Content
Bird cherry Late Joy is a relatively young highly decorative hybrid of domestic selection. The variety is a mid-flowering variety and is highly regarded for its immunity to low temperatures, which allows the tree to be grown throughout most of the country. Positive feedback from gardeners also earned consistently high yields of the hybrid and its undemandingness to growing conditions.
Breeding history
The originators of the Late Joy hybrid are the specialists of the Central Siberian Botanical Garden of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences - V.S.Simagin, O.V.Simagina and V.P. Belousova. The bird cherry Kistevaya and Virginskaya were used as parent varieties during the breeding work.
Bird cherry Late Joy was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 2002 and recommended for cultivation in the West Siberian region. Plants of this variety are adapted for cultivation on the territory of all regions of Russia, with the exception of the Nenets, Yamalo-Nenets, Khanty-Mansi and Chukotka Autonomous Districts.
Description of bird cherry Late joy
In the most favorable conditions, the hybrid grows up to 8 m in height. The crown of the tree is dense, narrow-pyramidal type. The bark of the bird cherry variety Late Joy is grayish-brown, rough to the touch. The branches of the tree grow upward.
The leaf plate of the tree is ovoid with a sharp tip. Its length is about 7 cm, width - 4 cm. The leaves are slightly serrated along the edge.
Shoots form dense racemose inflorescences up to 15 cm long. Each of them has from 20 to 40 small white flowers. Flowering occurs on annual shoots. The fruits of the variety change color from light brown to black as they ripen. The photo above shows ripe cherry berries of the Late Joy variety.
The average weight of the berries is 0.5-0.7 g. The shape of the fruit is round and smooth. The pulp is colored yellowish-green. The advantages of the bird cherry variety Late Joy include a pleasant sweet and sour taste of ripe berries. On a tasting scale, it was rated 4.8 out of 5.
Variety characteristics
Bird cherry Late joy compares favorably with many other varieties for its unpretentiousness. In particular, the hybrid is undemanding to the composition of the soil and the level of its fertility. The tree bears fruit well both on neutral soils and on moderately acidic soils, it tolerates short-term stagnation of moisture in the soil and drought well. The tree variety Late Joy demonstrates the best yield indicators when grown in loamy, well-lit areas, however, it can be grown in the same way in the shade - a shade-tolerant hybrid.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The frost resistance of bird cherry varieties Late Joy is at a level from -30 ° C to -40 ° C. The tree safely tolerates prolonged frosts, however, the flowers of the hybrid can damage recurrent frosts in spring, as a result of which there is no fruiting during this season.
The resistance of the variety to drought and heat is average.Bird cherry Late joy withstands a short moisture deficit well, however, long dry periods negatively affect the development of the tree.
Productivity and fruiting
Bird cherry Late Joy - a variety of mid-late ripening of fruits. Flowering and fruiting are very abundant. The crop is usually harvested in early August.
The average life span of a tree is 25-30 years, during which it retains its productivity. The hybrid is weakly self-fertile, so it is recommended to plant other mid-late varieties bred in the Central Siberian Garden near it.
The yield of crops of the Late Joy variety averages 20-25 kg per tree.
Scope of the fruit
Hybrid Late Joy is classified as a universal variety. Its fruits are used both for fresh consumption and for drying for the winter. In addition, part of the harvest goes to the production of juices and compotes.
The Late Joy variety has high resistance to fruit cracking, which makes it suitable for transportation.
Disease and pest resistance
Bird cherry varieties Late Joy practically does not attract pests. Occasionally, the following insects can infect a plant:
- aphid;
- slimy sawfly;
- hawthorn;
- cherry elephant;
- bird cherry elephant.
Bird cherry is sick Late joy is rare, however, the variety is vulnerable to leaf spot.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The advantages of the bird cherry variety Late Joy include the following characteristics:
- immunity to low temperatures;
- pleasant taste of berries;
- consistently high yield rates;
- resistance to cracking of berries;
- shade tolerance;
- unpretentiousness;
- versatility of the use of fruits;
- undemanding to the composition of the soil.
Disadvantages of the variety include:
- low weight of berries;
- tallness of the tree, which makes harvesting difficult;
- tendency to thicken the crown;
- average indicators of drought resistance.
Landing rules
Bird cherry varieties Late Joy can be planted in open ground in both spring and autumn. The survival rate of the planting material is very high. When planting in the autumn months, the seedlings do not need to be covered for the winter, since even young plants are resistant to low temperatures.
