Sour cherry 'Morello'

Sour cherry 'Morello' (Prunus cerasus 'Morello') is a cultivar of sour cherry. Bred in Greece. Very popular in England, where it has been grown for more than 400 years. The cultivar has been awarded the prestigious Award of Garden Merit.

It is a deciduous tree 3.7–4.6 m in height. Crown pyramidal. Bark brown, smooth, glossy, decorative.

Leaves petiolate, broadly elliptic, pointed, dark green above, lighter beneath, with serrated margins, acute.

The cultivar is self-fertile and does not require pollinators. Flowers white, fragrant, borne in umbel-like inflorescences of 2–3 flowers. Sepals and petals 5, stamens 15–20, pistil 1. Flowers in April–May.

Fruits are large, sweet-and-sour globose drupes of dark red color, up to 9 cm in diameter, smooth and glossy. Fruits ripen in August–September. Yield up to 35 kg from one tree.

Cold hardiness: 8a (-12°C)

Location: The cherry can grow and fruit well in one place for 15–16 years. Grows excellently on slopes with abundant sun, dry soil and no shallow groundwater (minimum groundwater depth - 2–2.5 m). Prefers neutral to slightly alkaline soil, does better on light soils. Resistant to drought, high humidity and frosts.

Planting: distance to neighboring trees for vigorous cultivars - 4 m, for less vigorous cultivars - 3 m.

Diseases: high resistance to diseases, including milky shine and bacterial canker.

Pests: brown fruit mite, cherry fruit fly, cherry shoot moth, cherry sawfly, cherry slug sawfly, cherry tube-maker, sapwood borer, western bark beetle, winter moth, ringed silkworm, red apple mite, gypsy moth, fruit moth, cherry leafroller, tussock moth, a geometer moth species ("pяденица обдирало"), fruit striped moth, cherry aphid.

Care: cultivation of the soil around the tree trunk, watering (autumn moisture-charging irrigation), application of fertilizers, prevention of diseases and pests, pruning of branches, whitewashing of trunks. It is recommended to perform autumn loosening of the soil near the trunk to a depth of up to 8 cm and at the crown periphery up to 20 cm. Complex fertilizers can be applied once every 2 months.

Propagation: propagated by grafting onto sour cherry rootstock. Can be grafted onto dwarf rootstocks, for example Colt and Gisella.

Uses: an ideal cultivar for making jams, preserves, baking, sauces, wine, and for freezing. Fruits are suitable for transport, have an attractive appearance and high taste quality.