Is it possible to prune bird cherry trees? Fragrant and tender bird cherry in your garden: planting and care
Bird cherry (Prunus padus) everyone knows. But they are still afraid to plant it on their plots. But this plant blooms amazingly, it forms well and bears fruit. In addition, bird cherry disinfects the air, because contains phytoncides. Flies don't like her. In addition, since ancient times, bird cherry has been considered a tree that takes away sadness and melancholy, exchanging them for activity and love of life.
Fading tall bird cherry tree on our site
In nature
Bird cherry (carpal) of the Rosaceae family grows in mixed and coniferous forests and forms thickets along rivers. It also settles near humans. Spring is the time of mass flowering. Occasionally in nature, bird cherry with a pink tint of petals is found. During flowering, you can select a mother plant to transplant the root shoot to your site. You can cut cuttings from a branch of a bush you like to grow a seedling. Cuttings of this species take root easily.
The purple-black, shiny drupes of the bird cherry species are edible. Many people like their slightly astringent taste. The berries are collected and used to prepare delicious dishes.
Location on
The bird cherry is so hardy and unpretentious that There are no problems with agricultural technology. This plant is shade-tolerant, but in a bright place the flowering is more abundant. Bird cherry blossoms at the beginning. Then many white flowers, collected in brushes, saturate the air with a charming aroma.
Edible berries- another advantage of this plant. Pies are baked with them, jelly, compotes and jams are made from them. The pit is difficult to separate from the pulp, so the fruit is first rubbed through a sieve. Very tasty Siberian shangi buns (shanezhki) are baked from flour mixed with finely ground dried fruits. There are many recipes. Some shanezhki are similar to cheesecakes, but instead of cottage cheese they contain bird cherry jam.
You can infuse vodka on the berries and prepare syrup. Traditional medicine recommends drinking a decoction or jelly from bird cherry fruits for diarrhea, colitis and some other gastrointestinal diseases. Bird cherry helps as well as blueberries.
There are a few decorative garden forms bird cherry. It is a weeping plant with drooping branches; variegated with white and yellow spots on the leaves; double with double flowers; Rosaceae and some others. It is worth paying attention to varieties such as “ Early round», « Self-fertile», « Sakhalin black», « Sakhalin sustainable" And " Black glitter».
It is not difficult to graft several different varieties onto one bird cherry tree to create a garden tree. In addition, bird cherry is a suitable rootstock for many shrubs and trees.
Another winter-hardy species that has colonized our open spaces is Virginia bird cherry, native to North America. It is similar to the common bird cherry, but has a number of differences. Frost-resistant and productive hybrids of these two species are interesting. They are valued for the pleasant taste of the fruit. Productive winter-hardy dense hybrid "In memory of Salamatov» produces 15 - 20 kg of large fruitsfrom every tree. Yield hybrid« Pomegranate bunch"has not violet-black, but burgundy fruits with weakly astringent yellow pulp.
Reproduces bird cherry seeds, root shoots, cuttings and layering. For seed germination, stratification is necessary, so they are sown before winter.
Why don't we plant?
Many people like bird cherry, but they are afraid to plant it on their plot. What can this plant be accused of? For some, nothing grows under it, while others associate their failures with it. Some people just don't like this bush. There is an opinion that bird cherry is an incubator for other pests. But there are no more of them on it than on mock orange and other shrubs. The poor plant is even blamed for spring frosts. I'm not kidding. A friend of mine once seriously stated that if the bird cherry had not bloomed, then half of her garden would not have frozen over.
I formed this bird cherry from the growth of an old bush during its rejuvenation
I want to rehabilitate this persistent plant, which blooms, bears fruit, heals so beautifully and fragrantly and allows you to shape it in the most bizarre way.
Bird cherry has its problems, like any other crop. Occasionally she is affected by a fungal infection. A disease called plum pockets » deforms the fruits, turning them into pods. This is not the result of a mutation. Warm, humid weather during the flowering period provokes the disease. It is necessary to pick off and destroy the “pods” before they fall off. A preventive measure is spraying with a solution of copper sulfate.
