How to Grow Cherries

Different varieties of Cherries produce fruit at varying times over summer (early, mid or late-season varieties). There are varieties with white-fleshed fruit and also miniature or dwarf trees that grow around 2.5 m tall. Some Cherries are self-fertile (only one tree is required) however others require cross-pollination from a pollinating partner to be able to produce fruit. Check the plant tag of your chosen variety for pollination information.  

Different varieties of Cherries also require different amounts of chilling hours (cold winter temperatures) to fruit successfully, so it's important to grow a variety that's suited to your climate.  

Popular Cherry varieties include: 

'Lapins' – late maturing and self-fertile with dark red fruit, needs a cool climate, available in dwarf form. 

'Stella' – mid-season maturity and self-fertile with red fruit, needs a cool climate, available in dwarf form. 

'Sir Don™' – self-fertile with dark red to black fruit. 

'Morello' – late maturing and self-fertile sour cherry that's ideal for cooking, available in dwarf form. 

'Minnie Royal' – low-chill variety with red fruit, needs a pollinator like 'Royal Lee'.  

'Starkrimson' – self-fertile with large red fruit, does best in a cool climate. 

'Trixzie White Cherree®' – miniature tree with mid-season light pink fleshed fruit, needs a pollinator, does best in cool climates.  

'Trixzie Black Cherree®' – miniature self-fertile tree with dark red fruit, suitable for cool temperate to warm temperate climates.  

Choose a sunny location that receives at least six hours of sunshine a day that has well-drained soil. Ensure the variety you've chosen is suitable for your climate. 

Prior to planting, enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. It adds a rich source of organic matter to the soil and provides the plant with gentle organic nutrients as it establishes.  

Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball.  

For a dormant bare-rooted tree (available in winter), create a pyramid-shaped mound of soil in the bottom of the planting hole. Place the tree in the hole with its roots sitting over the mound of soil. Ensure the graft union (bump on the trunk) will be sitting at least 5 cm above the final ground level. Backfill around the roots gently with Yates Dynamic Lifter enriched soil and then water in well to settle the soil around the roots. 

For potted trees, remove the tree from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots. Place the plant in the hole and backfill around the roots with Yates Dynamic Lifter enriched soil. The final level of soil should be at the same level as the original potting mix around the plant. Water in well to settle the soil around the roots.

Keep the soil consistently moist while the plant establishes. It helps to form a raised or doughnut-shaped ring of soil around the outer edge of the plant's root zone. This helps keep water where it's needed. 

Applying an organic mulch, such as sugarcane or bark chips, around the root zone will help keep the soil moist. Keep the mulch away from touching the trunk. 

Keep the soil moist from spring to autumn, and when new leaf and flower buds emerge in spring, feed regularly from spring to autumn with Yates Thrive Natural Citrus & Fruit Pelletised Plant Food. These organic-based pellets contain the right blend of nutrients to promote healthy leaf growth and lots of flowers and fruit.  

Cherry trees flower in early spring. The flowers usually only last for around two weeks. If the flowers are pollinated, fruit will develop and depending on the variety, will be ready to pick from November to February. Cherries should be picked when they're mature, as immature fruit will not continue to ripen once picked. Pick a few fruit and taste for sweetness first. If they're not quite as sweet and juicy as you'd like, wait another week and taste again.  

Pruning helps promote healthier growth and better fruiting. Prune trees to encourage an open vase shape, which enables more sunshine into the centre of the tree. After this framework has been developed, little pruning is needed, except to remove branches growing inward and/or dead branches. Cherries bear fruit on short spurs growing on two-year-old or older wood. To promote future spurs, annually prune old stems back by one-third.

If pruning is required, some growers recommend pruning in early autumn, as trees are still active and cuts can heal which reduces the chance of bacterial canker or 'gumming' developing. Other growers prune during winter when the trees are completely dormant.  

There are dwarf and miniature varieties of Cherry trees that are perfect growing in large pots. The plant tag will provide information on how big that variety grows and its suitability for growing in a pot.  

Choose a pot at least 50 cm wide. A Yates Tuscan pot is ideal for growing a Cherry tree. Place the pot in a sunny spot that receives at least six hours of sunshine a day and is sheltered from strong winds. Ensure the variety you've chosen is suitable for your climate. 

Choose a good quality premium potting mix, like Yates Premium Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter. Part fill your chosen pot with potting mix.   

For a dormant bare-rooted tree (available in winter), create a pyramid-shaped mound of potting mix in the bottom of the pot. Place the tree in the pot with its roots sitting on and around the mound of potting mix. Ensure that the graft union (bump on the trunk) will be sitting at least 5 cm above the final potting mix level. Backfill around the roots gently with potting mix and then water in well to settle the potting mix around the roots. 

For potted trees, remove the tree from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots. Place the plant in the pot and backfill around the roots with potting mix. The final level of potting mix should be at the same level as the original potting mix around the plant. Water in well to settle the potting mix around the roots. 

Keep the potting mix consistently moist while the plant establishes. Potted plants dry out much faster than in-ground plants.  

Keep the potting mix moist from spring to autumn and when new leaf and flower buds emerge in spring, feed every 1 – 2 weeks from spring to autumn with Yates Thrive Natural Citrus & Fruit Liquid Plant Food. This organic-based liquid contains the right blend of nutrients to promote healthy leaf growth and lots of flowers and fruit.  

Cherry trees flower in early spring. The flowers usually only last for around two weeks. If the flowers are pollinated, fruit will develop and depending on the variety, will be ready to pick from November to February. Cherries should be picked when they're mature, as immature fruit will not continue to ripen once picked. Pick a few fruit and taste for sweetness first. If they're not quite as sweet and juicy as you'd like, wait another week and taste again.  

