Hello all,
I'm interested in planting a couple of sour cherries, and was wondering if anyone knew a good resource for what the differences between the different cultivars are. I'm looking for things like comparative sourness/sweetness, freestone vs cling (does that apply to cherries?) and rootstock vigor. For example, does a Montmorency have freestone fruit? How sour is it compared to a Morello? Since sour cherries are smaller trees than sweet cherries, what will grafting them on dwarfing rootstock (like Giselle 5) do?
Montmorency is easier to grow than Northstar, I can tell you that much. I was just cutting back infected and sick looking parts of my Northstar, which is naturally dwarfing. Most pie cherries have pits that often stay on the tree when you pull the ripe fruit off. I think Morello is redder and later.
As I said in previous posts, I prefer pie cherries/sour cherries because they have more flavor, vitamin A, other health benefits, and because they have fewer bug/disease/bird predation problems. Plus a smaller self pollinating tree.
John S
PDX OR
Interesting John, I hadn't heard that Northstar had problems around here. I was planning to graft it instead of Montmorency because I liked the idea of its genetic dwarfing.
I have scions for Northstar, Meteor, Montmorency and Morello.
I assumed Northstar was essentially a Morello with better tree characteristics and Meteor like a Morello. So I was thinking of just grafting on Northstar and Meteor. Perhaps I'll try one limb of each instead and see how they do.
These would all be onto my Compact Stella on Colt rootstock. Its in season 4, has a 4 or 5 inch caliper and has bloomed this year and last but doesn't seem to really want to set any cherries. Most of the flowers seem to be missing an ovary.
Idyllwild
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
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