Pollinator for wild black cherry tree

last year

While cutting back wild trees in my front yard, I stumbled across a very cool looking tree that I discovered was a black cherry!

After I knew what to look for, I found several more... including one that's about 20' tall! I guess it's the mother to all of the others. It has overhung the fence in my back yard for years, but I never really paid it any attention.

Now that the blooms are all gone, I see fruit all over it. But they're the size of BBs instead of actual cherries.

Considering that I've never seen cherries laying on the ground, I'm assuming that these trees aren't pollinating themselves and need something else to make them bear fruit.

If that's reasonable, then what companion do you suggest I plant?

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bengz6westmd

last year

last modified: last year

Black cherries from my lot. Ones from this tiny tree are actually pretty good (but very strong flavor) when overripe.

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Comments (9)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
Black cherries are self fertile and are pollinated by a variety of insects. The fruits ARE tiny - about the size of a pea - but are loved by many birds and other wildlife who typically strip the tree clean and then graciously spread the seeds all over. You need no companion tree for pollination.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
these do not produce food cherries ... though with enough sugar you can make jelly or wine out of anything ....

i call this tree the furniture wood cherry ....

i told you in a previous post.. that they smell of red pop... i suppose cherry red pop

ken
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bengz6westmd
last year
Ken -- Black cherry soda.
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
Original Author
last year
Well, that's disappointing :-/ I've seen so many "black cherry" things in the grocery store, and I'd read that they were "medium sized" so I imagined that they were just a little smaller than bing cherries!

https://www.onlyfoods.net/types-of-cherries.html

Oh well, so much for my idea of reading under a tree and eating black cherries! LOL But hey, I guess I could always add them to some moonshine :-)

Here are some pics; this tree is the one behind the fence:

In front of the fence are wild plum saplings that my dad gave me by surprise a few years ago :-O This was supposed to be a temporary spot and I need to move them, I just have no idea where...

But anyway, here's a closeup of what I guess is a cherry that's almost ripe?

These were closer to me, my fingers are in the pic for perspective:
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
When ripe, the cherries will be almost black in color. And that is normally a midsummer (end of June - July) event.
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
Your top picture shows a gall, not a fruit. Note the leaves also have galls. Bottom picture shows fruit.
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
Original Author
last year
That's a lot better than I expected!

I don't know why I've never seen them on the tree or laying in my yard, the tree is obviously big enough. Maybe birds eat them before I can get to them? Either way, I'm going to keep an eye on it this year :-)

If I can find some ripe hot peppers, I might make an organic repellant and spray the lower limbs (3 or 4 peppers that are at least 250,000 Scoville units, a squirt of dish soap, and 2 cups of water in a blender, then strained in to a spray bottle)
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last year
The curse and confusion of common names strike again. The ’black cherry’ you see in food such as yoghurt, jam etc is simply a dark, tart type of Prunus cerasus, the domesticated orchard cherry. The wild ‘black cherry’ of N America is a different species altogether, Prunus serotina. Sadly hot pepper spray will be unlikely to have any effect on the hungry birds. Netting or bagging is the only reliable way of protecting fruit.