can i grow a cherry tree from a pit?
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What you need to know about a cherry tree
Name: sweet cherry (Prunus avium), sour cherry (Prunus cerasus).
Height: 10m+ if left unpruned, but generally 5-6m, with dwarf cultivars growing 1.5–2m.
Foliage: deciduous.
Climate: prefers cool climates, but will grow in warm, arid and semi-arid climates.
Soil: prefers deep, well-drained soils enriched with compost and decomposed manure.
Position: full sun, protected from strong winds. Can grow in part shade in hot, dry areas.
Flowering and fruiting: flowers appear in spring followed by a crop of delicious cherries in summer.
Feeding: mulch with compost in spring and autumn.
Watering: regular watering throughout summer when the weather is hot and dry and cherries are setting fruit. Avoid wetting fruit and foliage.
can i grow a cherry tree from a pit?
Save the pits from the cherries you’ve just devoured and put them in a bowl of warm water. Let the pits soak for five minutes or so and then lightly scrub them free of any clinging fruit . Spread the clean pits out on a paper towel in a warm area and let them dry for three to five days, then transfer the dry pits to a plastic container, labeled and fitted with a tight lid. Store the pits in the refrigerator for ten weeks. Why are you doing this? Cherries need to go through a cold or stratification period that normally occurs naturally during the winter, prior to germination in the spring. Refrigerating the pits is artificially mimicking this process. Okay, seed planting of cherry trees is now ready to commence.
How to Use Cherry Pits to Grow a Cherry Tree?
You can grow cherries at home using pits from locally grown cherries, but fruit production will take longer using this process. Use pits from cherries that are grown locally or purchased from the farmer’s market. Avoid using the pits from grocery stores as they may not be compatible with the climate in your area.
- Prepare the pits. Save a handful of pits from locally grown cherries. Soak in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes to loosen the remaining fruit. Remove, and clean. Set the pits out on paper towels for about a week, allowing them to dry out completely. Transfer to an air-tight container and store in the fridge for 10 weeks.
- Plant indoors. Remove the container from the fridge, and bring to room temperature before planting two to three pits in a pot with well-draining soil indoors. Water consistently to keep the soil moist.
- Time to transplant. When seedlings appear, remove all but the strongest of the group, and when the soil has warmed in early spring, it can be transplanted into its permanent spot outdoors.
- Be patient. Trees planted from cherry pits take about seven to 10 years to bear fruit.
Germinating the Cherry Pit
Fill a 4-inch container to within 1/2 inch of the rim with commercial potting soil. Moisten the potting soil lightly, then press the cherry pit into the potting soil. Cover the pit with potting soil equal to the diameter of the seed.
Cover the pot with a plastic bag to keep the seed moist and warm, then place the pot in indirect light. Optimum temperature for germination is 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pit Preparation
Once you have some cherries, you can start to separate the pits. This can be done by eating the cherries on your own terms and then storing the pits in separate containers, or you can slice the cherries open, refrigerate the fruit, and get ready to prepare the pits. Pits that have been exposed should be soaked in a bowl full of warm water for five minutes and then scrubbed to remove pulp and leftover fruit.
Cleaned pits can then be allowed to dry on a paper towel in a warm area for 3-5 days. Once dry, transfer them to a dry, airtight container and store in the fridge for ten weeks. Remember to label when the pits went in the fridge, or you’re liable to forget.
Facts about How To Plant Cherry Seeds
After ten weeks, it’s time to remove the pits from the fridge and prepare them for planting. Allow the pits to warm up to room temperature, and then divide them into groups of two and three. Each group of seeds should be planted in a separate container using a planting medium with average nutrition and porosity. The containers should be exposed to regular (6 to 8 hours) of sunlight and the soil needs to be kept moist.
After two weeks, saplings will have sprouted in the containers. Identify the healthiest ones and take these outside to plant. Planting is best done during the spring once the dangers of frost have passed. Remove the saplings and their soil from the containers and plant each one in a separate location. Cherry trees need to be at least 20 ft. apart from one another for the best results. To ensure maximum health and longevity, regularly mulch the area around the trees and make sure the saplings receive enough water to keep the soil damp. Over time, at least one of the saplings should be strong enough to become a tree.
Planting cherries from pots
- Water the pot prior to preparing the planting hole.
- Dig a hole twice the size of the pot and backfill so that the potting mix inside the pot is positioned at the same height as the surrounding soil.
- Gently remove the tree from the pot and place it in the centre of the hole.
- Backfill with soil and firm down to remove any air holes around the roots.
Protect Your Cherry Trees From Wildlife
If you have issues with deer or other wildlife that eat plants, such as rabbits or woodchucks, protect young fruit trees in winter. Wrapping loosely in burlap in mid to late autumn is a good way (deer hate chewing through burlap), and it lets sun and rain through. Remove the burlap before blossoming, in early April. You may want to do this every year for the first two or three years to protect the bark, as many critters find young fruit tree bark tasty, especially in a lean winter before spring foliage appears. You chances of having these young trees reach maturity will be much better if you can keep wildlife from eating them.
Congratulations: you have cherry trees! Expect them to start bearing fruit within six or seven years. You can shorten the time to fruiting if you graft a cherry tree seedling onto existing cherry tree stock. Meanwhile, read up on how to prune and care for them, and how to troubleshoot any problems. Good luck and be sure to save a slice of cherry pie for me.
Care For Cherry Trees
There is no difference in care between sweet and sour cherry trees, though there are sometimes differences between the care of individual varieties. For the most part, however, cherry tree care is pretty universal. Apply mulch to retain moisture from waterings and rainfall.
Fertilize your cherry trees each spring until the tree starts to bear fruit. Afterwards, fertilize only after harvesting each season. Water your cherry trees often, especially in dry areas, and during droughts or dry spells. Drape netting over the trees to protect the fruit from birds and other scavengers. You do not have to thin back your cherry trees as the thinning process occurs naturally in the early summer months.
Prune your cherry trees every year in the late winter to encourage new growth. Do not prune during the fall. Harvest fruits only when they are fully ripe. Do not pluck cherries off by hand. Clip the stems off with scissors.
Where Do Cherry Trees Thrive?
There are at least 12 species of cherry trees that grow widely in North America. In the United States, the bulk of the cherry trees are in California (particularly northern California), Michigan, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Cherry trees do well in USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) hardiness zones 5, 6, and 7. This means that cherry trees should grow well in most of the northeast, mid-Atlantic, southeast, midwest (although not the more northern midwest), and northwest regions of the United States (helpful hint: visit the USDA to enter your zip code and find out which zone you live in).
What If You Don’t Live in One of Those Places?
If you don’t live in zones 5, 6, or 7, you may have less luck, or need to do more work, to grow a cherry tree, if it is possible at all.
The zones aren’t randomly assigned numbers, though, so if you live in zone 4 or 8, you will have better luck, especially if you’re relatively close to a 5, 6, or 7 zone.
There are also ways that you can work with your environment to grow a cherry tree. These may include protecting the tree from very cold or very hot conditions, treating the soil, or planting somewhere that gets more or less sunlight than is typical.
If you don’t live in ideal growing conditions, we recommend seeking help from a local gardening expert who knows a great deal about your region and how to fix the issues you’re likely to face.
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