Cherry Trees

To ensure your growing success and satisfaction, there are a few things to consider when shopping for a cherry tree.

Mature Tree Size

Make sure you pick the right size for your space. When our cherry trees mature, they will be one of two sizes:

• Dwarf cherry trees — sour varieties mature to be about 8-10' tall and wide, and sweet varieties mature to be about 12-14' tall and wide. Even though they are smaller, they produce an abundance of full-size fruit.
• Semi-dwarf cherry trees — sour varieties mature to be about 12-15' tall and wide, and sweet varieties mature to be about 15-18' tall and wide. They offer maximum fruit yield per square foot.

Zone Compatibility

Your climate plays an important role in whether a cherry tree will produce fruit or even survive. Before ordering a tree, make sure its recommended hardiness zone range includes your area.

Soil Drainage

When growing a cherry tree, make sure you provide adequate drainage for its root system. If your soil is heavy and holds water, it could cause complications for your cherry trees. There are a few steps you can take to avoid these problems. We recommend modifying your soil using a combination of 1/3 peat (or coco fiber potting medium), 1/3 topsoil and 1/3 compost (or manure). Breaking up the edges surrounding the hole you’re planting in can also make it easier for the roots to spread into surrounding soil. And make sure you are planting the tree in an area with enough of a slope that water doesn’t pool around it.

Proper Pollination

While most of our cherry trees are self-pollinating, we still recommend planting another variety in your yard for optimum fruit production. For the cherry trees that do require pollination by a different variety, be sure to check the item description to see which pollinators our experts recommend. In those cases, the absence of proper pollination could cause your tree to produce poorly or to fail to bear fruit.

Shipping Information

Most of our cherry trees will be shipped to you bare-root (without soil) to ensure good contact with your garden soil. These young trees arrive in a dormant (resting) state and will spring to life soon after planting. They are about 3-4' tall with 3/8" or larger trunk diameter when shipped to you. If you would like a head start on growing a cherry tree, upgrade to one of our top-grade, robust Stark Supreme Trees®, which are handpicked by our team of experts. They are about 4-5' tall with 5/8" or larger trunk diameter when shipped to you.