Cherry Valery Chkalov: description of the variety and features of agricultural technology

Today, the owners of private gardens and small summer cottages have many varieties of cherries of domestic and foreign selection. But with all the abundance, the cherry Valery Chkalov, bred back in the 70s of the last century, does not lose popularity, the description of the variety and many years of growing experience prove the value of this fruit crop.

The history of the creation of the variety Valery Chkalov

The work on the variety, included in the State Register in 1974, began in the 60s. To breed early cherries with good winter hardiness and excellent taste, it took the efforts of the teams of the Michurin Central Genetic Laboratory and the Melitopol OSS. As a source material, breeders from Michurinsk and Ukrainian Melitopol took seedlings of the Caucasian Pink sweet cherry. This variety has already proven its value in the gardens of the North Caucasus and, as expected, could give no less interesting offspring.

The trees obtained from free pollination eventually turned into strong plants with a spreading crown and early fruiting. The cherry Valery Chkalov depicted in the photo fully justified the hopes of scientists. For endurance, productivity and "stocky" appearance, the culture received the name of the famous Soviet pilot.

Distinctive features of the cherry variety Valery Chkalov

At the age of five, when fruiting begins, the tree forms a developed crown of medium density, which every year takes on an increasingly spreading shape, which becomes the key to a future bountiful harvest.

By the age of 10, a mature tree is easy to recognize:

• on a thick trunk covered with grayish-brown bark;
• along powerful skeletal branches extending from the trunk at an angle of 45–60 °;
• according to the smooth, brown bark with a reddish tint prevailing in the crown;
• by the numerous foliage covering the shoots of this and last seasons.

The foliage of the cherry variety Valery Chkalov is also large. With proper care and watering, on a young growth, the length of light green leaves with jagged edges reaches 19, and a width of 10 cm. On perennial branches, the leaf plates are somewhat smaller. But at the same time, they all have an oval shape with a pointed tip. The upper side, with a slight sheen, is colored brighter than the back. The veins, especially closer to the base, are prominent and clearly visible. On the shoots, the leaves are kept on petioles 40–50 mm long.

Features of fruiting cherry varieties Valery Chkalov

The first fruits should be expected in the fifth year. According to the description for the cherry variety Valery Chkalov, early spring flowering is characteristic. Mass ripening of large rich burgundy juicy berries occurs in the first half of June, which makes the crop one of the earliest.

The average weight of fruits is 6-8 grams, in the southern regions in favorable years the variety pleases with even more full-fledged fruits of a wide heart-shaped shape. On the cut, the juicy drupe shows a dark red pulp with noticeable, lighter veins and a rounded large bone weighing up to 0.4 grams. It is not always possible to separate it from the ripe pulp without the risk of damaging the cherry. If the berry is dented, a delicious dark red juice containing a lot of sugars with a slight pleasant sourness is released.

As stated in the description of the cherry ort Valery Chkalov, 100 grams of fruits contain:

• 13.5 grams of dietary fiber;
• 10.7 grams of sugars;
• 0.6 grams of organic acids;
• 21.5 milligrams vitamin C.

Healthy and tasty cherries, according to experts, has a dessert purpose, but at the same time it showed itself no worse in culinary dishes, baked goods, homemade preparations and preservation.

In the most favorable conditions of the Crimean peninsula, an adult cherry tree of the Valery Chkalov variety gives up to 60 kg of juicy fruits filled with sweetness. To the north, the yield is almost 2–3 times lower, however, gardeners value the culture for its winter hardiness and stability.

Advantages and disadvantages of the cherry variety Valery Chkalov

The fact that the variety of Soviet selection is not forgotten even today speaks volumes. The main advantage of cherries is the excellent taste of sweet, low-acid, juicy fruits that ripen earlier than their counterparts. Reaching the fruiting age, the trees regularly delight with a mass of berries, literally strewn with strong shoots.

It is important that the cherry of this variety is characterized by increased frost resistance. With proper planting and caring for cherries, the Valery Chkalov variety takes root in regions with an average winter temperature of –25 ° C. If the cold and affect the growth and flower buds, then not massively, leaving the tree a chance next spring and summer to repair the damage.

In order to avoid damage to the trunk and the lower part of the crown, in late autumn, before the arrival of frost, they are covered with spruce branches, specialized covering material, burlap or wrapping paper. Trunk circles are cleaned of fallen leaves and mulch abundantly.

Like many varieties of sweet cherries, this variety is self-sterile. That is, to get an excellent harvest, the gardener must plant two or more varieties in the neighborhood. Pollinators for cherries Valery Chkalov are varieties blooming in the same period of time. These include cherries Aprilka and June early, Zhabule and Skorospelka, as well as any old French variety common not only in Europe, but also in the south of Russia.

The weak points of the variety include insufficient resistance to gray rot and other stone fruit diseases. Therefore, when leaving, you must not allow excessive crown density, it is important to fight pests and not forget about the prevention of fungal diseases.

Planting and pruning cherries Valery Chkalov - video