Cherry Shokoladnitsa

According to the European classification, the Shokoladnitsa cherry belongs to the cheesecloths - varieties with a dark fruit color and colored juice. This low variety is characterized by still high yields and excellent fruit taste, which has earned it popularity among domestic gardeners.

The cherry variety Shokoladnitsa was created at the All-Russian Research Institute for Breeding Fruit Crops in the Oryol Region. The breeding specialists were engaged in breeders Kolesnikova, Trofimova, Mikheeva.

To obtain a new variety, work was carried out to cross two known species. One of them - Consumer goods black, bushy dessert cherry, created by Michurin himself. Another parental species was the representative of folk selection, known from the century before last - Lyubskaya. The chocolate maker, which passed the variety trials, was added to the State Register for the Russian Federation in 1996, after which it was recommended to grow it in the Central Region of Russia.

Weak cherry trees of the described variety grow no more than two and a half meters. The crown resembles an inverted pyramid in its shape. The trunk has a brown tint of the bark; a gray coating is noted on the shoots. The foliage is matte, green. Inflorescences are umbellate, generally having 3 buds in each.

Drupes Shokoladnitsa are round, 1.7-1.9 cm in diameter, weighing 3.5 grams. The skin of the cherries is dark burgundy, almost black, which is why the variety got its name. The consistency of the pulp is quite juicy, a small (0.28 grams) bone is well separated from the pulp. If you crush a cherry, a dark red coloring juice appears.

The berries taste sweet and sour. The tasters rated the ripe fresh fruits of Shokoladnitsa at 3.8-4 points out of five possible. The composition of the product:

• dry matter - 18.4%;
• sugar - 12.4%;
• acids - 1.64%.

Cherry Shokoladnitsa will not bear fruit for the first 3 years of life. Only for 4 years will the first fruits appear. The ripening period of the culture is average. Fruiting lasts from 8 to 15 July.

The average crop yield is 77.9 c / ha. The maximum indicators were registered at the level of 96.6 c / ha. At the same time, an average of 11 kg of fruit can be obtained from one tree. In total, the duration of productive fruiting of Shokoladnitsa is 15 years.

The culture is officially regionalized in the Central Region of the Russian Federation. Of course, it is grown not only in the center, but also in other areas with similar climatic conditions.

The timing of planting a varietal cherry varietal tree depends on the territory.In the north-western regions of the Central region of the country, for example, in the Leningrad region, it will be better to plant the culture in the spring. Closer to the south, planting is possible in mid-autumn.

It is better to plant Shokoladnitsa cherries in an open place, not shaded by other crops or buildings. Groundwater should run no higher than two meters from the soil level. If the soil is acidic, it will need to be limed.

Saplings should be one or two years old. The planting pit should be 60 m deep and half a meter wide. When planting several trees, it is necessary to maintain 3 m between them.

The supporting peg is taken from 1 to one and a half meters high. When planting a tree, the root collar should be located above the ground level. Then the seedling is watered, and the trunk is tied to a support.

Young, newly planted Shokoladnitsa trees should be irrigated very well and regularly. The main thing is not to let the soil dry out completely. In the event that a crust has formed around the trunk, it is necessary to pour 20 liters of liquid under the tree. Mature trees are watered 2-3 times per season, and drainage is also organized for them.

For the first couple of years, the tree is not fertilized, since the fertilizing that was introduced during planting nourishes the plant. Then the tree will need to be fed with standard fertilizers three times during the growing season: in the spring, after the snow melts, at the time of bud formation, and also at the end of fruiting.

Pruning is an important element of Shokoladnitsa care. Immediately after planting, the seedling should be shortened to 60 centimeters so that about 5 buds remain on the trunk. Next year, skeletal branches will appear, which will also need to be cut to the level of 5 buds. Next, you should maintain the shape of the crown.

The chocolate girl is not too resistant to ailments and pest attacks. Plants of the variety are in dire need of prevention. The culture is especially susceptible to coccomycosis and moniliosis. And also cherries have a weak resistance to fruit cracking, this happens with excessive moisture.

The described crop shows good drought tolerance. This frees the gardener from the need for additional watering of the tree in the summer heat.The winter hardiness of the culture is also at an altitude: cherry trees are able to withstand temperatures as low as -35 degrees. Therefore, they do not require shelter in winter.