Tart cherry tree advise.

[Treefrog]

I'm thinking about getting a tart cherry tree or 2 for my yard for my own use, I'm sure the birds will help themselves also. I have never grown cherry trees and don't know much about them other than they like sandy soil.
Does anyone out there grow tart cherries? Whats a good variety for easy-low maintenance, disease resistance, productivity?
I'm in Michigan 5b-6a

 

[rocksnstumps]

Check some posts on here from Wild Thing. He advised about growing some Evans Bali cherry. They looked darn tasty. He hangs out in the UP somewhere west of Escanaba

Disease resistant cherry is relative. Think they all can get black knot and such. Common by me anyway on black and choke cherry

 

[Turkey Creek]

Cherries are a tough one. Nothing beats a fresh one, but they are temperamental at best and definitely require spraying in my experience to help them stay healthy. They are very susceptible to fungal diseases. Full sun and good air flow help. As was mentioned Black Knot is a pain in the rear, it pretty much occurs everywhere in the natural environment (lots of host species). Balaton, North Star, Montmorency and Kristin are some of the varieties we have grown.

 

[rocksnstumps]

Check out Caging Trees in 2022 Economy thread around post 55 thru about 60 for Bali cherry info

 

[trampledbyturtles]

Have a north star and mesabi, both strong growers so far with little work.

And a carmine jewel and Romeo dwarf bush cherry.

Taste good. But it's a battle beating the birds to them.

 

[Treefrog]

Have a north star and mesabi, both strong growers so far with little work.

And a carmine jewel and Romeo dwarf bush cherry.

Taste good. But it's a battle beating the birds to them.

Did a little reading about the North Star, sounds like a good tree. Does the North Star need a pollinator? If it does, what would be a good pollinator for it?

 

[Telemark]

I have a Montmorency tree. It's doing great, no issues at all, except birds stealing the cherries just as they ripen.

 

[Teeder]

I've grown a couple Montmorency and just when they started producing nicely, they got black knot so bad I had to cut them down.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Did a little reading about the North Star, sounds like a good tree. Does the North Star need a pollinator? If it does, what would be a good pollinator for it?

No. However, as with all fruit trees even self-pollinating varieties the fruit production increases with a pollination partner. In general almost all tart cherry varieties are self-pollinating.