Cherry Fairy

When planning a garden, I want to plant the most delicious fruit varieties that will give stable yields. Among cherry trees, one of the most popular among gardeners is the Fairy variety of domestic selection.

Cherry Fairy was the result of the work of a group of breeders of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution named after I. Michurin in 1993. The authors of the variety are O.S. Zhukov, N.M. Chmir and E.N. Kharitonova. The parental forms of the Fairy cherry are Premiere and Coral. The variety was added to the State Register in 2010. The culture is zoned in the Central Black Earth District.

Fairy is a medium-sized tree with a neat and raised spherical crown with medium thickening of dark green leaves, moderate branching with strong branches and a developed root system. In favorable conditions, a cherry tree grows up to 200-250 cm.

Cherry blossoms in May. At this time, the round crown is abundantly covered with large snow-white flowers. Each inflorescence contains 2-3 flowers.

Cherry Fairy belongs to the medium-fruited varieties. A healthy tree ripens fruits weighing up to 3.5 g. Cherries have a rounded-oval shape with a smooth and glossy surface. Ripe fruits are characterized by an incredibly beautiful color - light pink, which distinguishes the cherry from other varieties. The skin of the fruit is thin, elastic, without subcutaneous points and spots.

The collected cherries are eaten fresh, canned, processed into compotes, preserves and jams, frozen, and used in cooking. Due to the fact that the separation of the stalks from the cherries is partially dry, they perfectly tolerate transportation and are stored for at least 10 days under appropriate conditions.

The cherries taste excellent. The yellow-pink pulp is endowed with a delicate and juicy consistency. The taste is harmonious - sweet and sour, perfectly complemented by a pleasant aroma. There is no astringency and bitterness in the fruits. Cherry pulp contains more than 11% sugars and about 2% titratable acids.

Mid-ripening cherries begin to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting. Fruiting of the variety is stable, annual. You can taste cherries at the end of June, and mass ripening of cherries occurs in the first half of July. The fruits ripen gradually, so the fruiting period is slightly extended, it can last until July 20.

The yield indicators of the variety are good. With proper care, up to 83.2 centners of the crop can be harvested from 1 hectare. On average, one adult tree produces up to 12 kg of delicious cherries per season.

The variety is self-fertile (more than 50%), however, the presence of donor trees can increase yields by 20-40%. The most productive pollinating varieties are Lyubskaya, Turgenevka and Vladimirskaya.

Saplings are planted both in spring and autumn (depending on the climatic characteristics of the region).Experienced gardeners recommend planting trees in early spring, before the growing season. The distance between plantings should be 150-200 cm. In autumn Fairy cherry seedlings are planted only in the southern regions. For planting, one-year or two-year seedlings with a height of 90-110 cm are selected.

Cherries are planted in a cleared area, where there is a lot of light and sun. It is recommended to place the Fairy in the southern part of the garden, where there is protection from drafts and gusty winds.

Caring for fruit and berry crops is not burdensome: regular watering, feeding, removing dry branches, forming a crown, preventing diseases, loosening the soil and preparing for winter. Watering is carried out according to the schedule, three times per season: during the flowering period, when the fruits are tied, and during the autumn digging of the soil. Top dressing is applied alternately: organic and mineral. Formative pruning is carried out when the tree is at rest, and sanitary pruning as needed. Before winter, mulching of the near-stem zone is mandatory; for this, straw or spruce branches are used. The tree is protected from rodents by covering it with spruce branches or by installing a special fine-grained mesh.

Cherries have a good immune system. The tree is highly resistant to coccomycosis and many other fungal diseases. Among the insects attacking the cherry tree Fairy, only aphids are dangerous, which will help to get rid of insecticide treatments.

The cherry variety is characterized by frost resistance, and also easily tolerates short drought and heat. The tree grows comfortably on fertile, moisture and air permeable soil with a neutral acidity level. The occurrence of groundwater must be deep so that moisture stagnation does not form, which adversely affects the vital activity of the root system. Strong shade and excessive dampness can negatively affect the development of the tree.