Hoosier-

Same thing here. I have Lapins, Stella, Kristin and Black Gold. They overlap on the flowering and all our self fertile except for the Kristin. The only one to really set fruit was the Stella. All of them flowered this year, yet fruit set has been almost nonexistent except on the Stella. Weather was perfect (dry/sunny) during pollination time. I'm tempted to pull them because A) i'm not a huge sweet cherry fan B) they won't flower every year here, because of cold winter temps (this year was mild) C) rain/cracking... My sour cherries do fantastic (North Star/Meteor).

I purchased four sweet cherry trees this season. I was expecting cherries next year but you guys are scaring me.

> I was expecting cherries next year but you guys are scaring me.

I've all but given up on sweet cherries. If the canker doesn't kill the trees, and the rain doesn't split/rot the fruit, the birds get what's left. That's in the Pacific Northwest. In Arizona, canker and rain likely won't be a problem, but it's a mystery to me if sweet cherries can live and produce fruit in such a warm climate.

If the trees are on standard rootstock it will take longer to hold fruit. My semi-dwarf colt rootstock Lapin has a couple of cherries on it's 2nd year while the standard rootstock Lapin did not produce any cherries out of the flowers. How many flowers did they have, I would be patient with the trees.

I am curious about your comment on taking longer to hold fruit. I have several varieties of young cherry and plum trees, most on standard rootstock, and I have that experience also of getting blooms, but no fruit, even though I saw bees in them and several are self-fruitful varieties. Why is it that just because they are young trees, they don't produce fruit, if they have blossoms? I would think a blossom is a blossom. Northwoodswis

If I remember right semi dwarf root stock will start to produce fruit at 3 years, while standard root stock can take up to 5 years. I can see the difference on my two lapins one on colt and one on standard.

Its probably pollination issues, either cold wx, bees, or something else. Mine flowered like crazy, but i just haven't seen the bees this year. The only tree (Stella) that i saw a bumblee hitting often is the one that set the most amt of fruit.

I'm still probably going to pull mine sooner or later, just grow them in containers.

I planted a lapin from raintree on gisela5 in April 2008; & just picked the entire, & 1st harvest, today; 2 cherries.

They tasted great!

Nice! I have just a handful on my Lapins from Raintree, that i got in spring of 2008! Same batch. Mine are starting to size up a little.

Well I believe all of mine are on standard rootstock, but not totally sure to be honest. Guess I need to patient since they are flowering and wait a couple of more years. Everything else looks good as they are in sandy well drained soil and they do flower well. I do agree with northwoodswis though you would think a flower is a flower. I do have a friend who is novice beekeeper and said if I bought the hives he would take care of the bees-so may purchase a couple and see if that helps. I made another post and was planning on planting a sour cherry tree will make sure that one is on a dwarf rootstock to speeden things up with the fruit bearing. Thanks for all the comments/posts, its interesting to see how other members are fairing with their sweet cherries. Kevin

I have 4yo trees from raintree. Dwarf 4in1 on G-5 rootstock. There are 2 trees. The beginning of May the bees were all over them, bumblebees, worker bees, even carpenter bees! There were hundreds of white flowers. The varieties are lapins, mont, stella, royal anne. The amount of cherries i am seeing now is amazing! These trees are 10 ft high by 5 ft wide. I use snakes to scare the birds away.

Sounds like a pollination problem. When the blooms flower its only for a few days, so if you can, keep an eye on them during the sunny afternoon hours. Watch the bee traffic around the flowers. This is the first year i did this and was amazed at what i saw! There are 150 to 200 cherries on these two trees. Hope my dollar store snakes do their job this season! :) Awesome thread and posts!

GOOD NEWS FOLLOW-UP...thanks for all the posts to my thread. I guess was a little pre-mature in posting, as I was mowing today, examined my cherry trees and even though its only just a few there are tiny little cherries on all 3 of my trees! I felt like dancing in the streets I was so thrilled. Now in the coming years if we can get more of them it will be what I have always dreamed about! In the mean time I will continue to go U-pick in Eau Claire, MI in late June. Thanks again for all the comments and support it was greatly appreciated. Kevin

Just added 2 more cherry trees this morning, but while planting went to look at my other 3 cherry trees and the tiny little cherries are all gone. I figured the birds would get them eventually and wasn't too worried this year as there wasn't that many. Still do the birds eat them when they are so tiny and not developed??? Guess when I start to get bumper crops I will have to invest in netting or put out the metallic ribbons with the CD's like the cherry orchards do in Michigan. Can't wait to go to Eau Claire, Michigan in late June or early July to pick cherries...mmmmm my favorite thing to do!!!

Maybe your cherries hadn't really pollinated and just fell off. I had something similar happen with my honeyberries. I was all excited over the little berries, but later there wasn't a berry to be seen. The bushes were encased in chicken wire, so it wasn't the birds. There had been some little critters of some sort chewing the leaves, which I blasted off with the hose. Do you suppose that knocked off the berries? I can't remember if there were still berries when I did that. Northwoodswis