Cherries have the delightful habit of ripening earlier in the season than many other fruits, but the blossoms alone make this tree a prize.
Varieties
You can pick from two kinds of cherry trees: sweet or sour. (Sour is also sometimes called tart or pie cherries.) The needs and characteristics of the two are somewhat different.
Sweet cherries need a second variety for pollination. (Stella is an exception.) Bing, Lambert, and Napoleon will not pollinate each other; they need another variety, such as Black Tartarian, planted with them. Or set out Yellow Glass--a yellow-fruited variety.
Sweet cherries are generally available only in standard size. The trees tend to be larger than sour cherries and branching is more up-right. Train branches of new trees to grow horizontally--instead of upright--by bracing them apart with a board; you'll get fruit on younger trees. Sweet varieties grow more slowly than other fruit trees and require less pruning to keep them productive.
Sour cherries are best known for their use in pies and preserves. They're hardier in cold-climate areas, more resistant to drought, and more compact and spreading than their sweet relatives. Pie or sour cherry trees will bear well without a pollinator. They come in dwarf and semi-dwarf sizes, as well as standard. Among the standard-size sour cherries, Montmorency is one of the best. Early Richmond and Suda are also good. Dwarfs North Star and Meteor are best for small lots. (You'll also find a somewhat taller semi-dwarf North Star.)
Planting
All cherry varieties need well-drained soil. Sweet cherries are especially sensitive to soggy soil.
Plant sour types in late fall in mild climates and in early spring elsewhere, 20 to 25 feet between trees. Sweet varieties should be set in the ground in the spring, 25 to 30 feet between trees.
Standard sour cherry trees need three to five years until they will bear; standard sweet take four to seven; genetic dwarf (those bred for small size) take only two or three.
Care and feeding
After planting young trees, cut back branches to three or four strong, wide-angled limbs on opposite sides of the trunk. Keep both sweet and sour kinds trimmed to a modified central leader. Prune annually in late winter or early spring. Sour cherries may become so dense you'll have to remove limbs in the center to allow sunlight to reach the middle of the tree.
No fertilizer is needed while the young tree is taking hold. Once established, yearly applications of a 5-10-10 or 10-10-10 commercial fertilizer will keep growth vigorous and the yields mouth-watering.
Insects and disease
Flocks of birds are by far the greatest pests attacking the cherry tree. The most effective deterrent is nylon or a cheesecloth netting draped and tied over the tree just as the fruit begins to ripen.
Harvesting
As cherries ripen, their color gets deeper. Both sweet and sour varieties should be left on the tree until mature.