Settles on thickened old branches lichen , which gives the young tree an aged appearance. If you don’t like it, the lichen can be easily washed off with a strong stream of water from a hose. Tinder mushrooms - a real danger for bird cherry. They must be removed immediately, and the wounds must be disinfected and covered with clay mixed with fungicides.
Lichen on the branches decorates the bird cherry and does not harm it
I have garden ants Almost destroyed a bird cherry tree with a fan-shaped crown. They found a small crack in the fork of the trunk, deepened it and began to build an anthill.
Aphid often attacks young bird cherry shoots. You can fight it in a lot of ways. I usually use a soap solution to which sifted .
Bird cherry leaves on the upper side are disfigured with green or pink vertical growths, shaped like tiny peppers. Linden trees have the same “papillomas”. These are galls containing larvae. lime gall mite . Fitoverm, Karbofos, Actellik and colloidal sulfur help to cope with it.
Garden bonsai
Even the simplest bird cherry found in the undergrowth can become a masterpiece of landscape design. Amateurs use the plasticity of bird cherry. You can safely adjust the shape of a tree or shrub without fear of cutting off the excess. The shoots grow back quickly, so it will soon be possible to fix everything.
When shaping, I always look for clues in the bird cherry: a curved shape, the absence of a crown, bends and bends in the branches. Bird cherry quickly gets used to itself after being transplanted to a new place. Pruning shoots, thinning them, shortening, blinding buds and regularly removing root shoots allow you to work with the seedling, forming a certain image. I sometimes give the branches an inclined position, placing one shoot under the other. Occasionally I use wire or rope.
If a grown tree becomes sick, blocks a passage or darkens a window, then it has to be cut down. You can leave a short stump and then form growing shoots. Low geometric shapes are cut from it to decorate the site.
We did not want to limit the growth of our bird cherry alone. Its formation began a long time ago, when the tree was a thin whip. We decided to grow a tall bird cherry with a thick stem, several skeletal branches and a cup-shaped crown. Now this tall tree in the spring turns into a huge fragrant bouquet, visible from afar.
Bird cherry blossom with horizontal crown
The plasticity and high growth rate of bird cherry shoots allow it to be formed in different ways. This can be clearly seen in the example of my garden bonsai. The most ordinary bird cherry with a deformed trunk, which was no thicker than a pencil, has changed beyond recognition in a few years. Year by year its trunk thickens, but its height remains the same, about a meter. Over time, the bends and bark of the skeletal branches became covered with a lichen pattern. The spread out crown looks amazing during the flowering period. In winter, the dark silhouette of the tree stands out against the snow-white background.
Garden bonsai from bird cherry in winter
It's hard to believe that we did not purchase a ready-made garden bonsai, but grew it ourselves. Bird cherry fruits are so sweet and tart that our dogs feast on them, picking ripe berries from the branches with their teeth.
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Features of pruning bird cherry, mulberry, maple, willow, lilac. The main type of pruning is thinning; in willow, pruning “to the stump” is acceptable.
Pruning bird cherry
For bird cherry, the main type of pruning is. Thickening, diseased, broken, intertwined and asymmetrically growing branches and shoots are cut out. During the summer, emerging root shoots and root shoots are removed.
Mulberry pruning
For ease of harvesting fruits, it is better to grow mulberries in a bush-like form with a free-growing flat crown. The height of plants is limited to 2.5-3 m, periodically pruning and transferring shoots to lateral branches. The main type of pruning of fruit-bearing trees is thinning. Thickening, broken, diseased, weak, as well as strong lateral and vertically growing branches and shoots are cut out.
Maple pruning
Field maple tolerates pruning well. After it, it quickly grows and branches densely. Planted in a hedge, it makes it difficult to pass through. Dry and diseased branches are systematically removed from other maples.
On a note: In Belarus it sometimes suffers from severe frosts, so it is better to plant it in protected places.
For your information: Used in single and group plantings, low forms in rocky gardens and tubs, field maple - for. Pairs well with dark conifers.
