Banquet

The Banquet cherry variety is a medium-sized tree with a wide-rounded, raised crown, reaching heights from 3 to 6 meters. The leaves are large and serrated, and the tree prefers sunny locations with fertile soil, not tolerating clayey soils and windy areas. Banquet has high winter hardiness of floral buds and medium resistance to diseases such as cockle and moniliosis. The variety is partially self-fertile, but for better pollination, it is recommended to plant several varieties nearby, as it is cross-pollinated.

Banquet cherry fruits have a dark red color and a blunt-heart-shaped or oval shape with a small elongated pit. They are juicy, fleshy, and sweet-sour with a slight acidity, weighing about 3.6 grams. The fruits contain about 15.6% dry matter, 12.42% sugars, and 1.39% acids, which provides a tasting evaluation of fresh fruits at the level of 4.5 points. The ripening period is early – around mid-June, which allows the fruits to be used universally, both for fresh consumption and for processing.

The variety has a high yield and can reach from 7 to 10 kilograms per tree under average conditions and up to 80 kilograms with optimal care. Banquet cherry is recommended for cultivation in the Central, Central-Black Earth, and Middle-Volga regions, where it shows good winter hardiness and fruiting indicators. This variety will be an excellent choice for gardeners who want to obtain an early and quality harvest of tasty and juicy berries.