We used to have this beautiful cherry tree at my grandmothers when we were growing up that most of us kids could climb at the same time and had the very best cherries for making pies then it got black (something??) Now that I have my place I have been dreaming of having my own cherry tree but have no idea what kind is best, does it need a mate ( like blueberries bushes), etc? and how long does it take to bear fruit usually? say 5-10 years growth?
Some sweet cherry trees are self fertile, others not. Check before you buy. It can take many years to grow if you have the tree on standard rootstock. If you select a proper rootstock, you may accelerate the time to bear fruit. Here in the Chicago area, we tried a Stella Sweet Cherry, which was a self fertile tree. Unfortunately, it grew quite rapidly, but only produced a handful of cheeries, so we pulled it out. Our Montmorency Sour Cherry does much better here. It is also self fruitful and is a consistent producer every year, even growing in a space with limited sunlight.
Sherw> We used to have this beautiful cherry tree at my grandmothers when we were
Thank you Brian I did check out one place today and the price kind of threw me a bit but now I have a place to start on price and size. I am off to check my usual garden center
Thanks Sherwin, I think I am looking for a sour cherry tree as well ( makes better pies). I will look into the Montmorency when I g to my local nursery
That's why I said, "*fairly* mature."
My Morello tree had quite a large netted rootball but was easily hefted into the back of my car from the plant nursery.
It's cropping well this year.
We had a Montmarency at the other place. The best pies ever.
From Mel & Donnie in Bluebird Valley
A good sour cherry is Bali, probably known in Canada as Evans. It was developed by Dr. Evans at the University of Saskatchewan. It's self-fertile and it's a wonderful pie cherry.
Your grandmothers tree may have gotten Black Canker.
Jan in Alaska USDA Zone 3
PS: I'm grafting Bali scionwood to a Mayday Tree rootstock today. It's an experiment : )
I went out and bought one over the weekend and have it all planted in :).
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