Bird-cherry has been grown in Russia for a long time. This tree is famous for its beautiful appearance and unique aroma during flowering.

Various parts of this plant have healing properties. Therefore, they are often used in traditional medicine, they are able to best influence the state of human health. The variety of Colorat( or it is also called Virginia Schubert) is highly popular and boasts not only the appearance, but also tasty fruits.

Description of the bird cherry

The wild cherry of the variety Colorate was bred in Sweden. Enjoys high popularity among Russian gardeners. This is due to the fact that its characteristics are at the highest level. The young tree quickly grows and develops. Ripening occurs in late July - early August.

Colorata refers to the decorative varieties with red flowers and green leaves is able to decorate any garden area with its appearance. This is not a shrub. This bird cherry looks especially good not on the shore of a lake or a pond. Due to the high winter hardiness it is possible to grow such a tree in any region of Russia. With proper care, the Colorat produces a high, annual crop. Also, the variety has partial self-fertility.

Characteristic view of the

Bird-cherry Colorate is a tall tree( 5-6 meters) with a thick, egg-shaped crown. Bark and shoots of the tree are painted in an unusual purple color, and there are both light and dark shades. Young leaves are similar in color to the shoots, and at a more mature age they become bronze-green.

Inflorescences are usually collected in the brush. Cherry flowers are very beautiful and fragrant, painted in a light pink color. It is thanks to them that culture is used in landscape design to create different compositions.

Edible cherry berries in Colorate are edible, have a pleasant, tart taste, mature in color and black in color, the skin of fruits is shiny and glossy.

The blooming bird cherry of Colorate at the dacha

Pros and cons of the variety of bird cherry Colorat

• bird cherry Colorate is quite unpretentious and requires much less maintenance than other crops growing in the garden;
• beautiful appearance bird cherry and aroma during flowering is able to decorate any, even the most dreary terrain;
• also perfectly tolerates frost and drought, which allows it to be grown in any region;
• berries in this variety are edible and quite tasty, which allows them to be successfully used for various types of processing.

And now the cons:

• tree has low resistance to attacks and requires constant preventive measures;
• also takes a lot of space in Colorat, which makes it impossible to grow a tree in a small area.

Planting Colorates or Schubert Virginia

Planting time often depends on the location of the garden. In the southern and central region, the Moscow region is preferable to autumn planting, which is held in September.

Residents of the northern regions, the Urals and Siberia are recommended to carry out this procedure in late March-early April.

Branches with pink flowers of the bird cherry Colorat

Choosing a place for the bird cherry with red flowers

1. AS The cherry tree is an unpretentious crop and can grow on almost any soil. But it is best to plant a tree on loamy soil with a neutral or slightly acid reaction;
2. If only acidic earth is present at the site, it must be preliminated with lime or dolomite flour;
3. You can not plant bird cherry in places with high groundwater levels;
4. Another prerequisite is the presence of sunlight, growing in the shade may not be the best way to affect the health of the tree.

Preparation of seedlings of

Before planting a small tree, it must be prepared for this procedure and the following steps should be done:

• seedlings with an open root system are let off for 8-10 hours soaked in a solution with a growth stimulator. An example of such a drug can serve as root, epin, etc.;
• seedlings with a closed root system soaked for 20-30 minutes;
• also before planting it is necessary to check the condition of the seedling and remove all dry and damaged branches;
• the same procedure is carried out with the roots of the seedling, and in any case, you will need to slightly trim each root.

Blooming bird cherry of Colorate

Preparing the landing pit

The landing pit must be prepared in advance so that the soil becomes more fertile and nutritious. When spring planting a pit is prepared in the fall, and in the autumn in about 2-3 weeks. The depth and diameter of the hole should directly depend on the root system of the seedling. Most often, these indicators are 40-50 centimeters.

During the preparation of the pit, the top 20 centimeters of the earth are mixed with:

• a peat bucket;
• bucket of humus or rotted manure;
• sand bucket;
• 80-100 grams of mineral fertilizer.

The resulting mixture is poured into a pit and allowed to infuse until planting.

Planting technology

Planting bird cherry using the following technology:

• seedling is placed in a hole so that the root neck is 1-2 centimeters above the ground level;
• also needs to gently spread the roots;
• then fill the pit with soil, while periodically shaking the seedling to avoid the formation of air pockets;
• at the end of work, the trunk circle is carefully watered and mulched using compost or humus.

Colorate's bird cherry seedlings for sale

Tree care

Immediately after planting, the tree must be trimmed so that it is 60-70 centimeters high, and all side branches are removed, leaving the 4 most developed shoots. This procedure has a beneficial effect on the formation of the crown of the bird cherry. Next year, in this way, it will be necessary to form the second tier, then the third, and so on.

Bird-cherry Colorate tolerates drought well, but timely application of moisture will help improve the health of the tree.

Mandatory procedure is regular loosening of the trunk circle and removal of weeds.

In order to avoid the development of diseases and the proliferation of bacteria in early spring( immediately after snow melt) and in late autumn( after leaf fall), sanitary pruning is carried out. During this procedure, dry, frozen or affected branches are removed. In adulthood, thinning pruning should be performed. You also need to carefully monitor the direction of growth of shoots and in time to trim the branches growing inside the crown.

Top dressing of bird cherry

The first 2-3 years the tree does not need to be fed, it will have enough nutrients introduced during planting.

Then fertilize bird cherry 2 times a year. Compared to other cultures, the bird cherry does not require the obligatory introduction of abundant dressings. This feature is associated with a powerful and developed root system of the tree, which can independently exist and get the necessary nutrients. Experienced gardeners recommend the following work:

1. In the spring, before starting flowering, complex mineral fertilizers are sprinkled in the root zone, then the bird cherry must be watered thoroughly so that the product dissolves and the tree can be properly affected;

1. In the autumn, humus or rotted manure is introduced under digging. If the soil at the site is fertile, then such feeding can be done once every two years.

Blossom of the bird cherry Colorat in front of the house

Diseases and pests

Bird-cherry is a very beautiful tree, which also produces unusual, tart fruits and has many healing properties. The variety of Colorate is perfect for Russia, it is not whimsical to the soil, the climate, besides, does not require complex care.