Willow pruning
Dead branches of willow are cut off and a crown and trunk are formed. Remove very long shoots on the lower part of the trunk. Plants tolerate pruning well if they are not in a weeping form. Old specimens can be cut to the stump.
On a note: It should be remembered that the bark and leaves of this plant contain many tannins that inhibit plant growth, so fallen leaves should not be used for composting; it is advisable to collect them in late autumn or early spring and burn them. You can spread the leaves along the fence from the outside - there will be less grass.
Lilac pruning
Lilacs have a beautiful shape and abundant annual flowering that is maintained by systematic pruning of the bushes. In the first 2 years after planting in a permanent place, lilacs grow weakly and do not need pruning. At 3-4 years old, lilacs begin to form strong skeletal branches - the basis of the entire bush. In early spring, before the buds awaken, 5 to 10 of the most well-placed branches are found in the crown, and all the rest are cut out. Thinning and sanitary pruning are carried out mainly in early spring, but if necessary - throughout the entire growing season. It is useful to cut up to 2/3 of the flowering shoots for bouquets. This causes stronger development of the remaining ones and the formation of new ones, on which flower buds are laid.
On a note: Lilac stands better in water if you cut it early in the morning and split the ends of the branches.
You can order pruning of bird cherry, mulberry, maple, willow, lilac in Minsk and the Minsk region
Material prepared by: horticulture specialist Buinovsky O.I.
Until recently, bird cherry was considered an exclusively ornamental plant that adorned our parks and squares. However, recently more and more gardeners give preference to the fruits of bird cherry, although they never cease to admire the beauty of its flowering.
In addition to tasty and healthy fruits and beautiful flowers, bird cherry plants have the highest winter hardiness, unpretentiousness and ease of reproduction.- all this attracts the attention of gardeners to this plant and helps it expand its area and take its rightful place in amateur gardening.
FOOD AND HEALING PROPERTIES OF CHERRY FRUITS
The fruits are of particular value to gardeners; they are useful both when consumed fresh and when processed. On average, bird cherry fruits contain up to 5% sugars, organic acids, tannins, more than 32 mg/% vitamin C, up to 2000 mg/% P-active substances, as well as essential oil. Thanks to such beneficial properties, bird cherry has long been recognized as a medicinal product in both folk and official medicine. Thus, tannins, which are found in abundance in fruits and have astringent properties, are successfully used in the form of a decoction for gastrointestinal disorders. The leaves are also used to help with bronchitis and as a cough remedy. Bark decoction- an excellent diuretic that has no side effects, and in the form of compresses and lotions is often used as a treatment for ulcers and fresh wounds. And finally, the flowering itself- next to the blooming bird cherry, the air is literally saturated with phytoncides; this is a real biological “vacuum cleaner” that cleans the air of most pathogenic microbes.
BIOLOGY OF CHERRY CULTURE
A few words should be said about the biology of bird cherry- deciduous tree of the Rosaceae family. This genus is quite extensive and, according to the latest data, includes about 20 species, however, of such a wide variety, only common bird cherry and late virginiana are cultivated.
Bird cherry is a large tree, reaching a respectable height of 10-12 m, forms an abundance of root shoots, and when the tree is cut down, it also produces powerful stump shoots, so the bird cherry plant is very difficult to uproot. Under natural conditions, this type of bird cherry is very widespread; plants can be found from the western to the eastern, and from the northern to the southern borders of our country. Favorite growing places- banks of rivers and lakes, wet forests, forest edges and clearings. Bird cherry trunks are covered with black-gray bark, and the leaves are elliptical in shape and about 10 cm long. Bird cherry flowers have a very strong aroma and are collected in long dense racemes. The bright flowering of the bird cherry coincides with the May holidays and symbolizes the arrival of real spring and the coming summer. A little later (June) the first fruits begin to ripen- juicy spherical drupes of black color, sweet, slightly astringent with a large stone. By the way, bird cherry begins to bear fruit quite early- already from the age of 4. Plants love moist and fertile soils and have the highest winter hardiness, but they also have their drawbacks, which primarily include tallness.
