Cerapadus is a stone fruit culture that does not occur in nature. This is a man-made hybrid that has taken the best qualities from the parental forms. We will find out which cultures are the progenitors of cerapadus, what it is, how to plant and grow it.
Cerapadus
Cerapadus tastes sweet and sour
Cerapadus is highly frost-resistant
History of appearance
Cerapadus was first obtained by I.V. Michurin by crossing the steppe cherry and the Japanese bird cherry Maaka. Attempts to cross the cherry with the common bird cherry were unsuccessful.
When the hybrid was obtained, cherry acted as a mother plant. The name of the new stone fruit culture comes from the Latin names of the parental forms - Cerasus (cherry) and Padus (bird cherry).
A hybrid, upon receipt of which the mother plant is not a cherry, but a Maak bird cherry, is called not a cerapadus, but a padocerus - the parts of the word are swapped.
The first cerapaduses had powerful roots and high immunity, but their fruits were small and bitter, smelling of hydrocyanic acid. Therefore, they were mainly used for vegetative propagation - they make excellent rootstocks for fruit trees.
Description and characteristics
Cerapadus is a self-fertile tree that does not need pollinators. In appearance, the hybrid resembles a large, strongly leafy cherry with many branches and shoots. When blooming, the tree becomes similar to a bird cherry, but the aroma of flowers is much weaker.
Brief description of cerapadus:
- crown - dense and dense, well leafy;
- leaves - oblong, cherry-like;
- root system - powerful, deeply penetrating;
- fruit - round, dark, weigh about 1.5 g, sweet-sour and sugary.
The fruits of cerapadus are universal, they are eaten fresh and put into blanks - they make juices, compotes, jams from them. 10-15 kg of berries are harvested from one tree.
Cerapadus has inherited high frost resistance from bird cherry, so it grows well far beyond the middle zone. All cultivars (varieties) created on the basis of the first hybrids of cerapadus are distinguished by frost resistance, high immunity, productivity and large-fruited.
Cerapadus berries are used in folk medicine, they are used to treat eyes, respiratory organs, colds and gastrointestinal problems.
Popular varieties
Thanks to breeding work, there are dozens of varieties of cerapadus today. Differing in nuances, they all have high frost resistance and productivity - these are the main advantages of the hybrid.
The most popular varieties of cerapadus:
Landing features
Planting of cerapadus is carried out according to the rules and schemes for planting fruit trees. The main thing is to take into account the requirements of the hybrid for growing conditions, to properly prepare the planting site and seedlings.
Timing
Cerapadus seedlings are planted, like other garden crops, in autumn and spring. The choice of the season depends on the preferences of the gardener and to some extent on the climate - the more severe the winter, the more advantages in favor of spring planting.
Recommended landing dates:
- In the spring. Disembarkation begins after the snow melts. Roughly mid-April.
- Autumn. Before the onset of frost. The seedlings should have 3-4 weeks for rooting. If they do not have time to take root well, then in winter they can suffer and even die from frost.
Cerapadus seedlings quickly adapt to a new place, thanks to a well-developed root system and a large supply of vitality.
Seat selection
The main condition for a site for planting cerapadus is openness to the sun and moderately fertile soil with neutral acidity.
Unfavorable factors:
- fences or other obstacles that impede the passage of air flows;
- high groundwater table - less than 1 m.
But on the north side, obstacles are welcome - they will protect the tree from gusts of cold wind.
It is recommended to plant Cerapadus next to apple trees. It protects them from many insect pests, promoting full growth and development.
It is not necessary to process the soil before planting. All necessary fertilizers will be applied to the planting pit. If the soils are very poor, then it is recommended to fertilize them by introducing humus for digging - 1 bucket per 1 sq. m.
Acidic soils are deoxidized with slaked lime. For 1 sq. m add from 0.2 to 0.5 kg of fluff lime, the dosage depends on the level of acidity.
Selection and preparation of a seedling
It is not worth buying cerapadus seedlings on the market - a completely different plant can be sold here. Take planting material in nurseries, they sell high-quality seedlings that correspond to the declared varieties.
How to choose a healthy seedling:
- reject specimens with damaged roots, dried, broken, sick;
- give preference to medium-sized seedlings;
- the roots should be of medium density;
- branches - whole, healthy, no damage;
- the bark is dark brown.
Planting a cerapadus
For a self-fertile cerapadus, you must definitely buy a couple more varieties of pollinators. For example, the popular "Novella" bears fruit best next to the varieties "Vladimirskaya" and "Zhukovskaya".
Even self-fertile varieties need pollinators, because due to weather conditions or other factors, they can become partially self-fertile, many barren flowers appear among the flowers.
Planting pits for spring planting are prepared in the fall. For autumn - 2-3 weeks before planting. If the pits were not prepared in the fall, then in the spring they also dig holes at least a couple of weeks before planting.
Cerapadus planting order:
- Prepare the root system of the seedlings - soak them in water, or even better in Kornevin's solution.
- Prepare standard planting pits 60x60 cm at intervals of 2.5-3 m.The distance between rows (if planting many trees) is 3-3.5 m.
