My girl went to Costco. She was excited to get Satsuma Owari for 20 plus dollar in a 3.25 gallon. It was the last one because it got a broken arm. I thought it was completely broken, but it was hanging on by the skin. So, I took the broken arm and make 5 grafts. Some were very thin, but all was bark grafted. Then she told me about the cherry trees there. 15 gallon cherry trees for 43.00 dollars. So, the next day I went to get my cherry trees because I told her for awhile that I want a cherry tree. I saw 3 Bing, 1 Champagne, and 1 Sweetheart. They have the label Grower Pride. I choose 2 trees because it can pollinate each other. I choose the biggest Bing by looking at the trunk and branches, though there was 2 flesh wounds on one of the branch. Not a deal breaker. Then, my girl wants the Champagne instead of the Sweetheart because she likes the name. Crazy girl, yeah. I choose the Sweetheart instead because the size is better and that graft union is pretty and completely heal. We barely manage to put 2 trees in the Mustang. If the pot was any bigger, there would be trouble. Later, I found out that the Sweetheart is self pollinated. The next day I planted my cherry trees. They are on the Mahaleb root stock and are fine for my sandy soil and hot weather in the summer.
40 dollars for a sweet cherry is a ok price these days but depending on the place if you bulk bought a few other trees you could have gotten a cheaper deal or close to it. Bay Laurel has their trees for 38 and offers a 5% discount with 5 trees. Their shipping to me last year was 33 dollars though. If you bought 5 trees that is still under 10 dollars a tree. If you got more than 5 like I said (I think I got 8 as I got about 1 of every dwarf peach and nectarine they had except honey babe which I wish I got there as the One Green World one never leafed out). That being said 4 years ago we would have scoffed at a cherry tree being 38 dollars let alone 40.
Late winter pruning on a cherry? I thought all stone fruits were so vulnerable to fungus that they shouldn’t even see a pruner until a dry week in summer. No?
I believe it is the fungicide on it in the couple of weeks before ripening that makes most of the difference. That said, here in NY I get sound fruit with a single fungicide- insecticide spray applied around petal fall for later apples- I skip the 2nd post petal fall spray that is my schedule for most other fruit- same deal with cots. That is for trees growing out in the open with good air circulation and not too much rain in the two weeks before ripening. Blossoms can also rot when spring is very wet, but an open site helps prevent this as well.
Too much rain during ripening will split cherries even in the best sites and only Indar seems to stop those split cherries from rotting. Of course, this means you eat the Indar when you eat the cherries, which is legal. It doesn’t wash off so any fruit sprayed with a systemic fungicide less than two weeks before harvest will have active fungicide on it when eaten. Who knows, it might be good for you. We don’t really know because the consequences are not obvious. .
I don’t have Bay Laurel near by. $43 is a decent deal for a full root system and the root went all the way to the bottom of the pot. I did have to dug out my apple tree and a bush to make room for the 2 cherries. So, I will see how those 2 trees do this year and the next year. I have yet to kill any trees that are alive during my purchase. I did purchase a bare root tree that was already dried up and dead. I did received a refund for it. I knew some like sour cherry so that they can eat with sauce, but not me. I like them sweet and eat from the tree as is.