The second bright representative of the genus- Virginia bird cherry. This species was brought to us from North America and is a large multi-stemmed bush, reaching the size of a substantial tree.- up to 7 m. Flowering occurs at a later period than the common bird cherry (about 15-20 days). The flowers are small, almost odorless, and subsequently turn into large fruits that ripen in the second half of August and have a dark red color and a pleasant sweet and sour taste. The fruits of Virginia bird cherry hang for a long time without falling off, this allows you to harvest a harvest of up to 8 kg from an 8-year-old plant in one go. The undoubted advantage of virgin bird cherry is the regularity and stability of fruiting, resistance to moths and aphids, however, there are also disadvantages - it is slightly lower winter hardiness compared to ordinary bird cherry. Virginia bird cherry begins to bear fruit in the 5th year; it grows well in almost any type of soil, but it succeeds better in loose and fertile ones.
Another representative of the genus is late bird cherry, which is also sometimes called black cherry. Like Virginia bird cherry, late bird cherry comes from North America, where it grows as a large bush or tree reaching a height of 10 m. It begins to bloom and bear fruit abundantly upon reaching 5 years of age. It loves well-lit places, blooms poorly in the shade and does not set fruit well. In very severe winters it can be quite severely affected by frost. Late bird cherry is well adapted to urban conditions, withstands smoke and gas pollution, soils poor in mechanical composition, and short-term drought, but it succeeds better on fertile and moist soils. Late bird cherry is highly decorative both during the flowering period and during the ripening period of large black and pleasant-tasting fruits, collected in brushes reaching a length of 16-18 cm, which usually contain up to 30 fruits. The fruits ripen at the same time, which makes it possible to reduce labor costs for harvesting and carry it out in one go.
BURRY BURRY REPRODUCTION
Bird cherry varieties are usually propagated vegetatively; the most effective methods are grafting and green cuttings. Vaccination can be done in two ways- cutting (copulation) and bud (budding). Grafting with cuttings can be carried out in winter and early spring, the timing is quite normal, and the methods are the same as those used for other fruit crops. But budding differs somewhat, mainly in timing; it is usually carried out 2-3 weeks earlier than, for example, with an apple tree, and the best rootstock- These are seedlings of bird cherry.
Green cuttings- The method is more expensive, but you can get much more seedlings. The cuttings are cut at the end of shoot growth, the cut shoots are cut into pieces 10-15 cm long, 1-2 leaves are left on the crown, the rest are removed in order to reduce evaporation and they are planted in a greenhouse covered with film, where the cuttings are provided with sufficient watering- in hot weather at least 8 times a day, in humid weather- 5-6 times. In the fall, the cuttings form roots, but this is not enough; the vegetative mass of the seedling also needs to be grown, for which the cuttings are planted in open nutrient soil for another season, at the end of which they are ready for planting in a permanent place or, for example, for sale.
AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY OF CHERRY
To provide food needs and a decorative effect, it is quite enough to have 2-3 different varieties of this plant on your plot. It is best to place them in a well-lit place, on the north side of the site or along its border. Bird cherry trees located on the shore of an artificial or natural reservoir or on the slope of a ravine look very picturesque. Plants are planted at a distance of at least 5-6 m from each other; seedlings can be directly planted both in autumn and spring; they take root well. Autumn planting is more hasty, you need to have time to complete your work, and also prepare the soil for planting, but in the spring there is less hassle, and the soil for spring planting can be prepared in the fall. In any case, when digging the soil, you must add up to 6 kg of manure, 60 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium salt - all this per 1 m2. Then they begin digging planting holes. Of course, their size depends on the development of the root system of your seedling, but usually it is 40 cm in depth and 50 cm in diameter. The holes are filled approximately halfway with a mixture of topsoil, which is set aside when digging, and fertilizers- organic (10 kg) and mineral (about 100 g of superphosphate and 30-40 g of potassium sulfate). They begin to fill the hole even before placing the seedling there.- They create something like a pillow on which the roots are laid and sprinkled with the remains of the nutrient mixture. As a result, the root collar of the seedling should be at the level of the soil surface. After planting, it is necessary to water abundantly and subsequently monitor soil moisture. It is better to mulch tree trunk circles with peat; this will save moisture and prevent the growth of weeds.