- Prepare the soil mixture. Mix humus and the top fertile soil layer obtained by digging a hole in a 2: 1 ratio. Add 100 g each of phosphate and potash fertilizers.
- Pour the soil mixture into the hole so that a hill forms. Don't flatten it.
- Place the seedling in the hole, spread the roots along the earthen hillock. Cover the roots with soil to fill the hole halfway.
- Compact the soil and pour 10 liters of warm water into the pit. When the water is absorbed, fill the hole to the top and pour in another 20-30 liters of water.
- After soaking up the water, dust the soil with peat, shavings, or other mulch.
Care and cultivation
Cerapadus, like its progenitors, does not require much maintenance. It is enough to carry out several standard events annually, and from time to time to provide the essential needs of the tree for water and nutrients.
Watering and feeding
Cerapadus has strong roots that help it cope with temporary moisture deficits. Trees need watering for the first two years after planting. In the future, the hybrid does without artificial irrigation, it has enough moisture supplied during the rains.
Young trees are watered taking into account the weather conditions. They are guided by the condition of the soil - it should not dry out. As soon as the soil dries 2-3 cm deep, the cerapadus is watered. When the earth dries up a little, it is carefully loosened.
Cerapadus is fed three times during the season:
- in early spring, 1 tbsp. l. nitroammofoski - for one tree;
- during flowering, watering and loosening the soil in the periosteal circle, add potassium sulfate and superphosphate - 10 g each;
- after harvesting, wood ash is introduced - 400 g for each tree.
Fertilizers begin to be applied 2-3 years after planting. Until that time, the young tree has enough nutrition laid in the planting pit.
Pruning and shaping the crown
With the help of formative pruning, cerapadus can become either a standard tree or a shrub - the choice depends on the characteristics of the particular variety.
Features of the formation of cerapadus:
- In order for the culture to look like a bush, 3-4 powerful shoots are left, and the rest are cut to 0.7-0.8 m.
- When stamping, a trunk is made 0.6 m high. The crown is formed from 2-3 tiers, in each of which 3-4 skeletal branches are left.
Crown formation is a complex procedure, so many summer residents do not do it, giving the tree the opportunity to grow as it pleases. If it is well cared for, it will yield a rich harvest without formative pruning. But he cannot do without a sanitary procedure.
For sanitary pruning, branches are removed:
- dry;
- sick;
- deformed;
- damaged by diseases, frosts, pests;
- thickening the crown, and in shrub form - the aerial part.
Breeding a hybrid
Cerapadus is propagated in a simple and proven way - with near-stem shoots. The hybrid, like the cherry, has plenty of them.
How to propagate cerapadus with near-stem shoots:
- Dig up the scion.
- Transplant it into a prepared planting hole.
- If the soil is not fertile, apply fertilizer.
- Water the planted scion.
The second way to propagate cerapadus is by cuttings. Planting material is harvested on plants that have entered the phase of maximum fruiting. The hybrid used to produce cuttings must be at least five years old.
How to propagate a hybrid by cuttings:
- Cut the planting material from the tops of the young shoots. The approximate length of the cuttings is 8 cm.
- Place the cut shoots in the nutrient mixture and place in a shaded area.
- When the cuttings take root, transplant them to a permanent location.
Protection against diseases and pests
The hybrid, having a strong immune defense, rarely gets sick. It is even less often attacked by insects. In nature, such trees do not exist, so the taste of fruits and leaves is not liked by pests - having tried them, they go in search of more attractive food.
But in order to guarantee to exclude problems, the tree is sprayed:
- In early spring. Cerapadus is sprayed before the buds bloom. The treatment prevents possible diseases and pest attacks. The most popular and universal remedy is used - Bordeaux liquid 1%.
- During the growing season. The crown and the soil under it are treated with biological products, for example, "Planriz", "Boverin", "Aktofit", etc. Additional treatments for fungal infections are not required for cerapadus.
Insects are not interested in a hybrid where alternative food is sufficient. If they don't have a choice, they can pounce on the cerapadus. Possible pests include weevils, miner and bird cherry moth, hawthorn, and aphids.
If pests nevertheless appear on the hybrid, it is sprayed with one of the effective insecticides, for example "Aktara", "Karbofos". Not less than 20-30 days before harvest. Another option - "Fitoverm" - is a biopreparation of a wide spectrum of action, which is of little danger to humans.
Harvesting
Cerapadus fruits have time to ripen before the cold weather. Harvesting, depending on the shape and height of the plant, is carried out from the ground or from a ladder. The berries of the hybrid are small, so harvesting is a rather time-consuming task.
Cerapadus in shrub forms, thanks to its rapid growth, unpretentiousness, endurance and dense crown, is ideal for creating decorative hedges.
Cerapadus cannot be called a popular culture among our gardeners and summer residents, many do not even know about the existence of such a culture. Now you know all the benefits of this interesting hybrid and you can start it on your site as soon as planting time is right.
Author of the publication
12
Russia. City Novosibirsk
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