Prunus avium
Sweet cherry
Common names: Wild cherry
Description
The sweet cherry gives you plump, sweet fruits straight from the tree in high summer, a pleasure no bought cherry matches. Most cultivars need a suitable pollinator nearby; self-fertile cultivars such as ‘Lapins’ bear on their own too. On a weakly growing rootstock the tree stays harvestable even in a small garden.
Care instructions
Plant it in autumn or spring in a sunny, airy spot with deep, well-drained soil. Prune exclusively in summer directly after the harvest (July, week 28), because winter pruning raises the risk of the dreaded monilia and of gummosis. Stretch a net over smaller trees before ripening, otherwise the birds get there first.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, well-drained, nutrient-rich
Feeding
Medium feeder
Pruning
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
Some of these explanations were machine-translated.
Diseases & pests
7 relevantFrom the knowledge base, automatically linked by affected species. How to spot and prevent them is covered in full in the lexicon.
Aphidoidea
You will find that aphids are the most common sucking pests in your garden.
More on AphidsOperophtera brumata
You will notice the Small Winter Moth in spring by its green caterpillars that, when crawling, have a cat's hump appearance.
More on Small Winter MothDrosophila suzukii
The Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) is a small fruit fly that, unlike native species, pierces healthy, still ripening fruits with its serrated ovipositor to lay eggs.
More on Spotted Wing DrosophilaRhagoletis cerasi
You will see that the cherry fruit fly lays its eggs in mid May in sweet cherries that are just turning yellow; the hatched larva feeds inside the fruit and makes the cherry soft and rotting.
More on Cherry fruit flyMonilia fructigena
Brown rot makes ripening fruit rot brown on the tree and in store. Cushion like spore pustules arranged in rings form on the rotten patches.
More on Brown rot (fruit rot)Monilia laxa
Blossom wilt infects stone fruit through the open flower and travels from there into the shoot. Affected blossoms and shoot tips wilt abruptly and dry up brown, as if frost had caught them.
More on Blossom wilt (Monilia twig blight)Wilsonomyces carpophilus
Shot hole disease is caused by the fungus Wilsonomyces carpophilus and attacks above all stone fruit such as cherry, plum, peach and apricot.
More on Shot hole diseaseVarieties
10 varieties‚Büttners Rote Knorpelkirsche’
You will find *‚Büttners Rote Knorpelkirsche’* to be a very old German variety with bright red to yellow‑red, firm…
‚Burlat’
With *‚Burlat’* you start the cherry season, it is one of the earliest varieties and usually ripe by early June.
‚Hedelfinger Riesenkirsche’
The Hedelfinger Riesenkirsche is an old Swabian classic and a robust, vigorously growing tree that still crops reliably in harsh locations.
‚Kordia’
Kordia is one of the best late dessert cherries, with dark, heart shaped, very firm fruits and a strong, full aroma.
‚Lapins’
Lapins is a self fertile late cultivar and therefore perfect if you only want to plant a single cherry tree.
‚Regina’
Regina is the late market variety par excellence and a very dependable choice for the home garden: large, firm, dark…
‚Schneiders Späte Knorpelkirsche’
Schneiders Späte Knorpelkirsche is one of the best known old German dessert cherries, with large, glossy dark red, firm fruits and a fine aroma.
‚Summit’
Summit is a mid early ripening variety with strikingly large, heart shaped fruits and a very sweet, juicy flavour.
‚Sunburst’
Sunburst is a self fertile sweet cherry, so you do not need a second tree as a pollinator, which makes it ideal for small gardens.
‚Sweetheart’
Sweetheart is one of the latest sweet cherries and stretches the season far into July.
Notes from real gardens
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From the magazine
Planting a sweet cherry: rootstock, pollinator and spot
GiSelA rootstocks finally make the sweet cherry pickable, and with the right pollinator it bears early. How to plan rootstock, pollination group and spot.
Pruning the sour cherry: renewal instead of going bare
The sour cherry bears on one-year-old wood and goes bare without pruning. How to divert the spent whips onto young shoots after the harvest, and why it differs from the sweet cherry.
Cherry Harvest and Summer Pruning
In early July, CW 27, the late sweet cherries are ripe, and right after the last picking comes the best moment for summer pruning. Why stone fruit is pruned now and not in winter, how to harvest gently and prune step by step.
Cherry fruit fly: maggot-free cherries with the variety trick
Maggots in cherries need not be. Why early varieties out-ripen the cherry fruit fly, how yellow traps and a net help, and how to break the cycle in the soil.
Cornelian cherry: early bloom and tart fruit
The cornelian cherry blooms golden-yellow as early as February, the first bee forage of the year. In autumn tart red fruits ripen for jelly, syrup and liqueur.
Planting a hedge: choosing the right species for your purpose
Skip the cherry laurel reflex: pick your hedge by its purpose and plant bare-root in the cheap autumn window.