Felt cherry Spark

Felt cherry Ogonyok is a rather rare example in biology of belonging to various botanical genera of plants. Despite the name, this perennial shrub has recently been classified as belonging to the genus Plum. Meanwhile, among amateur gardeners, it continues to be considered a cherry.

In the wild, felt cherry is ubiquitous in Mongolia, China and Korea. In Europe and North America, it is found in a cultivated form since the 50s of the 20th century. Today, domestic gardeners also have the opportunity to get acquainted with felt cherries and grow them on their plots.

According to one version, this culture appeared in Russia thanks to the famous scientist-breeder I.V. Michurin. It was he who brought home the wild seedlings of the felt cherry, which was known as the Chinese cherry. Thanks to his work, the first domestic variety of Chinese cherry was obtained on the basis of the source material.

Michurin's business was continued by his fellow breeders - as a result, the list of domestic fruit and berry crops was replenished with several varieties of felt cherries. One of these hybrid varieties is "Ogonyok" - it will be discussed in this article.

Cherry Ogonyok: the origin of the variety

In the photo: felt cherry Ogonyok

The history of breeding the variety of felt cherry Ogonyok dates back to 1965, when employees of the Far Eastern Research Institute of Agriculture of the USSR received a new variety of Chinese cherry. In the course of work on the already existing variety of felt cherry "Early Rose", a group of agronomists headed by G.A. Kuzmin received another variety.

The novelty was distinguished by its large-fruited and bright red color of berries, due to which it received the name "Ogonyok".

Cherry Ogonyok: variety description

Felt cherry Ogonyok is a perennial shrub or semi-shrub. The first harvest falls on 2 or 3 years of growing the plant, which regularly bears fruit for 10-15 years. However, the period of its productivity can be extended to 20 years or more, if you take care of the rejuvenation of the bush in a timely manner and follow the necessary agrotechnical recommendations regarding the care of it.

Cherry Ogonyok combines a number of advantages that make it a versatile horticultural crop.

First of all, the Ogonyok cherry variety is a constant source of tasty and healthy fruits of excellent quality, whose flavor bouquet was rated at 4.5 points out of 5 possible.

In addition, the Ogonyok felt cherry bushes are decorative and can serve as an adornment of the garden landscape due to the abundant spring flowering and summer fruiting with bright red berries.

Felt cherry fruits cannot boast of impressive size, but their diminutiveness is compensated by their quantity. During the fruiting period, each branch of the bush is densely covered with bright red beads of berries, which brings the felt cherry closer to the sea buckthorn.

Along with the latter, the Chinese cherry is self-fertile, therefore it needs the presence of pollinating plants on the site. The best result is obtained by the proximity of this culture with apricot, plum trees, as well as ordinary cherries.

Cherry Ogonyok demonstrates undemandingness to environmental conditions, thanks to which it successfully takes root and bears fruit not only in the Moscow region, but also in the Leningrad region, as well as in regions with an even more severe climate (Ural, Siberia).

The success of the event for the cultivation of felt cherries directly depends on the competent placement of the plantings. The area where you plan to plant the felt cherry should be well lit and not too damp. The soil in the garden should be slightly acidic and nutritious.In those regions where the natural properties of the soil do not meet these requirements, it is recommended to prepare a site in advance for planting felt cherries.

If the site is in a lowland, swampy or acidified, preparatory work should be started no later than 12 months before the planned planting of seedlings, and preferably 2 years before. The selected place must be drained, drained, and also to achieve the required level of soil acidity by adding lime, sand, dolomite.

You can make the soil on the site more nutritious with the help of fertilizers. These time-consuming procedures will surely bring a positive result in the form of an increase in the yield of felt cherries. As well as improving the quality of its fruits.

Felt cherry Ogonyok: a list of the main characteristics

Cherry Ogonyok: photo of the variety

• The average height of the Ogonyok felt cherry bushes is between 180 and 250 cm.
• The crown diameter varies from 160 to 180 cm.
• The root system of this culture is not very deep and lies about 25-35 cm below ground level.
• The mass of berries of the cherry variety Ogonyok reaches a maximum value of 4 g with a minimum value of 2.5 g. At the same time, half of the weight is occupied by a bone - 1.6 g.

The chemical composition of the pulp of the "Ogonyok" berries includes various types of sugars (11.8%), ascorbic acid (14%), malic and citric acids (1%), a certain amount of pectins and tannins (0.3%).

Frost and drought resistant

Cherry Ogonyok has high winter hardiness and safely hibernates without shelter when the air temperature drops to -25 degrees. In case of more severe frosts, it is necessary to take care of the construction of a shelter, for which you can use slate and other similar materials.

Drought can significantly harm the commercial qualities of felt cherry fruits, therefore, in especially hot summer periods, this crop needs additional watering. Otherwise, its fruits begin to dry and wrinkle. If the summer is wet enough, natural precipitation may be enough for the plant.

Features of flowering and fruiting

As mentioned above, cherry trees of the "Ogonyok" variety need the presence of pollinators on the plot, blooming with it at the same time. Apricot, plum, peach, cherry plum, and common cherry are good options for cross-pollination.

The timing of the beginning of flowering of felt cherry directly depends on the climatic characteristics of the region: the farther south it is, the earlier spring comes and favorable conditions are created for the opening of flower buds. In the conditions of the domestic middle zone, such a period falls on the last days of May and the first half of June.

