CHERRY

Self-fertile, crunchy cherries, in different rootstocks, dwarf, semi-dwarf and vigorous.

Like most temperate-latitude trees, cherry seeds require exposure to cold to germinate (an adaptation which prevents germination during the autumn, which would then result in the seedling being killed by winter temperatures). The pits are planted in the autumn (after first being chilled) and seedlings emerge in the spring. A cherry tree will take three to four years in the field to produce its first crop of fruit, and seven years to attain full maturity. Because of the cold-weather requirement, no members of the genus Prunus can grow in tropical climates.