I too am in PA and wanted a Rainier but not sure how it would take in this climate. Instead I purchased a White Gold on Gisela 5 from Raintree last spring as it is a gold cherry with a red blush so I am hoping it is somewhat similar to a Rainier. The taste is supposed to be great. I am container growing my tree in a 20-25 gallon container. It's done very well so far and is a little over 6 ft. I haven't done any pruning yet. I just repotted it in a 5-1-1 mix of pine bark fines, peat, and perlite with Fruit Trees Alive organic fertilizer and pruned half of the roots off (a week ago) and now the leaf buds are all opening beautifully and I think we are going to get some fruit this year. It seemed to take to the new mix and root pruning surprisingly well. I will probably have to top prune it down a little after the end of this growing season.

One problem I have found with replacment trees is they can be from the same lot as the original which was weak due to some problem in its storage or whatever. I have had lots of bad luck getting replacments to grow. So you may want to find another source for your tree. From the pattern you describe it sounds like the tree just didn't have enough energy left, which points to bad storage and handling. I had that happen with a Spring Satin plumcot from Starks this spring. I got the replacement in the ground now and put it in a new spot and lots of care but I still feel I will be lucky if it works. Scott

Rainier is supposedly NOT a suitable cherry variety for zone 10. Zone 10b doesn't get anywhere near 500 hours, more like 75-150. I have a Rainier cherry in zone 10b and it is packed with blossoms. Just got it last year though so it's too early to tell if those blossoms are going to be able to turn into fruit. We had a colder than usual Winter though and the tree is in partial shade. I have a theory that being shaded from the sun in Winter can help give the trees more effective chill hours, because in reality "chill hours" do not actually have to do with how cold it gets but rather how long the tree goes without experiencing a prolonged duration of warmth. In other words, even if it is freezing cold for an entire month, just a couple of warm days interspaced in the middle of that is really going to detract from the effective number of "chill hours" the tree experiences. So to try to counteract inadequate chill hours, you don't have to make it cold, you just have to try to keep the tree from getting warm. In zone 10, a cherry variety like Lapins is going to be on the borderline. It might produce some fruit, but it will be off and on different years, will not produce consistently. I suspect the fact that Lapins is one of the very few self-fertile varieties of sweet cherry helps, because some of the issues surrounding lack of fruiting in warmer climates may actually have to do with pollination. Right now the only varieties that are considered suitable for zone 10 are the pair Royal Lee and Royal Minnie Lee (you need both for pollination). These were bred in Modesto, California and have only become available within the last 20 years. Before that, zone 10 was not seen as a suitable climate for cherries.

Thank you fruitnut! The local nurseries/Home Depot etc carry bing so it will be easy to get a bing, and since you like them. I'm sure it would be an excellent choice. Do you feel like I would have the space for a bing next to the Royal rainier in the dirt patch that I have (about 10'x6.5' with fence on two sides)? Or should I attempt either planting in the same hole or grafting as you did? How did your graft turn out on the Royal rainier? Thanks so much for the help!