Pruning helps promote healthier growth and better fruiting. Prune trees to encourage an open vase shape, which enables more sunshine into the centre of the tree. After this framework has been developed, little pruning is needed, except to remove branches growing inward and/or dead branches. Cherries bear fruit on short spurs growing on two-year-old or older wood. To promote future spurs, annually prune old stems back by a third.  

If pruning is required, some growers recommend pruning in early autumn, as trees are still active and cuts can heal which reduces the chance of bacterial canker or 'gumming' developing. Other growers prune during winter when the trees are completely dormant.  

There are different varieties of Cherry trees that are suitable for growing in different areas around Australia. Some require a cold winter to fruit well, others require less chilling hours and can be grown in warm temperate areas. Choose a variety that is suited to your location.  

Some Cherry tree varieties need a compatible pollinating partner to help with pollination and fruit production. Others, such as Lapin and Stella are self-fertile, so only one tree is needed to produce fruit. The plant tag will indicate whether a pollinator is required.  

Pruning helps promote healthier growth and better fruiting. Prune trees to encourage an open vase shape, which enables more sunshine into the centre of the tree. After this framework has been developed, little pruning is needed, except to remove branches growing inward and/or dead branches. Cherries bear fruit on short spurs growing on two-year-old or older wood. To promote future spurs, annually prune old stems back by a third.  

If pruning is required, some growers recommend pruning in early autumn, as trees are still active and cuts can heal which reduces the chance of bacterial canker or 'gumming' developing. Other growers prune during winter when the trees are completely dormant.  

Help plants make the most of any available water by applying a soil wetter, like Yates Waterwise Soil Wetter Concentrate. It reduces the waxy, water-repellent layer that can develop on the surface of soil or potting mix and promotes movement of moisture down into the root zone. Applying a generous layer of organic mulch, like sugarcane or bark chips, over the root zone can assist with keeping the soil moist. Soil wetters can also be applied on potted plants. 

Depending on the variety and location, Cherry trees produce fruit anytime from late spring to late summer.   

Healthy Cherry trees can start to produce fruit from three years after planting.  

Cherry trees will do best when fed with a plant food that contains nitrogen for healthy leaf and stem growth, phosphorus for a strong root system and potassium to promote lot of flowers and fruit. Yates Thrive Natural Citrus & Fruit Pelletised Plant Food contains the right blend of these nutrients to feed Cherry trees. 

Cherry seeds, also known as pits, can be planted to grow a Cherry tree. However, it will take many many years to produce fruit and the type of fruit and the size of the tree may be different from what you expect. It can be a fun experiment, but it's best to grow your own Cherry tree from a grafted plant purchased at your local garden centre.     

Lumps and bumps on stems are usually a sap-sucking pest called Scale.

Make sure the plant is kept healthy with regular feeding and watering and control Scale by spraying with Yates Nature's Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray. It works via contact, so ensure thorough coverage of the Scale insects.  

Make sure the plant is kept healthy with regular feeding and watering and control Scale by spraying with Yates Nature's Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray. It works via contact, so ensure thorough coverage of the Scale insects.  

Control Pear and Cherry Slugs with Yates Success Ultra. Spray when the slugs are first seen and repeat every 7-14 days until they're controlled.  

Holes in plant leaves are often a sign of a chewing pest such as a Caterpillar or a Grasshopper. 

For Cherries, if the holes are scattered all over the leaves and there are no signs or symptoms of pests, then it's likely to be a disease called Shot Hole. Shot Hole is more common during wet or humid weather.  

Shot Hole is a disease that needs to be prevented. Spray the tree during winter with Yates Liquid Copper when buds are opening but before and within one week of bud opening. 

Caterpillars (light brown apple moth and oriental fruit moth) can be controlled by spraying with Yates Success Ultra. Spray when caterpillars are first seen and repeat every 7–14 days.  

If your Cherry tree is oozing out a gum-like substance from the trunk or branches, especially where a known wound is, then it's likely to be Bacterial Canker, also known as Bacterial Gummosis.

Be very careful when using a grass trimmer around the base of Cherry trees. It is important to avoid wounding the trunk, which becomes an entry point for disease.  

To help prevent Bacterial Canker (Bacterial Gummosis) spray trees with Yates Liquid Copper Fungicide in autumn, winter and spring. 

Prune off any infected branches using clean and sharp pruning tools. Prune 100 mm below the canker as this will help reduce the potential of pathogens remaining on healthy plant parts. Bag and bin affected plant parts; do not add to compost or green waste. Prune branches in autumn before leaf fall or in spring after leaf growth has started. Ensure the conditions are dry, as wet weather can encourage disease spores to spread. 

Cherry fruit can split when there's water on the skin. The fruit absorbs this water, swells and the skin cracks. This can also happen during periods of high humidity. Apart from not watering the fruit directly, it's difficult to prevent fruit from splitting. Some varieties, such as Lapins, are less prone to splitting than others.  

Frost can damage Cherry blossoms, so a frost that occurs during flowering can lead to reduced or no fruit. If frost is expected during flowering, consider draping frost or shade cloth over the tree to provide some protection.  

Small or immature Cherry fruit can drop from the tree due to lack of pollination. So, it's important to grow self-fertile varieties or 2 varieties together that are pollinating partners. Even with self-fertile Cherries, pollen still needs to be moved around and between flowers, so lots of bees and other beneficial insects are required.  It's helpful to grow lots of flowers, to tempt pollinating insects into your garden.