Bush cherries - allow suckers or no?

I have one Carmine Jewel that produced very well this year, better than the other two CJ’s that I have. The fruits were close to the flavor of a sweet cherry when I let them get fully ripe.

The plant is sending out a lot of suckers. Is it okay to let it develop into a thicket or will it produce better if I cut the suckers out (and hopefully have some of them survive to plant elsewhere?)

By the way, I’ve noticed that when the birds peck on a cherry, it starts to become sweeter! If you don’t mind sharing, it’s a great way to increase the flavor.

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You can dig them up while they’re dormant in the Winter if you’d prefer another bush elsewhere.

Damage to fruit usually “force” ripens it a bit before it spoils completely.

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let the suckers grow for a season then harvest the following spring. it needs a season to establish its own roots. mine split in half from snow damage last winter then a sucker came up on the side that was opened up so ill leave that one to fill back in.

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