Further care of the seedlings consists of removing weeds, watering, and applying fertilizers, especially for fruit-bearing plants- annually 40-50 g of nitroammophoska, 20-30 g of ammonium nitrate per 1 m2. After applying fertilizers, the soil is loosened to a depth of 5-7 cm. Bird cherry also responds well to the application of humus.
Bird cherry plants really need shaping; if this procedure is not carried out, then a spreading and tall tree will grow on your site, which will have weak fruiting. Bird cherry can be formed either from a tree or from a bush. When forming into a tree, immediately after planting, the bird cherry seedling is cut to a height of 65-75 cm, so that the crown lays the first skeletal branches at a low height. Subsequently, no more than 3-4 of the strongest branches with a branching angle of 60-70° are left in the first tier. Excess branches should be cut into a ring without regret. The next (second) tier is laid from 2-4 branches, which should be located at a distance of 40-60 cm from the first tier. As the tree grows, it will be necessary to lay two more tiers, each of which should have 2-3 branches. To prevent the tree from growing too tall, it is better to limit it to 3.5-4 m. Along with this, in no case should the crown be allowed to thicken, nor should thinning or sanitary pruning be carried out. If there are very long shoots in the crown, they need to be shortened to a side branch. Remember that pruning- This is a painful procedure; all cut areas must be isolated with garden varnish.
Shaping with a bush is easier- in this case, each trunk is pruned as part of the entire tree and the root shoots that thicken the plant are systematically removed.
CHARGE HARVEST HARVEST
Harvesting begins when the fruits are fully ripe; unripe ones have a mediocre taste, contain fewer vitamins and are poorly ripened. The easiest way to harvest is with tassels, cutting them off at the base with sharp scissors.
Ripe fruits are stored well in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days. They are consumed fresh and used in processed products; excellent compotes, juices, and wines are made from fresh fruits. The fruits are perfectly preserved when frozen and are ideal when dried.
N. Khromov , Candidate of Biological Sciences
Thursday, August 07, 2014 07:55 + to quote book
How to chop bird cherry berries?
We also really love bird cherry pies and sometimes chopping causes so much trouble, we just don’t have the strength. So, in order to get bird cherry paste of good consistency, you need to do several operations.
First, first grind it in a blender.
Second, then grind it in parts from a blender in a coffee grinder.
And finally, thirdly, this entire mass must be rubbed through a very fine sieve.
This is the only way you can get very tasty pasta without bone fragments.
Http://yagdka.ru/cheremuha.p
The fruits are covered with sugar (500-600 g of granulated sugar per 1 kg of fruits), let stand for a day so that the juice begins to come out. Then the juice is drained, boiled for 15 minutes and rolled up. Store in a cool place.
Housewives should be warned that bird cherry seeds need to be removed, since they contain the alkaloid amygdalin, which, when entering the body, is broken down into hydrocyanic acid - a strong poison.
Rubbed with sugar
Using a juicer attachment, the fruits are minced in a meat grinder. Remove the seeds from the resulting pureed mass and add sugar (1 kg per 1 kg of fruit). Roll up and store in a cool place.
How to shape and trim bird cherry?
After planting, bird cherry seedlings are pruned at a height of 70 cm to lay the foundation of a low crown.
After the formation of branches, the 3-4 most powerful and conveniently located ones are left. Over the course of three years, the central conductor is shortened to 50 cm each time to form the next tier of 3-4 branches. The most powerful annual growths are shortened in the same way.
