When selecting the variety, one should not only focus on the fruit characteristics, appearance, taste, shape, size and ripening time. Rather, the local conditions and resistance to diseases and pests should determine the choice.
The sweet cherry (prunus avium) and sour cherry (prunus cerasus) both belong to the genus Prunus in the rose family. The types of sweet cherry are cherries and heart cherries. The sour cherry is available as a bush sour cherry and as a tree sour cherry. Sweet cherries have smooth, shiny skin and firm, often light-colored flesh. The sour cherry fruits are soft and juicy with dark red flesh.
The cherry trees only bear fruit in abundance if numerous blossoms are fertilized. The self-sterile cultivars will only fruit if they are fertilized by an alien cultivar of the same species. Even with the self-pollinated varieties, a suitable pollinator variety in the vicinity has a positive effect on the yield.
sweet cherry varieties
One of the oldest cherries is the black cherries, which originated in France and are now widespread. She owes her popularity to the sweetness of her fruits and her consistently high yields. However, this is a fast-growing cherry tree that needs a suitable pollinator variety. It is a mid-late to late variety.
The very early variety, which is largely spared from cherry fruit fly infestation, is Kassins Frühe Herzkirsche - a healthy, robust cherry variety from Werder. She also needs a pollination partner, grows medium to strong and delivers consistently good yields. Other well-known sweet cherry varieties are:
- Büttner's red cartilage cherry (large-fruited variety with bright yellow skin dating back to 1795),
- Burlat (early variety with very high yields, therefore often used in commercial cultivation),
- Hedelfinger Riesenkirsche (adaptable variety for warm and cold locations),
- Lapins (compact growing, self-fertile variety for small gardens).
sour cherry varieties
Probably the best-known, most cultivated, very old sour cherry variety is the morello cherry, not least because it delivers high yields with very little care. Their fruit is used to make jam and toppings for cakes. It has the characteristic sour taste and is very juicy.
The morello cherry, which also thrives in locations that are not particularly warm, is a slow-growing tree or shrub for small home gardens. Like most sour cherry varieties, it is self-pollinating and is suitable as a pollinator for other cherry varieties that are flowering at the same time. The Köröser Weichsel variety - a fast-growing tree - is also known for its low site requirements. Other sour cherry varieties are:
- Ludwigs Frühe (adaptable variety, sweet and sour)
- Fanal (has large fruits, grows well on light and heavy soils)
- Morellenfeuer (mildly sour, aromatic, late variety)
- Werder glass cherry (light, slightly sour flesh, early variety, undemanding)
tips and tricks
If you don't have space for several cherry trees, you can also try a "family tree". These are offered online and include three different types of cherries on one tree.