The ripening phase of the cherries Ogonyok lasts from July to August, until the very end of summer. Felt cherry berries adhere well to the branches and, if not removed, dry out and remain in this way during the autumn-winter period, decorating the plant.

Cherry Ogonyok: photo of a flowering tree

Harvest

Felt cherry Ogonyok amazes with the abundance of its fruits, densely strewn with the branches of the bushes. Despite this, the average yield of this crop is significantly inferior to the indicators given by the representatives of the common cherry. On average, 8-12 fruits are harvested from each specimen of the felt cherry during the season. The maximum weight of fruits harvested from one bush is 15 kg.

Purpose of cherry varieties Ogonyok

Cherry Ogonyok is classified as a universal variety. Its fruits are eaten fresh, and also act as raw materials for the preparation of preserves, jams, compotes, juices. It should be borne in mind that the shelf life of the products obtained from these berries is limited to 2-3 months.

This is due to the large mass of seeds relative to the total weight of the fruit. They are difficult to extract from the pulp, while the latter loses a significant part of its juice.Therefore, in the production of canned food and other products, fruits with seeds are used, for this reason, hydrogen cyanide, more often called hydrocyanic acid, gradually accumulates in them.

After a while, the concentration becomes dangerous for humans, and the products obtained from the processing of felt cherries have to be disposed of.

Protection from diseases and pests

Felt cherry variety Ogonyok has partial immunity to fungal infections. He is not afraid of infections like monilial burn and coccomycosis of stone fruit cultures. At the same time, if preventive measures are ignored, the plant can be affected by other diseases, including clasterosporia and pocket disease.

As for harmful insects, most often felt cherry is attacked by plum aphids, moths and ticks.

Strengths and weaknesses of the Ogonyok cherry variety

TO merits felted cherry Spark can be attributed to:

• The compact size of its bushes, which makes this variety suitable for growing in small garden plots, and also greatly facilitates the collection of fruits.
• The combination of decorativeness of felt cherry and excellent commercial qualities of its fruits is another advantage of this variety over other varieties of cherries.

The main disadvantage Cherry Ogonyok is a short shelf life of its fruits and products prepared from them, as well as poor transport tolerance. Partial immunity to fungal infections does not allow to abandon the preventive treatment of the felt cherry bushes Ogonyok, which adds to the hassle of gardeners.

Instructions for planting cherry seedlings "Ogonyok"

Cherry Ogonyok: photo of the variety

Due to its unpretentious nature, the felt cherry Ogonyok successfully takes root even in adverse climatic conditions. It is possible to increase its yield by following simple agrotechnical recommendations regarding planting and caring for this crop. Planting material is quite simple to purchase through online stores, or buy in one of the nurseries.

Timing for planting cherries Ogonyok

The best time for planting Ogonyok cherry seedlings in open ground is considered to be the period from March to April. It is important that the air warms up to at least +10 degrees in order to avoid freezing of young plants.

Criteria for choosing a site for planting

As mentioned above, the Ogonyok felt cherry prefers well-lit areas, protected from the through wind. Slightly acidic soils will be the best option for growing this variety, although Ogonyok will also take root on acidified soils, but it will grow more slowly and give less abundant harvest.

Favorable and undesirable neighborhoods with other cultures

When choosing neighbors for the Ogonyok felt cherry, it is recommended to give preference to the pollinating plants recommended for it - common cherry, cherry plum, peach, plum, as well as thorns, cherries, spicy herbaceous perennials, low-growing flowering plants.

Stunted and sprawling fruit bushes, as well as tall crops - apple, pear, quince trees are categorically unsuitable for the neighborhood with Chinese cherry varieties "Ogonyok". You should also abandon the idea of ​​placing solanaceous crops near the felt cherry - tomatoes, peppers, eggplant.

Preparing for planting seedlings

It is recommended to purchase planting material in large nurseries from trusted producers. In order to distinguish a felt cherry seedling from a common cherry, it is enough to examine its bark. In the latter, the bark is smooth and uniform, while the felt cherry is characterized by a layered integument consisting of scales.

Planting stages

It is recommended to place the Ogonyok felt cherry in the prepared and fertilized soil ahead of time. When boarding, the order of the steps below should be followed:

• Planting holes with a diameter of 0.5 m and the same depth are dug in well-loosened soil.
• A third of the volume of the pits is filled with a substrate (compost).
• Mineral dressing must be added to the resulting mixture.
• A pile of substrate is poured with water, and then the root system of a felt cherry seedling is placed on top of it, carefully spreading the roots along its sides.
• The remaining volume of the planting hole is filled with nutrient mixture and soil, which is then compacted.

In the next 2 years, the young plant will not need fertilizers - the minerals introduced into the planting hole will be enough for it. Starting from the third season, you can make top dressing.

Felt cherry variety Ogonyok: how to care

Cherry Ogonyok: photo of the variety

Caring for felt cherries Ogonyok comes down to the simplest procedures: watering on hot summer days, loosening and weeding the soil around the bushes, applying fertilizers when the plant reaches the age of three. The gardener's special attention is required for the prevention of fungal diseases, as well as pest attacks.

For this purpose, the bushes of felt cherry Ogonyok must be sprayed with solutions of fungicidal and insecticidal preparations at least three times during the season. The intervals between treatments should be from a week to 12 days.

Conclusion

Felt cherry variety Ogonyok demonstrates a winning combination of such qualities as unpretentious character, decorativeness of bushes and high commercial qualities of fruits. These distinctive features make it suitable for cultivation in most of the territory of Russia.