A peculiarity of Virginia bird cherry is the increased formation of root shoots in the fourth year of life. To organize this growth, it is recommended to leave three offspring at an equal distance from the trunk, which will replace the dying trunk in 5 years. The offspring are formed in the same way as the central conductor, shortening the annual growth to 50 cm, leaving 3-4 of the strongest branches in each tier. The main thing is not to let the bush grow in height. This type of pruning promotes intensive branching. In this regard, it is necessary to cut out competing, thickening and damaged branches and shoots. The sections are covered with oil paint.
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Red bird cherry, another name - Virginia, is named after the state of Virginia (USA), which is the birthplace of the plant. This deciduous shrub or tree is distributed throughout Russia along with the common bird cherry.
Many people associate the onset of spring with the flowering of this crop. At this time, the air is filled with a pleasant aroma, and small flowers collected in fluffy inflorescences are pleasing to the eye. Bird cherry is an excellent honey plant, which is why it is often cultivated near apiary lands.
Popular varieties of red bird cherry
The Schubert variety is considered the most common for growing in private plots. This red bird cherry with glossy leaf blades has decorative properties and is often planted as a garden decoration rather than for picking berries. The plant reaches a height of 6–10 meters, with age it develops a lush, spreading crown, which changes color depending on the season: in summer the leaves are green, and by autumn they acquire a purple or violet hue.
An equally popular variety is Canada Red - a tree reaching a height of 5 meters and having a conical crown shape. At the very beginning of the growing season, the leaves are green, but with the arrival of summer they turn red-violet.
Both varieties are undemanding to the composition of the soil, however, on a fertile piece of land their decorative qualities are revealed more clearly. The juiciness of the berries largely depends on the illumination of the planting site and the regularity of watering.
Planting Virginia bird cherry
Bird cherry planting activities begin in spring or autumn during the period of vegetative dormancy of plants. To grow trees for harvesting, varietal seedlings are purchased from nurseries or from trusted individuals.
Before purchasing, it is important to inspect the plants for signs of disease or rot. Firstly, this will protect you from purchasing non-viable planting material, and secondly, it will protect your garden plot from possible infection. The root shoots of the seedling should be elastic and flexible - this indicates their health and proper storage.
After the young bird cherry is brought home, its rhizome should be placed for half an hour in a container with a root formation stimulator diluted in water, such as Kornevin or Epin. This will help the plant quickly adapt and take root in a new place.
All weak root shoots can be trimmed. In addition, before planting, the stems of the seedling are also cut off, leaving only the 3 strongest and most promising ones - they are shortened to 60–80 centimeters.
Choosing a place for a tree or fruit bush is always a very responsible matter. Since bird cherry loves moisture and in natural conditions often grows on the banks of reservoirs, it is necessary to assign it land with shallow groundwater, in a lowland or in an area that is most abundantly watered during the summer.
The area for growing this crop should be spacious and well lit. Both the decorative qualities of bird cherry and the taste properties of the berries depend on this. With insufficient sunlight, the fruits become smaller and ripen only on the uppermost branches. The crown, in turn, will tend to grow without developing lateral branches.
So, when the optimal solution regarding the choice of landing site has been found, the immediate preparation of the planting pit can begin. It is dug in accordance with the size of the root system of the seedling, but its depth and sides should not be less than half a meter.
When planting fruit bushes and trees, drainage from broken bricks or crushed stone is always laid as the bottom layer; this will protect the plants from rotting roots. The second is to pour out a soil mixture of garden soil, peat and humus. The hole prepared in this way is watered generously and left to shrink for at least a day or two.
After the specified time, a small mound of fertile soil is formed in the hole, on which the bird cherry seedling is carefully placed. Root shoots should be distributed along the steep edges of the elevation, avoiding their kinks and damage. The remaining volume of the pit is gradually filled with soil, which must be compacted to avoid the formation of air bubbles.
Upon completion of the planting procedure, the plant is watered abundantly, a tree trunk circle is formed around it, which is mulched with sawdust or peat to retain moisture on the surface of the earth.
