How to Grow Cherries: The Complete Guide

Now, that's an Almanac-y kind of question. We would say "cherry picking" is the act of picking only the best fruits and then making the assumption that all fruits are of equal quality. Sweet cherries are indeed tasted for maturity. We wouldn't say all cherries are ready at exactly the same time, but you will likely be picking cherries every other day for a week. 

Yes, a cherry should grow from a seed. However, growing a cherry tree from rootstock is the preferred method because it can take 10 years or more to get the first fruits from a cherry tree grown from seed. And planting a pit from a cherry purchased from a grocery store or farmer's market isn't recommended either because those cherries tend to be hybrid varieties, so you'd most certainly want an "heirloom" variety.

U have to "stratify the seed in your freezer for the winter to mimic a cold winter"; the seeds have to be cold to sprout in spring;

If the tree is bare-root and dormant, plant it as soon as the ground is no longer frozen and the soil is workable. (This could be April or May, depending on the year.) Bare-root trees should be planted as soon as possible.

For potted trees, wait until after the threat of spring frost has passed to plant.

No, the mature fruit will fall off the tree on its own (or be eaten by birds) and its presence doesn't affect whether or not the tree flowers and fruits again.

Hi Richard,
A good size to start with would be a 5-foot-tall cherry tree, which would need a 15-gallon container.  

We are new at planting trees at all and have planted a variety of fruit trees. Do we need to have our agriculture center come check them out? Someone told us we have to do this to make sure they are not disease infected due to the many orange groves around us. Also, it is bearing cherries now but falling off tree. It is only about 4 ft. tall and was blooming when we purchased it from nursery. Planted it in a sunny area with other fruit trees. Stopped bearing and now is bearing again. We are in zone 9. Southern Florida Thanks so much for any info.

Some cherries don't do well when it gets close to -20F, or colder than USDA Hardiness Zone 5. The Catskills region should be OK. Catskill, NY, for example, is Zone 6a. Lexington, NY, is Zone 5a. But north into the Adirondacks, it would likely be too cold. To check the hardiness zone in your area, http://www.almanac.com/content/planting-zones-us-and-canada">see here.

Tart cherries are usually a little more hardy than sweet cherries (which also require another variety for pollination). For best advice for cherry varieties that grow in your area, you might want to contact your county's Cooperative Extension service. http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-serv...">A good starting point is here.

At the Cornell Cooperative Extension Web site, you can select your county, and then browse for articles about fruit tree growing, as well as contact information to call for advice.

Buying locally, such as from garden nurseries in your area, may enable you to purchase trees that have adapted to your local climate. Mail order nurseries that specialize in fruit trees, however, may give you a wider range of varieties to choose from. Growing from a seed found in a fruit that you bought from a grocery store would likely not be satisfactory, as if it were a hybrid, the offspring may not exhibit the same characteristics of the parent. Also, trees from a nursery may be grafted onto a hardy rootstock, which a home-grown cherry from seed would not. Seeds may also need a cold treatment before they germinate, and of course it would take more years before the trees produce fruit.

Hope this helps!

If you are planting Montmorency tart cherries, this is a self-fruitful variety. http://treefruit.wsu.edu/web-article/sweet-cherry-pollina...">See here. Our best educated guess is that you should be fine, but we suggest you consult the source of your tart cherry tree.

Sour or tart cherry trees may survive for 20 to 25 years. We would wonder if your tree is diseased (from insects or a fungus)? Have you had late frosts that kill the buds?  Is the tree still in the full sun or have some shade trees started to provide coverage?

Sorry to hear about your bird problem! Cherry trees only bear fruit once a year, so it looks like you'll need to wait until next summer for another harvest, unfortunately. 

As for the bird netting, you will have to consult your local town or municipal office to find out what's allowed in your area. If used for only a brief period of time, I don't see it resulting in any problems. (Unless you've got nosy neighbors, of course.)

Sour cherry trees are not generally grown in southern California as there aren't enough chill hours. It's only sweet cherries which require cross-pollination; sour cherries are self-fertile.

two kinds possible that i know of: an iranian variety that paradise nursery sells (northridge), and a spanish variety (cristobalina) that the arboreum co sells

Given that your tree is brand new, there will be less maintenance involved this year as there might be in the future, when you should remove old fruit and prune dead branches before winter arrives. Assuming you have selected a cold hardy variety, you shouldn't have much to worry about, unless your winters typically get colder than -10°F for sustained periods of time. In any case, it would be a good idea to add an approximately 2 to 3-inch layer of mulch around the base of the tree to give it some extra insulation for the winter. Bark or wood chip mulch is best, and leaving a ring around the base of the tree open is recommended to protect from rodent pests (you can also wrap a layer of hardware cloth fencing around the base to prevent damage). You'll want to remove the mulch as soon as fear of spring frosts have waned, as it can prevent the necessary warming of the roots by the sun. http://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/67/Corn...">See this guide by Cornell University for more great information.

