Few to whom this berry is unfamiliar, growing on the low bushes with velvety leaves. As a child, it was very convenient to tear these tiny cherries - you do not have to reach out and climb a tree. Grandparents for their grandchildren planted and planted this plant in their gardens, perhaps because of one of its popular names - a children's cherry.
Felted cherry - description
It turns out that the name "Chinese" is also not quite scientific. In fact, this bushlike kind of cherry is called felt . Just the birthplace of this plant - China, and from there it spread in time to all over the world.
Felt cherry is so called due to a slight pubescence on shoots, sheets and berries. The variety has many advantages, such as consistently high yields, resistance to colds, decorative appearance, early ripening of fruits.
Collecting cherries is very convenient, especially since they never crumble. Besides, the Chinese cherry has a lot of useful properties. So in berries there is a large amount of carbohydrates, vitamins PP and B, as well as organic acids. Vitamin C in felt cherry is 1.5 times more than in other varieties, and in terms of iron content, it "surpasses" apples.
In addition to consumer properties, cherry has excellent decorative characteristics and these bushes often adorn hedges, borders, patches. Unfortunately, the plant can not boast a long life expectancy - on average, it grows 10 years. But by rejuvenating pruning this term can be extended almost twice.
Cultivation of a felt cherry
If you want to grow this berry on your site, choose for planting fertile and acid neutral soils with a good drainage system. Remember that a plant does not like excessive moisture - it sometimes leads not only to a decrease in fruiting, but also to the death of a bush.
A Chinese or felt cherry likes a lot of sunlight, so shaded areas do not fit it. To achieve good pollination and fruiting, it is better to plant several copies and several varieties on the site.
The rules for caring for Chinese cherries are quite simple. Bushes need fertilizing in the period immediately after flowering. Potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen and organic fertilizers will be needed. To avoid oxidation of the soil, it must be lime once every five years.
Every year the crown of the plant needs to be thinned, leaving a dozen of the strongest shoots. Fruiting cherry will begin already after 3 years after planting. From one bush you can collect about 4 kilograms of harvest.