Sweet cherry Julia

The sweet cherry variety Julia has been known to gardeners for about 30 years, during which time he managed to acquire many loyal fans. Outstanding taste and marketability of fruits, abundant yields, disease resistance - this plant has practically no drawbacks, but many advantages can be found.

The variety was obtained at the Rossosh zonal experimental gardening station by the breeder A. Ya. Voronchikhina. Included in the state register in 1992. When breeding the hybrid form, the parent plants of Denissen yellow x Gini red were used. Pollination took place in a free way. This crossing made it possible to obtain fruits with an unusual color.

The trees are vigorous, adults reach a height of 7-8 m. The crown is lush, dense, regular oval, the lower branches drooping, the rest of the shoots are thin, straight. The leaves are elongated, oval or ovoid, the apex gradually sharpened. Flowers are collected in inflorescences of 2-3 pieces, covered with snow-white petals.

The trees of this cherry are powerful, with a rough or smooth, flaky bark of a gray-cherry color. The root system is developed, its burial is enough to supply plants with food and moisture from underground sources. To reduce growth, seedlings are often grafted onto semi-dwarf rootstocks.

Cherry fruits have a very attractive appearance, they are large, weighing 5.6-7.8 g. The shape varies from classic round to heart-shaped. The color of the thin skin is complex. Its main tone is creamy yellow, a cover blush of a bright pink-red hue is spread over the entire surface. In the shade, the transition between color colors becomes weaker, almost imperceptible. The fruits tolerate transportation well.

Moderately dense, juicy cherry pulp Julia is distinguished by sweetness, sourness in taste is barely noticeable. The juice is colorless. The tasting score of the fruit is 4.4 points. The pulp is fibrous, crunchy, according to its characteristics, cherries belong to the bigarro group, suitable for processing.

The first harvest from cherry trees from this variety is harvested 4-5 years after planting. In terms of ripening, it belongs to the average, bears fruit in late June - early July.

Julia is a high-yielding sweet cherry. An average of 28.4 kg of fruit is harvested from a tree. At the peak of fruiting, the maximum volumes are 110 kg.

Sweet cherry Julia is grown in the Central Black Earth Region. Plants are thermophilic, they wake up early after spring, in colder climates they can simply freeze. They are successfully cultivated in the Lower Volga region.

Trees are self-fertile. It is recommended to plant pollinators next to them. In this capacity, cherry varieties Iput, Ovstuzhenka, Bryansk rose, as well as others blooming in April, can act.

When growing this cherry variety, it is very important to choose a non-shaded planting site. This factor seriously affects the early maturity, the timing of ripening. Dangerous for trees and waterlogged roots. Closely located groundwater will simply destroy the seedling. If the site is located in a lowland, you will have to make an embankment.

It is necessary to retreat at least 3 m from the nearest buildings and other large-sized ones. If the soil is depleted, it will have to be dug up with fertilizers. On poor soils, trees begin to bear fruit much later than normal.

Abundant watering is not needed for this cherry variety. Additionally, it will be necessary to moisten the soil only in extreme heat, when there are risks of drying out. Top dressing is also required only for 4-5 years of tree life. Since the beginning of fruiting, he annually needs spring portions of nitrogen, at the stage of the beginning of sap flow, plants are fertilized with potassium in the summer, during the period of fruiting with the fruits of taste, in the fall, with leaf fall, superphosphate is added under the root.

Trees with dense crowns require thinning and shaping. From 4 years of age, Julia's sweet cherry is regularly pruned. A thickened crown reduces its fruiting ability. Pruning is carried out at the end of autumn.

This cherry is highly resistant to coccomycosis. Moniliosis was not observed on trees. Cherry is periodically sick with clasterosporium disease, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatments, cut out the damaged parts of the plant. During the period of fruit ripening, protection from birds is required.

The variety suffers from insects to a moderate extent. The greatest harm is caused by aphids that mine moths.

Winter hardiness of trees is high. They tolerate a significant drop in atmospheric temperatures well, but not long-term frosts. In this case, up to 70% of the fruit buds will simply die. Drought resistance is high. Trees tolerate extreme heat well, rare watering.

According to the reviews of summer residents, Julia's cherry is awarded quite high ratings. She is praised for the excellent taste and juiciness of the fruit, both fresh and in jam, they are very good. It is noted that in warm climates, plants do not get sick, even if other plants in the garden are affected by fungi or infections. Frost resistance by summer residents is also rated as good.

Gardeners note that Julia is quite sensitive to the quality and fertility of the soil, care. This is not a variety that can grow on its own. In the absence of shelter in winter, frost holes may appear on the trunk. In damp and cold years, the fruits do not collect sugar well, become watery and tasteless. There are problems with the purchase of planting material, for a rare Julia they often give out Iput, similar in appearance to her, the difference is visible only when entering into fruiting, by the color of the pulp.

The significant disadvantages of this variety are usually attributed to poor adaptation to growing in cold climatic zones. The fruits simply do not have time to ripen if summer comes late, and the winter cold is delayed. And also summer residents complain about very fragile branches. Even in strong winds, they can break. A bountiful harvest also noticeably thinns the crown, the berries end up on the ground, they have to be picked by the padanders.