If deer are a problem in your area, your young cherry trees may be in danger without protection. Deer like to eat young leaves and buds, and will also eat fruit. They may also rub against the bark on older trees. When competition for food is fierce, deer may eat a wider variety of plants. It might be best to plant inside the fenced area, if that fence is deer-proof. Or, protect your trees from deer in other ways, especially while the trees are becoming established.

In large amounts, fallen fruit can provide a home to fungi and diseases, as well as attract insects like yellow jackets (which no one wants). If the cherries are just here and there, then cleaning them up is probably not worth the effort, but if the cherries completely cover the lawn, then it would be a good idea to clean them up and compost them, if possible.

Has it gotten enough water? Be sure to water deeply. Was there a heat wave recently? The tree is clearly under some type of stress, whether from weather, pests, disease, or cultural or physical damage. Check the root zone--has there been any disturbance recently? If watering doesn't work, and the trunk and branches don't appear damaged, and the root zone is undisturbed, it might be a disease--several cause wilting/drying leaves in cherries, unfortunately. In this case, you might want to prune out dead branches. Also keep in mind that most sweet cherry varieties need to cross-pollinate with another cherry tree to produce fruit. If you know your cherry’s cultivar, check to see if it’s a self-pollinating variety, and if it’s not, you will need to get an additional tree.

Hi George,

There are many reasons why the fruit on your cherry trees dropped, but some are out of your control and not your fault. It is hard to tell what caused the problem. The first reason is that if there is an excessive load, a tree will thin the fruit itself to reduce strain and to reserve more energy for the remaining fruit. It could be from frost damage to the buds, causing the flowers to form undeveloped fruit, or lack of pollination from bees. Bees are in decline in recent years due to habitat loss, pesticide and herbicide use, and fluctuating temperatures and weather. 

Far be it from us to tell you that you could not grow anything! You have more success than a lot of people in prime growing areas! Now, about your question: So far as we can tell Prunus avium 'Stella' is dwarf to semi-dwarf (height estimates range from 7 feet to about 15 feet), hardy in Canada to zone 5—although one US vendor says it's hardy to US zone 4 (the north central area), so it might do ok in your area. Stella is also a "universal" pollen source, bless her heart.

We are getting less information about Royal Ann (aka Napoleon): In the US it is hardy to zone 5 (–10 to –20°F) and/or it requires 700 chilling hours below 45°F. Finally! Canadian nurser GreenBarnNursery says Napoleon is hardy to Zone 4 (–30°C).

Every source suggests that both fruits are mouth-wateringly delicious. So it might be worth a try...! And if you get a crop, send us a few! ;-)

Hi Claudette,

In order for your Bing cherry tree to produce fruit, you will need another variety of sweet cherry to cross-pollinate. There are some varieties that are incompatible with Bing cherries, such as Lambert, Royal Ann, Star, and Emperor Francis. Look for varieties that self-pollinate, or that are strong pollination matches with Bing, which include Sam, Rainier, Van, and BlackGold. Plant the trees within 100 feet of each other to ensure they cross-pollinate. As for the tree age, it's hard to tell. Try and get one of similar size to the tree you have. Good luck!

There are quite a few things that could have caused your cherry tree to drop its blossoms. Lack of water, insufficient pollination, and frost damage are some of the most common problems (though the latter seems unlikely in Southern California). However, it could also be the case that your cherry tree is not a self-pollinating variety. Most sweet cherry varieties need to cross-pollinate with another cherry tree to produce fruit. If you know your cherry's cultivar, check online to see if it's a self-pollinating variety, and if it's not, you will need to get an additional tree.

Regarding fertilizer, a 10-10-10 mix is best, applied in early spring.

Apparently it's not uncommon for cherries to leave the tree. Reasons include that the tree has set more fruit than it has water and nutrients to support. Smaller fruit and that which has not been completely pollinated is first to fall. In fact, the fruit left on the tree, the smaller each will be at maturity (no, that does not hold the promise of one giant cherry!). June drop is nature's way of thinning the crop to enable the best fruits to survive.

Hi Crystal,

The front lawn is a good place to plant cherry trees as long as they will be away from any paved driveways or structures, and have good air circulation. As for the question of if watering the lawn twice a week would be bad for the trees, it depends on how much water you use and how well your soil drains. Young cherry trees have undeveloped root systems close to the surface which means they are more susceptible to over watering, especially if the soil does not drain well. They each need about 5 gallons of water twice a week.