Immediately before planting, it is necessary to carefully inspect the planting material. The leaves and bark of seedlings should not have white bloom, spotty streaks, as well as mechanical damage. If the root system of the plant is too developed, the long roots should be cut off. Weak and broken roots are also removed. In addition, moderate pruning has a beneficial effect on the development of seedlings - it is recommended to cut off all weak shoots, leaving only 2-3 of the strongest ones.
Planting bird cherry varieties Late Joy is carried out according to the following scheme:
- In the selected area, a hole is dug 50 cm deep and 50-60 cm wide. In this case, one should also focus on the size of the root system of the seedling - the roots should be freely placed inside the planting hole.
- For group plantings, the pits are located at a distance of 5 m from each other in order to avoid thickening of the crowns of adult trees.
- It is not necessary to lay a fertile soil mixture at the bottom of the planting pit - the planting material takes root well in the open field and without additional feeding. If desired, you can sprinkle the bottom with a mixture of dry foliage, peat and humus, however, it is not recommended to abuse organic fertilizers. Excess nitrogen in the soil negatively affects the condition of the bird cherry bark.
- The soil mixture is sprinkled with a thin layer of soil from the surface of the site, after which a seedling is placed on it. The root system is evenly distributed over the bottom of the pit.
- The pit is gradually covered with earth, periodically tamping it. This is necessary in order to remove possible voids and layers of air.
- Then the planting material is watered abundantly. When the water goes into the ground, the bird cherry tree trunk circle is mulched. For these purposes, sawdust, peat or dry grass are suitable. The optimum thickness of the mulching layer is 8-10 cm, not more.
Follow-up care
Hybrid Late Joy is considered one of the most unpretentious varieties of bird cherry. This is an undemanding tree to care for, which even a beginner in gardening can grow.
Young trees are sensitive to soil moisture, so they are often watered, preventing the topsoil from drying out. An adult bird cherry does not need a lot of moisture. The tree is watered abundantly no more than 2 times a month. If the weather is hot and there is little rain, the frequency of watering can be increased up to 3-4 times a month. In case of prolonged rains, watering is stopped.
Bird cherry seedlings respond well to sprinkling, however, during flowering, it is better not to do such watering.
In order to improve the supply of oxygen to the roots of the tree, it is necessary to periodically loosen the trunk circle, but no more than a shovel bayonet. This procedure can be combined with a sanitary weeding of the soil near the bird cherry. If, when planting bird cherry, the trunk circle was sprinkled with mulch, there is no need for weeding - the presence of a mulching layer inhibits the growth of weeds.
As the soil is depleted, the plantings are fed. You can use both root and foliar dressing, while organic fertilizers must be alternated with mineral fertilizers. Every spring, it is recommended to feed the bird cherry varieties Late Joy with ammonium nitrate - 30 g per tree. After flowering, fertilizer "Kemira Universal" is applied to the soil - about 20 g for each plant.
In addition, an adult bird cherry needs sanitary and formative pruning. Any broken or diseased branches must be removed each year, and root suckers and shoots must be trimmed. It is recommended to process the sections with garden pitch for prevention purposes.
Diseases and pests
Diseases of bird cherry practically do not affect, however, the Late Joy variety is vulnerable to leaf spot. This includes:
- polystygmosis (also rubella, red spot);
- cercosporosis;
- coniothyroidism.
Polystygmosis in bird cherry is diagnosed by the presence of small spots of saturated red color, which rapidly spread over the leaf plate. At the first signs of the disease, before flowering, it is necessary to spray the area of the trunk circle and the plant itself with a solution of "Nitrafen". If necessary, you can replace this drug with a solution of copper sulfate, with a concentration of no more than 3%.
After flowering, the bird cherry is sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid.
Cercosporosis is a disease in which the leaves of the bird cherry become covered with small white necrosis on the upper side and brownish underneath. Diseased trees are treated by spraying with Topaz.
Coniotiriosis affects not only the leaves, but also the bark and berries of bird cherry. The first signs of the disease are yellow-brown necrosis with orange edges. The fight against infection is carried out with any fungicide.
Of the pests, the greatest danger to bird cherry varieties Late Joy is aphid. Any insecticide can be used against it. The preparations "Iskra", "Fitoverm" and "Decis" have proven themselves well.
In order to prevent pests, you can treat plantings with a solution of "Karbofos" twice a season. Solution proportions: 50 g of substance per 10 liters of water. No more than 2 liters of solution are consumed per tree.
Conclusion
Bird cherry Late Joy is not only a high-yielding fruit tree, but also a highly decorative horticultural crop that can beautify any garden. Caring for a hybrid is simple, so even a novice gardener can plant it. The most important thing is to adhere to the rules of agricultural technology and take preventive measures in a timely manner.
In addition, you can learn how to plant bird cherry varieties Late Joy from the video below:
