Can You Grow a Tree by Planting a Cherry Pit?

Cherry trees are a large and diverse group of trees and shrubs of the species Prunus. They are widespread and found throughout the world, including North and South America, Asia, and Africa. The genus Prunus includes not only many diverse varieties of cherries but also plums, apricots, and almonds!

Commercial cherries, however, the sweet red cherries that you buy from the grocery store, are one of many cultivars developed for producing an abundance of deliciously sweet fruits. In the United States, most cherry production occurs in Michigan, Washington, and Oregon, but you don’t have to live in one of these states to grow a cherry tree in your yard.

Each mature tree can be immensely productive. A healthy Bing cherry tree, for example, can produce as much as one hundred pounds of fruits per year! Even a mature dwarf cherry tree grown in a container can produce over 20 pounds of fruit per year. However, not all types produce sweet or edible fruits.

Many varieties of cherry, such as the weeping cherry and the Kwanzan cherry, are grown specifically for their spectacular blossoms and don’t even produce edible fruits. All cherry varieties, however, are ornamental trees that produce an abundance of pink or white flowers each spring. The flowers, in turn, attract vast numbers of pollinators.

Read on to learn more about cherry trees and how you can grow one from a humble cherry pit.

The Long Answer

You can grow a cherry tree from a seed, but you won’t necessarily grow a mature tree with the same excellent fruits from which your seed came. Why is this? Commercially grown varieties are grafted to produce the healthiest and sturdiest trees possible. Sweet cherry fruits are also the result of cross-pollinated flowers, and as a result, the seeds may not be genetically identical to the parent plant. 

So, what will you get if you plant a cherry pit? You will, without a doubt, get a cherry tree. You just won’t know exactly how well it will perform until it reaches maturity. If you really want to grow a tree for the purpose of eating cherries, your best bet is to buy a nursery-grown tree of known origins. It will also take a bit of luck and a lot of patience to nurture a seed into a fully mature fruit-producing tree.

Types of Cherries

The three most common commercially available sweet cherries at your local grocery store are the Bing cherry, Lambert cherry, and Rainier cherry. These varieties all produce large, sweet, and durable fruits, making them good for commercial growing, shipping, and retail.

You may also occasionally encounter other cherry varieties, such as the sour cherry, at farmer’s markets or specialty markets. Each of these cherries will have a pit, or seed, that can potentially be sprouted to start a new tree. 

Growing Conditions

From Seed to Fruit Production

You just ate a handful of delicious cherries, and now you have a pile of hard little pits. What will happen if you plant a pit? Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect during the entire process, from seed to mature tree.

Collect Seeds

Any fresh, fully ripe cherry will have a pit. Enjoy your fruits, spit out the pits, and you now have cherry seeds! Clean off any cherry residue from your seeds, and you’re ready to store them in a cold location for a while.

Cold Stratification

Place your cherry seeds in a sealed bag with some moist sand and place these in your refrigerator for at least ten weeks. This step is necessary to trigger the seeds to sprout properly. 

Planting

After their 10-week cold stratification, remove the cherry pits from the fridge and allow them to warm again to room temperature.

Prepare a couple of pots with fresh potting soil and plant two or three seeds in each container. Push the seeds about one inch deep into the soil and cover them again.

Water and Wait 

Water your seeds well and keep the soil warm and moist. It should take your cherry seeds about two weeks to germinate. 

Seedlings 

After germination, continue to keep the soil moist but not wet. Move your seedlings to a location with bright sunlight. Seedlings grown in the shade will become long, leggy, and weak.

Place them in the sunniest window you have, or if the weather is already warm, you can place your pots outside. Just be diligent about keeping the soil moist.

Transplanting 

Once your seedlings are several inches tall and have developed several true leaves, you can transplant them into a larger pot or transplant them into your yard. Don’t forget to harden them off first.

Water your newly transplanted young trees well immediately after transplanting, and continue to keep them moist.

Maintenance 

Cherry trees are rather high-maintenance fruit trees. Mulching around your tree is a good idea. Mulch helps retain soil moisture and suppress weeds. Use an organic, biodegradable mulch such as decomposed leaves, straw, wood chips, or compost. As the mulch breaks down, it will add vital nutrients to the soil. 

Keep your trees well-watered, especially during dry periods. Use a soaker hose or hand water, and give your trees a deep watering every time you water. This means allowing the water to penetrate deep down to the roots. There’s no need to use a sprinkler or water the leaves of your tree. This can create conditions favorable to molds, mildew, and other fungal or bacterial infections. 

Pruning your trees will help keep them healthy and well-groomed. The best time to prune your cherry trees is late winter when they are still dormant, and before they start to leaf out for the spring season. Prune to remove dead or diseased branches, crossed or broken branches, and to improve the general form and appearance of the tree.

Keep a close eye on potential pests and diseases. These trees are prone to many problems, including insect pests and several fungal diseases. Promptly address any problems you see before they have a chance to kill your tree or decimate your crop. 

Maturation 

If started from seed, a cherry tree can take up to 10 years to start producing its first fruits. If you start with a young nursery-grown tree, it typically takes between three and five years to produce the first fruits.

Harvesting 

This is probably the most exciting stage of growing your own fruit trees. A mature tree will bloom in the spring and have fresh fruits ready to harvest by early to mid-summer, depending on the variety of cherry and where you live.

Wait until your fruits are fully ripe. They should be large, firm, and sweet (taste one before picking them all, just to make sure!). Freshly picked cherries are a delightfully sweet and healthy treat!

Landscape Considerations 

That tiny pit you planted has the potential to grow into a full-sized tree 35 or more feet tall. Give your young plant plenty of space to grow. You probably won’t want to plant too close to buildings, sidewalks, or driveways because when the trees start producing fruits, this can become quite messy. 

If you are hoping to produce your own cherry fruits, grow at least two cherry trees for cross-pollination purposes. Most are not self-fertile and will not produce cherries unless they are cross-pollinated with another cherry tree. Growing two (or more) different varieties or cultivars in close proximity is an excellent way to increase and improve your cherry crop.

Birds and pollinators love cherry trees! If you are looking for an excellent plant for your pollinator garden, any variety, whether or not it is fruit-bearing, will bloom in the springtime and attract a myriad of pollinators. Any fruits that form will be of great interest to the resident birds and other small wildlife, so you may have some serious competition when it comes time to harvest your fruits!

Frequently Asked Questions