Do you know how many gallons of water you use each week to water the lawn? Are you watering with a hose by hand, or with a sprinkler system? If you do so with a hose by hand, simply water the trees directly first, and then avoid them when watering the rest of the lawn. If you have a sprinkler system, change the direction of the sprinklers so they face away from the trees and then water their roots by hand later.

We hope this helps!

In our area some people are reporting fruit theft from trees planted in their front yards! Crazy I know, but some people are raiding fruit trees in the late late night hours or very early morning hours, to the point of clearing out all fruit... Why on earth would someone do that? So I've decided to plant my fruit trees in the back yard only ~ Best of Luck!

Lapin cherry trees are indeed self-fertile.  They should fruit by five years. If this is not happening, there are other reasons. Did the tree flower? If not, is the tree being pruned too severely? It is important not to cut off the spurs or short shoots on which flowers form.  Did the tree flower but not fruit? If the tree does not require another pollinator (as in this case), the problem could be cold and/or wet weather during bloom, which reduces the activity of pollinator insects, preventing the transfer of pollen. Such weather conditions also prevent pollen tube growth in the female parts of the flower. We hope this advice is helpful and would suggest contacting your tree nursery. 

The short answer is yes. However, it will require a bit of work and commitment in terms of wrapping the tree for protection every year. We suggest contacting a local tree expert/arborist to ask about the success rate of bing cherry tree-growing in your region. People who have had success can often provide all kinds of helpful how-to hints that they have learned from trial and error. Best of luck with your bings!

Try the Romance Series of cherries developed by U of Saskatchewan for cold climates. They are the sour variety, but the 'Juliet' and 'Crimson Passion' types have high sugar content: 18-22 brix.

Texas A&M recommends sour cherry trees for your region, specifically Prunus cerasus 'Montmorency'. They are highly ornamental and would make a nice addition to a landscape.

Hi Samuel,

Cherry trees that bear sweet fruit grow well in Zones 5 through 7, so you should be OK in choosing a sweeter variety. Yes, purchase from a local nursery. Ask for a disease-resistant, field-grown (balled and burlapped) tree that is a few years old. On average, trees start bearing fruit in their third or fourth year; and they enjoy full sun.

Hi Laura,

Since you are willing to have an arborist come take a look, go ahead and do that.  When it comes to trees, it is very difficult to diagnose issues without being on site. With such a mature tree, it is not likely to be a water issue. An arborist will check for signs of disease improper pruning cuts, and cultural factors that may be impacting fruit production. Good luck!

Hi Maika,

The cherries you and your family enjoyed were most likely from nursery-grown trees with grafted root stocks. If you want trees to bear fruit within the next year or two, I highly recommend starting with a field-grown tree, which will be two to three years old already. Planting your seeds will not likely result in fruiting trees. On the other hand, you can always try growing them just for fun! And the rainy season in California is a good time to plant.

They may be suffering from transplant shock. (Healthy plants can take a few weeks to show signs of shock. Trees can exhibit symptoms for months.) Add to that possibly alkaline soil and a hard frost, and it makes sense they are flagging. Given them some more time to establish. Having your soil tested is always a good idea.

Sweet cherries are not self-fertile and need another sweet cherry variety for cross pollination. Sour cherries are self-fertile and you only need one. See our planting and care information above. The varieties mentioned above will all grow well in California.

Hi, Laura, your very best resource on this topic may not be far from you. We looked into the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the Univeristy of Texas at Austin http://web126.cc.utexas.edu/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRSEE">and found this information.

We suggest that you contact the Center for more about this or other ideas they might propose to you.There is a contact "button" on the Web page link above.

Rainier cherries are hardy to zone 4 and we believe that they should survive in your region. Rainier cherries need another tree to bear fruit. Good choices are Bing, Black Tartarian, Craig's Crimson, and Lapins.

Autumn is often recommended as the best time to plant trees, but you should plant when you can—ad ive the tree the best conditions conducive to its thriving. Plant in spring, and be sure that you water it adequately (read the label and other information here). The challenge with planting in spring is (among others) that summer comes and people forget about the new tree or figure it'll take care of itself. It won't; you need to help it, esp with water.

Hope this helps—

Hi Kathleen,

If planted in a windy area, stake each cherry tree so it will grow straight.

Good luck!

The Dwarf Stellar Cherry Tree grows in Plant Hardiness Zones 5 to 9.  Your zone would be more tropical and best suit tropical trees. That said, we've never grown this plant in the U.S. Virgin Islands so we would suggest you check with a local garden nursery! 

