Maybe, but that did not stop the local deer from eating my cherries. If they felt any ill effects they did not tell their herd-mates cause they kept coming back until I put cages around them…
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They have to be in a wilted condition before they are toxic is my understanding.
I am terrible at linking things but if you google black cherry leaves toxic it will come up.
Awesome, Donny. Good flavor? Seems early for blues, but you’re in Cali, so…
What variety, and how old is your plant? I just put four BB’s in the ground a couple weeks ago.
Found something related to your statement (and my wife’s comment that horses can be affected by them, so apologies to the Mrs. It appears that sweet and tart cherries may not be as toxic):
Guess deer could eat them, and croak, but they could prob eat my cherry bushes and ask for seconds. So, behind the cages they go.
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I think they are Jewel. I’ve had them for about 3 or 4 years. Flavor is good, not the best I’ve ever had. But still better than store bought berries. I think the California weather does gave sometime to do with it. The past two years, I feel like I was harvesting blueberries starting in mid April, early May.
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Lots of rain, warm and humid, has brought out the CAR galls. Time to spray the apples
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Just got in from outside, got all the new plantings behind cages before the next round of rain hits in a few hours. We had about a third if an inch of rain this morn and afternoon, so also very humid.
Gooseberries going in the ground tomorrow. And that should do it for fruit plantings this year.
Dried out really good here after a soggy night last night. Dews have plummeted under strong north winds… temp is 68F but there is a chill to the air. Tonite mid 40Fs… Not hardly a cloud in the sky today…Got the kite out… daughter sent it into a pine tree 
that was fun.
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Very nice blooms, thanks for sharing. How old are these trees, what kind of rootstock?
Our new apple trees, planted last April, are barely awake, and only our Winecrisp is blooming. So, it’s odd to think yours are blooming already in zone 5, but I know there are different types of weather in the same zone. Although, most of our old apples are just about done blooming in these parts. We also have these trees, the HC was planted last year, and the Zestar was planted last month.
The HoneyCrisp was planted 11/2012. It is on Bud9. It is from Stark Bros. Stark Bros does not specify the rootstock for residential customers but I bought it from a commercial orchard that bought too many. I know that it is Bud9 and the tag confirms that. It fruited incredible in 2015 and did not bloom in 2016. 2017 looks like it may do well again.
The Zestar was bought at a Big Box store on unknown semi-dwarf root. It was planted 4/2015. You are looking at the only blooms on the tree. I will pull the blooms/fruit and not let it fruit this year.
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The big old Radiant crabapple opened up today - 2 weeks early
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Last year I broke the rules and T-budded a chip of Williams’ Pride onto a branch of Zestar! in mid-May. It grew away the strongest of any of my grafts and the bud site is fully healed up.
This year it is going to flower on 1-year old wood! Since the union is strong and it is on a 4th year tree, I’m inclined to let it fruit.
Does Williams’ Pride often bear on 1st year wood?
Zestar! does this, so I’m wondering if the Zestar! might have promoted it into this habit?
Lots of stuff blooming this morning…mid 60Fs and sunny…beautiful day
Hesse, Spring Satin, Alderman opened a few, Satsuma, most pluots are starting to blooms… cots are at full bloom…a few are almost done… Next should be the peaches (all showing pink)…a potted Raspberry red opened its first flower.
Apples aren’t far behind (showing red)… Pears are right about there…
Our old established apple and cherry trees are just about past peak blooming stage. My new fruit trees are greening up, but only my Winecrisp is showing some pink blossoms. Dogwoods are starting to bloom, the redbuds started last week.
A question for you gooseberry growers. I’m going to set out my four plants today or tomorrow. I’ve read that GB’s can scald in sunny, warm areas, and we’re in zone 6b, so it gets plenty warm here. Do y’all plant your GB’s in shady areas to prevent this? Or do you think they’d take a full sun site here? Would like to hear from @BobVance, and @Drew51, especially, as they are in somewhat similar zones as me.
I keep mine where they get half to 3/4 day of sun. They do better with some shade. We don’t get as warm as you.
I currently have my GB in containers. I left them there all winter. they seemed to have made it fine in the root pouches. Photos taken today.
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I went to have a look at my in ground Chicago Hardy that I didn’t protect over the winter. At first glance it looks toast. However a scratch test shows green. So maybe it will come to life. I even thing I noticed is there were 3-4 small holes with a small amount of liquid oozing out. About the size of a pin hole. I dug into the hole a little and I can see a dark spot like something might have burrowed into it. But it is literally the size of a pin hole.
Apologies for the crappiest picture, I was in the sun and could not tell that the camera hadn’t focused. Any idea what would cause this?
Just grafted for the first time this year. My Black Limbertwig that @hambone generously sent to me has just started to leaf out and is my first scion to do so.
I’m a very proud parent.
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Thank you for posting this excellent news! It’s always like Christmas when the buds pop, never gets old for me. And doubly satisfying when someone else makes one of your favorite varieties take off. Well done VSOP. If you like BLT, as I think you will, please consider spreading it around to your friends, with labels, so it’s never lost or endangered again.
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