Drogan yellow cherry

Almost everyone, without exception, loves berries, especially sweet cherries. But many are accustomed to seeing this fruit only in burgundy red. Some summer residents are completely unaware of the fact that there is a whole subspecies of sweet cherry, which has a yellow color. The Drogan yellow variety belongs to just such varieties of sweet cherries.

The culture was bred in Germany, in the lands of Saxony. The variety got its name in honor of the breeder Drogan, who got it. At the moment, no data has been stored either on the breeder, or on the dates of breeding, or on the parental pair.

On the territory of Russia, the culture is not included in the State Register. But at the same time, it will not be difficult to find yellow Drogan's cherries in large nurseries.

The variety belongs to vigorous crops. On average, the height of a tree varies in the range of 3-4 m, and the maximum height is 5-6 m. The crown is practically not thickened. Its shape is spherical or conical, the top is slightly flattened. Smooth shoots extend from the trunk. They are not curved at all and are very long. The shoots are light brown in color.

The life span of a tree is up to 25-28 years.

The leaves are large, standard. There is a slightly elongated, pointed nose. Their length is 15-17 cm, and the width is 6-7 cm. The color of the leaf plates is rich green, matte. There are characteristic notches along the edging.

Inflorescences are small, each of them contains 2-3 flowers. The buds are white, have 4-5 petals.

Gardeners note the amazing taste of cherries, average immunity, as well as good adaptation to weather conditions (lower temperatures or short drought). Among the disadvantages most often appear poor transportability and keeping quality, the periodic need for additional pollinator varieties.

The berries are slightly above average in size, weighing 8 g. The shape of the fruit is round, heart-shaped, which makes the appearance even brighter and more spectacular. The color of unripe berries is pale yellow, ripe berries are rich yellow.

The peculiarity of the variety is that the skin is smooth and very thin. Because of this, the transportability of cherries is poor, since any slight pressure leaves a mark on the skin, or completely rips it off.

The pulp is dense, fleshy and very juicy (the color of the juice secreted is transparent). Its shade is straw yellow. There are subtle veins along the walls inside.

Another feature of the fruit is that the stone is very difficult to separate from the walls. Therefore, it is necessary to use a special tool to remove the bone, or remove it manually with the use of force.

Sweet cherries are of the universal table type and therefore can be eaten fresh, prepared for juices, jams and compotes, as well as frozen. Freeze the berries first on a flat surface and only then place them in a bag.

There is a very sweet taste of the culture. The tasting score is 4.6 points. The average amount of substances is 18%, sugars - up to 15%, acids - only 0.2%.

Cherry begins to bear fruit 4 years after planting in open ground. Blooming of the buds occurs at the end of May, and the ripening of the fruits is later. The fruiting period is the first week of July. The fruits are formed and ripen at the same time.

Good yields are noted by gardeners. On average, one adult tree can bring 50-70 kg of berries, and the maximum is 100-110 kg. All these indicators may vary depending on the region of cultivation and climatic conditions.

A young tree in the early years gives a yield in the range of 15-30 kg of fruits.

In nurseries, it is most often recommended to grow yellow Drogan cherry in the North Caucasus or in the lower reaches of the Volga. But since the territory of Russia is too vast, and this cherry belongs to exotic varieties, its population becomes more and more extensive every year.

Culture shows itself well in the Central Black Earth Region, in the Urals, in the Volga and Siberian regions.

Although it is noted by many that the crop is self-fertile, additional pollination is needed. Otherwise, the harvest will be formed, but it will be very poor, and the berries will be small.

Among the varieties of pollinators, the most often chosen are:

• Napoleon;

• Francis;

• Large-fruited.

It is necessary to plant trees at a distance of 3-4 m from each other.

Agrotechnical conditions for growing yellow cherries are no different from other species. What really needs to be taken into account is the height of the tree, which can reach 6 m. It will not be possible to reduce these indicators, even if you carry out an annual formation.

Planting seedlings is best done in the spring, a month before flowering. If the seedlings were purchased in summer or autumn, then it is worth waiting for 2 to 3 weeks before planting. The deadline for disembarkation in autumn is the second decade of September.

Cherry loves sunlight, so the selected area should be as illuminated as possible by the sun. Some recommend 16-18 hours of daylight hours. In this case, it is best to plant the seedling on the south side.

The soil should be slightly acidic, but gardeners note that the variety is not so picky.

Before planting, a hole with a depth of 0.6-1 m is preliminarily prepared. In order to avoid the appearance of groundwater, broken brick or pebbles are poured onto the bottom of the hole, which are sprinkled with a small layer of earth. Then a small layer of humus is placed, and the excavated soil is mixed with mineral fertilizers.

The seedling is carefully lowered to the bottom, spreading the roots so that they do not break. The hole is covered with earth gradually, slightly tamping. It is necessary that the root collar remains above the ground at a distance of 5-7 cm. Nearby, a support is necessarily driven in in order to tie up the trunk.

Everything is poured abundantly with 2 buckets of water and mulched if desired.

It is recommended to water the cherries 3-5 times per season. Moisture is especially needed during flowering and berry formation. For one irrigation, 5-10 buckets of water are introduced under the tree. All watering stops 2-3 weeks before harvest. This is to prevent the fruits from cracking. Some gardeners recommend combining watering and feeding. All useful minerals are diluted in a bucket of water.

To improve the yield, every 2-3 years, the soil around the trunk is carefully dug up and humus is introduced.

After heavy rains, it is necessary to loosen the land around the tree in the range of 5-10 m. This is necessary so that water does not stagnate. The optimum depth is up to 10 cm. This procedure also helps oxygen to penetrate the soil better.

Crown formation improves yields as well as fruit quality. At the same time, the removal of some branches helps the tree not to pick up fungal diseases. During the first 5 years, the central shoots are shortened by 1/3 of the entire length.

It is best to carry out molding in autumn or early spring, when all processes and sap flow slow down. Sick and broken branches must be removed in a timely manner.