Hi, Peter: This is tough to answer without knowing what your cross-pollinator is and where you are, but certainly a pH of 6.5 should be fine. Do some research and make sure that you have a cross-pollinator that works well with Rainier (Bing is a good one). Make sure that you are pruning/trimming the trees (in late summer) such that you are encouraging one main trunk stock with fruiting branches coming off it, rather than allowing larger branches to develop. Mulch your trees with 1 inch of 50/50 garden compost and well-rotted manure, refreshing this each spring. The other thing is to fertilize your trees in late summer with 1 to 2 pounds per tree of 10-10-10 fertilizer scratched into the mulch and watered well. That's it, though: Overfertilizing is as bad as under-. Good luck!

You can grow a cherry tree from a pit however it will take 7 to 10 years to grow. Also, you can't use the cherries from grocery stores because they are stored in a way that makes them unreliable. You need to go to a farmers market or use cherries from a tree growing in your area.

It's really best to buy a 1-year-old tree from a fruit tree nursery for a good start. Grafting your seedling onto an already mature tree could also reduce the waiting time, but note that the seedling you grow will not be the same cherry as the "parent." This is another reason why it's better to research the variety of cherries that you like and then mail order a small tree. 

Pollination may be the problem. You need to make sure that the pots are in an area where insects can pollinate them. https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/barbados_cherry.html">You can read more about caring for the cherry trees.

Hi Andrea,

It's best to prune the cherry tree when it is dormant, in the winter.

You can plant the cherry tree in the fall but don't wait for late fall. The tree needs to establish itself before the ground freezes. Sweet cherries usually need another cherry tree for pollination. Sour cherries are self-fruitful. A goo sour cherry is Montmorency. Some sweet varieties are Viva, Bing, Vogue, and Stella.

Hi, Scott: Sorry to hear! Rainiers can be rather fragile, particularly when it comes to the effects of too much water. If such is the case, there's not much to be done for now. But another possibility is some sort of disease such as Virticillium wilt, so just to be on the safe side, try applying an organic fungicide. Good luck!

Jen, am from baguio city. Unintentionally, i brought home seeds of sweet cherry trees from abroad. Thought, it wouldnt grow but it did. It is already 2 years old now, looks healthy. i wish it will bear fruits in the future. if u want to see a photo of it, my number is 09307801298.

Cherry trees are not produced commercially in Texas and, generally, do not fare well in home gardens. Some folks have had success with a cultivar of sour cherries (Prunus cerasus) called Montmorency. You'd plant in January/February.

Bacterial canker ususally affects young trees. You should destroy the tree and not attempt to salvage any shoots/suckers; the problem is systematic—probably througout it. Our advice would be to discard the fruit in the trash and do not eat any more. We don't know if it made you sick, or the thought of the possibility made you feel ill, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Remember: the problem is systematic, so in all parts of the tree.

Well, that's ambitious! Here's some advice from the FLorida Extension (not Texas, no, but not far): Cherry, Peach, and Plum (Prunus species) - Harvest fruit when full mature. Remove the seed. Seed may be sown in the fall or stratified seed may be planted in the spring. Stratify the seeds at 33 to 41 F. The sour cherry (Prunus cerasus) requires 90 to 150 days, the peach (Prunus persica) 98 to 105 days, and European plum (Prunus domestica) 90 days. Seed of plums and peaches should be planted 2 inches deep. Sow the seed of sour cherry at a depth of 1/2 inch. (Like the apples and crabapples, the seed of most cultivated cherries, plums, and peaches will not reproduce true from seed.)

Other fun—and easier—things to grow: Carrot tops: slice off the top, put it into a shallw plate of water (enough to keep its bottom/base wet), and watch for greens to sprout. Or grow lettuce: you'll need seed and seed-starting soil ("dirt" is too heavy), but the germination time is fast and the leaves are edible in days. Or try the avocado seed trick: clean the seed, stick toothicks into the sides and suspend the seed on the picks on the edge of a drinking glass, filled with enough water to wet the bottom 1//3 to 1/2. The seed should sprout from the top. You won't have an avocada tree for years. . . and the same for the cherry.

Have fun—

Hi moving into a homesite in central Idaho Supposedly zone 6. There are 3old large trees here that are producing small hard cherries (guessing 20 years) Did u get any feed back on your request ?? Thanks ly

Hi moving into a homesite in central Idaho Supposedly zone 6. There are 3old large trees here that are producing small hard cherries (guessing 20 years) Did u get any feed back on your request ?? Thanks ly

Sirish jee kaha se cherry kharida apne?

