Prunus cerasus Montmorency (Tart Cherry)

The most popular sour cherry grown in America, Prunus cerasus 'Montmorency' is a medium to large cherry tree of rounded habit with upright, spreading branches. In mid-spring, it boasts an abundance of white flowers in clusters along the branches. They are followed by a heavy crop of medium-large, bright red cherries with firm yellow flesh in early-mid summer. They have a rich, tangy flavor, resist cracking, and are excellent for pies and preserves. The spreading canopy is adorned all summer long with leathery, elliptic, dark green leaves with pale green undersides. Self-fertile, this cherry tree does not require a pollinator but for better cross-pollination, planting several trees is recommended. The standard for pie cherries, Montmorency is a vigorous, highly productive, and widely adaptable cherry tree for both home and commercial use.

• Grows up to 12-18 ft. tall (360-540 cm) and 20 ft. wide (600 cm) at maturity.
• Performs best in full sun in moist, relatively fertile, well-drained soils. Relatively easy to grow and widely adaptable.
• This cherry tree has a chill hours requirement of 700 (hours of temperatures below 45ºF (7ºC) in the winter for their buds to open in the spring)
• Tart cherry trees need pruning both for training the young plants and for maintaining good yield on mature ones. Train in early to mid-spring and once trained, prune after fruiting.
• Protect from birds that damage buds and eat the fruit. May suffer from aphids, winter moth caterpillars, pear and cherry slugworm, silver leaf, bacterial canker, brown rot, and blossom wilt.
• Propagate by chip budding or grafting on clonal rootstock for fruit.
• Prunus cerasus species is native to Europe and Asia. Occasionally, it forms stands, displacing native species in some areas of the U.S.
• Find where this species is invasive in the United States.