Continuation. The beginning is in the article Dukes are hybrids of cherry and cherry.
Where is the best place to buy seedlings?
Of course, only in nurseries. The overwhelming majority of "private traders" do not even know what dukes are, but they will never refuse to sell you some decent variety of cherries or cherries, having written on the label exactly the variety that you ask. Alas, there are few nurseries involved in the production of dyke seedlings, you have to look, most of them are concentrated in the southern regions of Russia.
When to plant?
Since this culture is a stone fruit, it is better to purchase seedlings and plant them on the site in the spring, as soon as the soil is ready for planting and warms up to 5-8 degrees above zero at least. When planting in the fall, the probability of plant death is high. Although, if you are a resident of the real south, then it is quite possible to plant seedlings in the fall, because there is practically no winter in the south. But all the same, even the southerners should not delay too much, October is the last month for the landing of the dukes.
Where to plant?
Dukes prefer open and well-ventilated areas of the garden with nutritious and drained soil. The site must be leveled. Downgrades, even small ones, are unacceptable. And if it is a slope, then only south or southwest orientation. In no case should there stagnate either melt or rainwater, and the groundwater level should be at least 2 meters above the soil surface.
From other plants, like one plant from another (for cross-pollination, it is better to plant a couple of varieties blooming at the same time), you need to retreat about 2.5-3 meters, this will allow the plant to develop calmly and not interfere with either itself or neighbors.
It is great if from the north side the plant will be protected from the cold winter wind by a wall of a house, a fence or a tall bush such as alder-leaved irgi.
When planting, be sure to follow the final location of the root collar (the place where the roots pass into the trunk), it should be at the level of the soil, preferably even a couple of centimeters higher, but not lower, otherwise it may dry out or soak out during stagnation of melt or rain water in this area.
The planting itself is carried out in the planting pits, at the base of which a layer of drainage of broken brick or expanded clay 2-3 cm thick should be poured, and on top of it should be poured 3-4 kg of a nutrient mixture consisting of equal parts of humus, turf soil and river sand, then you need to pour out 10-12 liters of water and install the roots, straightening them well. Then the root system must be sprinkled with soil, holding the seedling by the stem and shaking it slightly so that no air remains between the roots. The completion will be soil compaction, watering (15-20 liters) and mulching the soil with a layer of humus 2-3 cm thick.
Pruning after planting
When planting in autumn with pruning, it is better to wait until spring, when planting in spring, let the plant settle down at least slightly in a new place and after about a week shorten the central conductor and side branches by about a third, but in such a way that the central conductor is 15-20 cm higher ...
Care
It is very typical - it is loosening the soil in the near-trunk zone, weed control, watering, fertilizing, sanitary pruning.
It is advisable to loosen the soil every month, not allowing the soil crust to form, and do not sink more than a couple of centimeters into the soil.
It is better to remove weeds after rain or watering by hand, this will be as effective as possible, and when the plant is five years old, you can simply mow the weeds in the near-trunk strip.
Water the ducks as needed. So, if there is no rain for a couple of weeks, then in the evening you can pour a couple of buckets of water under the plant. The duke especially needs moisture during the period of active growth (in spring), during the flowering period and during the formation of ovaries, but during the ripening period it is better to refuse watering, the fruits may begin to crack (however, if there is a real drought, as in 2010, then watering is required).
Top dressing: in spring it is 18-20 g of nitroammophoska for each plant, during flowering 8-10 g of potassium sulfate and superphosphate, during the ripening of berries, 150 g of wood ash can be added to the trunk circle, combined with loosening the soil and watering.
Sanitary pruning it is better to produce it in mid-February - after removing all the broken shoots, too thin and those that grow deep into the crown, which will lead to its thickening.
What remains is the collection of fruits - they need to be harvested as they ripen, not allowing overripening, otherwise the trees may attack the birds.
Photo by the author