We're not sure what type of wild cherry tree you have, but they generally bloom at a different times than the other cherry trees so I'm not sure they'd cross-pollinate since they bloom times don't overlap.

Do you have bees on the wild cherry trees?  Because the wild cherries bloom early and honey bees will not forage below 15°C or in windy or damp conditions, fruit set can definitely suffer. You need the bees.

Birds and pollinators do love wild cherry trees so the trees are still working hard for your garden even if they don't fruit well.

Hi Luz,

Rainier cherries grow best in cool climates and need a cold dormant period to produce well. Not sure how your trees are going to do in Puerto Rico. A few good pollinators for the Rainier cherry are Bing, Craig's Crimson, Black Tartarian, and Lapins.

Hi, Ann: At this stage, digging them up might be a little dicey, but not any more so than leaving them as is, which would mean for sure either that some or one would outcompete the others or that you would have a pruning nightmare to keep them all healthy -- or both. Sometimes it's possible to go with 3 or 4 different varieties of the same fruit in the same hole, which facilitates cross-pollination, but 6 of the same type is trouble on a number of levels. We would carefully replant. Good luck!

A Van cherry tree is self-sterile and needs a pollination partner nearby. Stella or Lapins are popular choices.

Calendula, borage, zinnias, and cosmos are good choices. Sweet alyssum will attract hoverflies, which eat aphids. 

Another option to control aphids in fruit trees is to spray with insecticidal soap or with horticultural oil.

Yes,  Lapins are suitable for Bing cherry tree pollinization. They have overlapping bloom times. Your trees are plenty close enough.

I forgot to ask what fertilizer I should use, as well. Thanks.

I live in Southeast Texas and we had an aphid problem. After doing a little research, we used Neems Oil. You mix it with water and spray it on the affected plants every 7 - 14 days, depending on the severity of the problem, until the threat is gone. It works well on roses too. It helps Remove and prevent white powder mildew, black spots, aphids and a variety of other issues.

Yes it is important to prune cherry trees to promote blossoms and fruit setting. http://www.naturehills.com/about-garden-plants/pruning-ch...">Please see here for helpful pruning advice.

Several cultivars with overlapping bloom times are good for Bing pollinization including Rainier, Montmorency, Lapins, Stella, Black Tartarian, Black Republican, Van, Sam and Windsor.

It's really just new trees that suffer. You can protect the tree with a circular fence until it gets strong enough to withstand some browsing. You can also spray an egg-based repellent. If you transplant it, the best time is usually spring (March). 

Hi John,

The montmorency cherry usually blooms in spring and you harvest the cherries in midsummer. Your tree has probably spent the spring and summer in a nursery and is a bit confused. The blooms on the tree are not going to be able to produce any cherries with the cold weather moving in and less daylight. Hopefully it will bloom again in the spring.

Best time to prune a cherry trees is before it begins growing in the spring. Cut the tree while it is dormant in late winter to early spring. Dead or diseased branches can be pruned anytime.

Cindy, There are some cherry trees that can grow in Panama City, FL, with the right care. Your zone is 8B. Search online nurseries by your zone. http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/cherry-trees">Here is an example of several cherry varieties that can grow in your zone. We hope that this is helpful.

It would be hard to identify the tree, and especially the variety, without a sample--there are lots of cherry species and cultivars, as well as cherry lookalikes. We'd suggest that you take a sample (flower or fruit, and a branch with some leaves showing how they are arranged on the branch) to your local garden nursery. A horticulturist there might be able to give you some advice. Good luck!

Has it gotten enough water? Be sure to water deeply. Was there a heat wave recently? The tree is clearly under some type of stress, whether from weather, pests, disease, or cultural or physical damage, such as to the base of the trunk when mowing (which sometimes happens). Check the root zone--has there been any disturbance recently? If watering doesn't work, and the trunk and branches don't appear damaged, and the root zone is undisturbed, it might be a disease--several cause wilting/drying leaves in cherries, unfortunately. In this case, you might want to prune out infected branches (unless too widespread) to see if this prevents it from overtaking the entire tree.

Do you mean Barbados cherry trees (Malpighia glabra, aka M. punicifolia)? If so, http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/barbados_cherry...">you might be interested in this growing information.

In general, choose a site in full sun to partial shade (full sun is better for fruiting) with fertile, well-drained soil. It is hardy in USDA Zones 9 to 11.

What type of cherry tree is it? Some cherry trees need a second cherry tree of a different type to produce cherries. Some cherry trees are self pollinating and don't need a second tree for example a Stella cherry tree is self-pollinating.