Sweet cherry seedlings – the most popular varieties

  • Burlat – very early, large, sweet fruit; a good start to the season.
  • Kordia – mid-late, dark, firm; excellent for the dessert market, needs pollinators.
  • Regina – late, very large and firm, transports well; needs pollinators.
  • Summit – large, heart-shaped, juicy; productive.
  • Vega – yellow-red fruit, mild flavour, popular in gardens.
  • Tamara – very large, firm fruit, late harvest.
  • Lapins – self-fertile, sweet, reliable in home gardens.
  • Stella – self-fertile, early-mid, crops regularly.
  • Sweetheart – self-fertile, late, firm; extends the harvest season.
  • Hedelfingen (Büttner’s Red) – a classic, juicy, dessert cherry.

Important: most sweet cherries are cross-pollinating – for good fruiting plant at least two compatible varieties with a similar flowering time, or choose one of the self-fertile varieties (Lapins, Stella, Sweetheart).

Sweet cherry seedlings – rootstocks (effect on vigour and requirements)

  • F12/1 (wild cherry) – vigorous growth, deep roots, very durable; larger trees, wider spacing.
  • Colt – medium vigour, comes into fruiting sooner, tolerates poorer soils.
  • Gisela 6 – semi-dwarfing, early and high yields, needs more fertile soil and irrigation.
  • Gisela 5 – dwarfing/semi-dwarfing, very early fruiting and easier harvest; requires fertile soil, regular watering and supports.
  • Weiroot 72 / 158 – semi-dwarfing, stable, recommended for intensive plantings.

Fertilising sweet cherries – the key rules

  • In spring, apply a moderate dose of nitrogen (start of the growing season). Too much N = lush growth, poorer health and a tendency to fruit cracking.
  • From late spring through summer, increase the share of potassium and calcium – they improve firmness and flavour and reduce cracking. Phosphorus supports fruit set.
  • In autumn, apply P-K (nitrogen-free) fertilisation to prepare the tree for winter.
  • Organic matter: compost/manure once every 1–2 years improves structure and water retention.
  • Soil pH: optimal pH 6.7–7.2; on acidic soils plan for liming.
  • Irrigation: drip irrigation and mulching keep moisture even; avoid wetting the canopy in the pre-harvest period (risk of cracking).

Pruning sweet cherries – how and when?

Aims: a well-lit, stable crown, healthy shoots and regular cropping.

  • Best time: summer – after harvest (July–August). This reduces “gummosis” and bacterial infections.
  • Early spring: only light sanitary pruning (remove broken, frost-damaged shoots).
  • Training: spindle, an open “vase” crown or a low “Spanish bush” form – wide branch angles and an open centre are key.
  • Technique: protect larger wounds with grafting paste; disinfect tools.

Sweet cherry diseases and pests – prevention and protection

Diseases:

  • Cherry leaf spot – premature leaf drop; protective treatments and removal of infected leaves are important.
  • Brown rot (Monilinia) – wilting blossoms, rotting fruit; thin the crown, remove “mummies”, treat during risk periods.
  • Bacterial canker / bark necrosis – wounds, gum exudation; avoid pruning in cold/rain, prune in summer, protect wounds.

Pests and other threats:

  • Cherry fruit fly (Rhagoletis cerasi) – maggoty fruit; monitor with traps, treat according to forecasts.
  • Drosophila suzukii (spotted wing drosophila) – protection and prompt harvest on time.
  • Cherry aphid – leaf curling; support natural enemies, use selective products if needed.
  • Birds – protective netting/repellent gels during ripening.

Sweet cherry – a care calendar

Early spring (March – April)

  • Post-winter check, light sanitary pruning, tool disinfection.
  • Starter nitrogen fertilisation, possible copper spray.
  • Plan pollinators (add compatible varieties if needed).

Spring (April – May)

  • Monitor aphids and blossom diseases; treat according to forecasts.
  • Water young trees in drought; top up with P-K.
  • If over-loaded – gentle thinning of clusters to improve size (optional).

Summer (June – July)

  • Harvest the fruit as it ripens (variety-dependent).
  • Pruning after harvest: thinning, shortening shoots, removing infected parts.
  • Protection against brown rot and cherry leaf spot; even irrigation (without wetting the canopy).

Autumn (August – October)

  • Orchard clean-up: removing leaves and “mummies”.
  • Autumn P-K fertilisation; whitewashing trunks in late autumn.
  • Protect trunks from hares/rodents.

Winter (November – February)

  • Check guards and frost damage; avoid heavy pruning.
  • Plan plantings and any additional pollinators for spring.

Are you choosing varieties for a specific location, or do you have a particular soil? Let us know – we’ll suggest the right rootstock, planting spacing and set of pollinators for your garden or orchard.