June 19, 2025, 1:15 pm | Read time: 7 minutes
Sweet cherries captivate with their sweet fruits, magnificent blossoms, and lush growth. myHOMEBOOK explains what needs to be done to help the trees reach their full potential.
Sweet cherries are cultivated forms of the native wild cherry (Prunus avium). Botanically, they belong to the genus Prunus within the rose family. Sweet cherries can be divided into two main types. Firm-fleshed cherries have a usually yellowish-red flesh. Heart cherries have a softer, red to dark red flesh.
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Overview
Appearance and Growth
Sweet cherries reach heights between 10 and 50 feet, depending on the rootstock. They typically develop a sprawling, rounded crown. The bark is strikingly reddish-brown, marked by horizontal bands and features characteristic corky warts. The leaves are noticeably red-brown, with horizontal bands and characteristic corky warts. The white flowers appear in small clusters, depending on the variety, between early and late April. After pollination, the fruits develop with a diameter of up to 0.8 inches. They are usually red and sweet, containing little acid.
Planting Sweet Cherries
The best time to plant sweet cherries is in the fall. The planting hole should be about twice the size of the root ball. For a better start, it is recommended to enrich the excavated soil with compost or good planting soil. A support stake gives the young tree the necessary stability. When planting, the grafting point should remain about 4 inches above the ground. Then, firm the soil well and water thoroughly.
Location and Soil
Sweet cherries love a full-sun, airy location and areas not prone to late frost. They yield best on soils that are deep, rich in humus and nutrients, contain lime and clay, and are loose. On heavy and wet soils, however, they quickly become diseased.
Variety Tips
‘Kassins Frühe’ (2nd cherry week) produces large, dark red fruits with fairly good resistance to cracking. The fruits of the ‘Burlat’ variety (2nd-3rd cherry week) are large, have relatively firm flesh, are juicy and sweet-aromatic, but not particularly crack-resistant. Also very popular is ‘Kordia’ (5th-6th cherry week). It has almost black, sweet-aromatic, and very juicy fruits. Those who want yellow cherries will find ‘Dönissens Gelber Knorpelkirsche’ (5th-6th cherry week) a good choice. The fruits are medium-sized, sweet with little acidity, and very juicy. For container gardeners, ‘Garden Bing’ (5th cherry week) is a good choice. The slow-growing dwarf tree produces slowly growing, dark red, sweet-aromatic fruits.
Pollination
Sweet cherries are mostly not self-fertile. To produce fruit, they need a second variety as a pollen donor. However, not all varieties are compatible. This is partly due to different flowering times and partly due to the so-called intersterility, meaning they cannot pollinate each other due to close kinship. Therefore, it is important to find out which varieties are compatible.
Caring for Sweet Cherries
Sweet cherries are not particularly high-maintenance. With the following tips, you can get the best out of them.
How to Water Sweet Cherries
Until the sweet cherry is well established, it should be watered regularly. After that, it is sufficient to water it during prolonged dry and hot periods. A layer of mulch helps protect the soil from drying out quickly. If the sweet cherry is growing in a container, it needs to be watered more frequently.
This Fertilization the Plant Needs
In the spring, a light portion of compost worked into the soil supports the sweet cherry as it starts the season. For nutrient-poor soils, it is advisable to also provide an organic slow-release fertilizer.
Do You Need to Prune Sweet Cherries?
To ensure that sweet cherries continue to produce good yields and remain healthy in the long term, regular pruning is necessary. This is best done in August after the harvest, as the tree still has enough time to recover from the cut before winter. The training cut in the first few years serves to form an even, pyramid-shaped crown with three to four strong main branches. Small sweet cherries can also be trained as spindle trees, with the side branches tied down from the start.
Sweet cherries bear fruit on shoots that are two to three years old. The maintenance cut ensures they get enough light and air. Excess side shoots growing into the interior of the crown are removed, and the tips of the main branches are pruned back to flat-growing side shoots.
Winter Hardiness
Sweet cherries are winter-hardy, but frost cracks can occur. A whitewash or shading of the trunks helps minimize this risk.
Propagation
Sweet cherries are usually propagated by grafting. In this process, either individual buds (budding) in the summer or scions (grafting) in the winter of the desired variety are joined with a rootstock so that the new tree bears the same fruit.
Diseases and Pests
The most important diseases of sweet cherries include fungal diseases such as brown rot and shot hole disease. Brown rot appears as brown, rotting spots on the cherries. Affected branches should be cut off deep into the healthy wood, and affected fruits should also be disposed of–but never in the compost.
Sweet cherries bear fruit on shoots that are two to three years old. The maintenance cut ensures they receive enough light and air. Excess side shoots and those growing into the crown’s interior are removed, and the tips of the main branches are pruned back to flat-growing side shoots.
Toxicity
Sweet cherries are hardy, but frost cracks can occur. A whitewash or shading of the trunks helps minimize this risk.
Alternatives
Sweet cherries are generally propagated through grafting. In this process, either individual buds (budding) in the summer or scions (grafting) in the winter of the desired variety are joined with a rootstock so that the new tree bears the same fruit.
Use in the Garden
Sweet cherries are mainly used as stately house trees, especially in larger gardens. Slower-growing varieties and espalier-trained sweet cherries are also suitable for smaller gardens.
How Sour Cherries Thrive in the Garden
Which Fruit Trees Are Best for Beginners
Use in the Kitchen
Sweet cherries are mainly used as table fruit, for desserts, for cakes and tarts, but also processed into jam. It is also possible to freeze the cherries or dry them in the oven or a dehydrator. In the refrigerator, sweet cherries stay fresh for two to three days.
Bee Friendliness
Sweet cherries provide nectar and pollen for bees and other insects.
One of the two most significant pests of sweet cherries is the cherry fruit fly, whose larvae develop in the cherries. Early varieties like ‘Burlat’ are less susceptible. Yellow boards, chickens, and traps, either purchased or homemade, can be useful in the fight against the cherry fruit fly.
Another good alternative to sweet cherries is the cherry plum. Also known as wild plum or wild mirabelle, this plant blooms very early in the year and is a good source of nectar for bees.