Cherry variety 'Valery Chkalov': description, reviews

It's worth noting that cherries not only have a distinctive taste, but are also very beneficial for the body. Eating about one hundred grams of berries a day will help replenish vitamin deficiencies and improve your mood. The best cherry variety for growing in the Moscow region.

If you look around the world, you'll find over three hundred different varieties of cherry. In our country, only a hundred predominate. However, there's one excellent variety that began gaining popularity many years ago and has since become a favorite among gardeners and summer residents, especially those with summer cottages in the southern regions. This variety is often called "Valeria," as the original name is too difficult to pronounce, so summer residents decided to shorten the name. This variety was developed back in 1974, and even then it began to be commercially available. At first, summer residents were just trying to plant these trees in their plots. Today, this variety can be found in almost every garden.

Detailed description of the variety

The "Valery Chkalov" cherry tree deserves a closer look. According to the variety description and reviews, it can grow into a fairly large tree, with the trunk often reaching five meters in height, and in rare cases, plants reaching six meters. The tree's crown is quite wide and has abundant foliage, which completely covers the berries forming on the branches. The crown itself is characterized by a moderate spread, which is why gardeners plant other cherry varieties nearby. The resulting fruits become quite large after ripening, each berry weighing up to eight grams, which is quite large for a cherry.

The fruits are usually very wide and heart-shaped, with the juice being a fairly intense shade of red, and the berries themselves turning a very dark burgundy when ripe. The interior flesh is also significantly richer in color, and the fruit's density is medium, making them suitable not only for fresh consumption but also for preserves.

If the "Valery Chkalov" cherry tree is planted correctly in a plot, according to the variety description and reviews, the first fruits can be enjoyed in just five years. It's worth noting that this variety bears fruit quite early, which is why it's considered an early variety. The berries most often begin to ripen in the first half of the first month of summer, but without a pollinator, this variety will not bear fruit. Therefore, you'll need to plant other cherry varieties in the plot or pollinate the plants yourself. If planting is possible, it's best to use varieties such as Aprelka, Skorospelka, or Iyunskaya Rannyaya. Revna cherry, they begin to bloom at the same time as Valeria, which will allow for sufficient pollination.

Regarding the frost resistance of the "Valery Chkalov" cherry, according to the variety description and reviews, the tree itself can survive temperatures down to a maximum of twenty degrees below zero. However, if the outside temperature drops to -24 degrees, about thirty percent of the buds may remain intact, meaning a harvest will be possible next year, albeit in very small quantities. The yield of this variety is very attractive, as a single tree yields about thirty-five kilograms of fruit in a single fruiting season. Such figures are only observed in northern regions; if the tree grows in the southern parts of the country, its yield doubles.

What are the pros and cons of this variety?

Without a doubt, the main advantage is the ideal taste of ripe fruits, which are very sweet and considered dessert varieties. This plant also produces fruit much earlier than most other cherry trees. However, there are some drawbacks, such as low frost resistance, and the tree is often susceptible to various diseases; if not treated promptly, the plant dies. Because frost resistance is quite low, gardeners must find ways to insulate the plant, especially in northern regions. This variety definitely requires proper feeding and thorough watering, so gardeners will need to take care of these in advance.