Duke Toy

The Toy variety has a high yield and good taste of berries. They are frozen, dried, pickled, jam, confiture, marmalade are made, marmalade is made.

The hybrid was obtained by agronomists V.A.Turovtseva and N.I. Turovtsev on the basis of the Institute of Irrigated Horticulture. MF Sidorenko UAAS, during the cross-pollination of Lyubskaya cherry and sweet cherry Solnechny ball. Included in the State Register in 1996.

The tree is very tall, can reach 7 meters, the crown looks like a ball. The bark is grayish, prone to peeling. Branches are thick and straight, brownish brown. The leaves are large, oval, with a serrate-toothed edge, glossy, dark green. Flowers are large, white, form inflorescences of 3-4 pcs. The tree bears fruit for 20-30 years.

The berries weigh on average 8.5 g, they are round, heart-shaped, burgundy-red, the pulp is juicy and soft, the stone is small, well separable. Perfectly transported and stored.

The taste is sweet with sourness, sugar content - 10.9%, fruit acid - 1.5%. Tasting score - 4.5 points.

The tree begins to bear fruit 3 years after planting. The berries ripen in the southern regions at the end of June; in a temperate climate, the dates can be postponed by several weeks.

An average of 45 kg is removed from one tree at the age of 10 years, under favorable conditions - up to 72.1 kg.

The variety is recommended for planting in the North Caucasus region, Crimea, Rostov region, Stavropol Territory.

The variety is self-fertile. To obtain a high yield, it is necessary to plant cherries nearby: Minx, Samsonovka, Lyubskaya, Bulatnikovskaya, Molodezhnaya, cherries - Valery Chkalov, Large-fruited, Franz Joseph, Donchanka, Priusadebnaya, Annushka, Iput.

In areas with mild winters, it can be planted in autumn, in other areas it is better in April. The place is chosen sunny and ventilated, with a slight slope, on the west or northwest side of the site. The occurrence of groundwater should be no closer than 2.5-3 m.

Planting pits are made with a diameter of 70-80 cm, a depth of about 50 cm. An interval of 5 m is left between the seedlings and other trees. The soil for the seedlings must be acidified with lime: sandy loam - 300-500 g per 1 sq. m, loamy - 600-800 g, sod-podzolic - 300-800 g.

If the soil is very poor, add a bucket of compost or humus, 200 g of superphosphate and 1 liter of ash. Sand is added to the clay. Fertilizers are not needed on fertile soil. With an overabundance of fertilizing, the culture begins to grow intensively and can poorly survive the winter. They are planted according to the standard scheme, the root collar is placed 3-4 cm above the surface.

In the first year, weak branches are cut, and strong branches are shortened by 1/3. In this case, the bearing branches should be 20-30 cm longer than the rest.

For the first few years, the seedlings are watered 2-3 times a month and fed with nitrogen fertilizers for one plant - 15-20 g. In the fall, they add phosphorus and potassium (30 g + 20 g).

In autumn, when digging up the earth, sprinkle compost with a layer of 10 cm, and lay mulch on top. The culture does not get along well with apple, raspberry, pear, hazel, currant.

The variety is considered unpretentious and undemanding to care for. Mature trees tolerate a lack of moisture well. During the season, you can water it 4 times: during flowering, at the beginning of ripening, after harvesting, in the fall, water-charging watering is carried out. Watered in moderation, at a distance of 50 cm from the trunk, into circular grooves. Pour up to 15 liters of water at a time and mulch with dry grass. After watering, be sure to loosen.

Top dressing is applied carefully, begins to fertilize only 3 years after planting and be sure to watch how the hybrid reacts to fertilization. In the spring, when digging, fertilize with urea or nitrogen nitrate: 25 g per 1 sq. m. During the flowering period - 5 kg of humus per 1 sq. m. After harvesting, they are fed with organic matter - 1 liter of mullein is bred in water and insisted for a week, then 2 liters are diluted in 1 bucket of water and poured under the plant. Foliar dressing with Fitoverm has proven itself well: you can process it up to 7 times per season.

At the age of 6, thinning pruning begins. The crown is formed according to a sparse-tiered type. In early spring, the stem and skeletal branches are covered with lime or wrapped in two-layer white paper to protect against sunburn. At the age of 15, they stop pruning, remove dry, slightly frozen and diseased shoots.

Has a high resistance to coccomycosis and moniliosis. For prevention of pests, they are treated with insecticides "Mustang", "Tsifoks", "Inta-Vir", but only before flowering or after harvesting. It can be damaged by clasterosporium disease, gray rot, perforated spot. They are treated with "Horus" or "Quadris" preparations, the agent can be used even 7 days before picking berries.

Duke's bark is prone to gum flow. This can manifest itself for various reasons: due to too heavy soils, crop overload, excess fertilizer, sunburn and temperature fluctuations. The gum is removed with a sharp instrument, the area is washed with copper sulfate (1% solution), and sealed with garden varnish. The stem is protected from rodents with an iron mesh or roofing material.

The variety has an average winter hardiness, trees tolerate frosts down to -25 degrees without damage, mainly flower buds freeze out. It is a drought tolerant hybrid. Duke Toy grows well on any type of soil, but prefers medium loamy light soils without stagnant water.

According to gardeners, this is one of the most productive and large-fruited species. Some grow a variety instead of cherries, prepare dumplings and compotes from it. Children like berries very much, they love to feast on them.