Care rules - watering, fertilizing, pruning
Caring for bird cherry does not involve any additional procedures other than the basic ones, such as: watering, loosening the soil in the tree trunk circle, removing weeds from the planting site, seasonal pruning treatments, and applying fertilizers. Moreover, even these activities are carried out depending on the age of the plants. For example, mature bushes require less moisture and are not afraid of weed growth, and young seedlings do not need annual pruning.
Adult bird cherry trees are watered approximately once every 10 days in dry weather and 2 times a month in normal weather conditions. If the summer turns out to be rainy, the precipitation may be completely sufficient for the development of the plant, and then watering should be avoided.
There are also a number of diseases against which Korbofos is powerless. Knowing the symptoms of each ailment, you can eliminate the problem at the initial stage of its occurrence:
- Cytoporosis - affects wood and contributes to its drying out. The main sign of the presence of this fungus is the formation of white color on the surface of the bark. Bordeaux mixture and copper sulfate solution have proven themselves to be effective in the fight against cytoporosis. Trees are sprayed with these products in the spring for prevention or during the season when lesions are detected.
- Polypores are fungi that cause wood rot. To save the bird cherry, you need to immediately cut off all diseased parts of the tree and treat the damaged areas with a fungicide.
Infected plant fragments must be burned to prevent the disease from developing in the garden.
Pruning – formative and sanitary
Every year in spring, sanitary pruning of trees and shrubs is carried out in the garden. It involves removing plant fragments that have frozen and broken during the winter. If you want to create a certain shape of the tree crown, a formative pruning is necessary.
For example, very often gardeners choose a bowl shape. To do this, cut off all shoots on a young plant except the main one. And when side branches begin to branch off from it, 2 pairs of the most promising ones are selected, growing at approximately the same distance from each other, and the rest are removed.
Next year, a second tier is formed - it is formed by 2 pairs of branches, 40–50 centimeters distant from the main ones. So, every year the gardener cuts off everything unnecessary, leaving 2 pairs of strong side branches to decorate the next tier.
Beneficial and harmful properties of berries, recipes for preparations
The leaves and fruits of red bird cherry are widely used to create preparations for the winter: from them you can prepare tinctures and decoctions, make delicious jam or jam, compote. In addition to their pleasant taste, the berries have many beneficial properties: they have antipyretic and disinfectant effects, are used for colds and sore throats, and help relieve abdominal cramps. Their benefits for boosting the body’s overall immunity in the spring are undeniable.
Despite the existence of a number of indications for the consumption of bird cherry fruits, there are also limitations. The berries have a pronounced astringent effect, and therefore are harmful in large quantities for people suffering from constipation. In addition, it is not recommended to eat them during pregnancy and lactation, although the harm has not been proven.
Red cherry fruit jam
Red cherry fruit jam prepared according to this recipe has a bright taste and amazing color.
Ingredients:
- Red bird cherry berries – 1 kilogram.
- Sugar – 1 kilogram.
Description of preparation:
- 1. First of all, the fruits are carefully separated from the stalk, cleaned of excess sticks and washed thoroughly in cool water. Then the prepared berries are passed through a meat grinder three times until smooth.
- 2. The resulting puree is mixed with a kilogram of granulated sugar, placed in an enamel basin and cooked for an hour over low heat, stirring the mass periodically with a wooden spoon.
- 3. After the jam is ready, it is poured into pre-sterilized glass jars and sealed.
Bird cherry tincture
Tincture of bird cherry berries is used in winter to treat colds, sore throats and other viral infections. It helps lower blood glucose levels and is used to suppress bad cholesterol.
Ingredients:
- Red bird cherry berries - 0.4 kilograms.
- Vodka – 0.5 liters.
- Sugar – 100 grams.
Recipe:
- 1. The bird cherry fruits are thoroughly cleaned of sticks, the seeds are removed from them and washed well under running water.
- 2. Ready-to-use berries are poured into an enamel bowl, the specified amount of sugar is added to them and left for several hours so that they release their juice.
- 3. After the time has passed, vodka is poured into the pan, the whole mass is mixed and sent to a dark and warm place for 3 weeks.
- 4. After the tincture is prepared, it is filtered and bottled. Shelf life - no more than a year.