shoots, which soon spread to the fruits. The affected parts of the plant dry out and fall off. As a result, cherries simply don't survive the winter.

To get rid of the disease, cherries are treated with fungicides. For prevention, spring treatment is carried out with a Bordeaux mixture.

Fruit rot affects only berries. Small brownish-brown spots appear on the fruit, which increase in size and lead to rotting of all the pulp.

To cure the disease, all affected berries are cut off. After that, they are treated with copper sulfate.

Of the pests, the most dangerous for the Mayak cherry is the plum sawfly and cherry aphid. Both pests feed on the sap of leaves and young shoots. To get rid of insects, the tree is treated with insecticides ("Iskra") before or after flowering.

To prevent pests from infesting the tree, all leaves and plant residues are removed from the site in autumn, weeds are removed during the year, and sanitary pruning is carried out in the fall. To prevent disease, the tree is sprayed every spring before flowering with copper sulfate.

Read also:

Cherry-cherry hybrid Miracle cherry

Fast-growing resistant cherry variety "Tamaris"

High-yielding early ripe cherry variety "Malyshka"

Harvesting and storage

Cherries are harvested from July to August. The fruits do not ripen evenly, so the berries are picked as they ripen. Ripe fruits have a dark red hue, sweet taste with a slight sourness.

The cherry is picked together with the stalks. Berries are not separated from them if they plan long-term storage.

Note! Cherries are kept in the refrigerator for about a week.

Gardeners reviews

Most of the lighthouse gardeners are happy with this cherry. This variety is practically devoid of serious disadvantages.

Irina, Zheleznogorsk: “We planted the lighthouse cherry in the garden 6 years ago. The first crop was harvested as early as 3 years after planting. During the formation, 10 skeletal branches were left. The harvest is increasing every year. The variety is drought tolerant, so I water it only if there is no precipitation in summer. I feed it with ammonium nitrate in the spring, and with the hall solution in the fall. Once every three years, I add a manure solution. On the whole I am satisfied with the variety ”.

Victor, Belgorod: “Mayak cherry varieties are growing in my dacha. In the first year, the tree fell ill with coccomycosis. I noticed it in time, so I managed to save him. he simply cut off all the affected leaves and treated them with Iskra. Since then, every spring, the garden has been sprayed with copper sulfate. Since then, the cherry has not hurt. I harvest about 20 kg of harvest from 1 tree per season. The taste of the fruit is excellent, the berries are large and sweet. They are good fresh, frozen and in pies. "

Conclusion

Cherry Lighthouse is not the most famous, but noteworthy variety. Due to its drought resistance and frost resistance, it is suitable for growing in all regions of our country. The culture is unpretentious in care and does not take a lot of time from the gardener.

The main advantage of the Mayak variety is its fruits: large and juicy berries with a rich sweet taste. They are formed in large quantities on cherries. Depending on agricultural technology and climatic conditions, 15 to 25 kg are harvested from an adult tree per season.