What Two Cherry Trees Are Needed to Produce Bing Cherries?

Pollinating Basics

• Cherries are largely pollinated by bees and other pollinating insects. It is useless to plant a compatible cherry cultivar for your “Bing” tree if you space it too far away. Plant your trees within 100 feet of each other to ensure bees will carry a sufficient amount of pollen from one tree to the other. Because two cherry cultivars may bloom at the same time does not mean they will ripen at the same time. If you want to extend your period of harvesting fresh cherries, pay attention to the ripening time of a “Bing” and the pollinating cultivar. All but one of the recommended pollinating cultivars are red or dark red cherries.

Cultivars with Matching Blooming

• Two recommended pollinating cultivars match the mid-season blooming period of “Bing.” Those are “Mona” (Prunus avium “Mona”), a large, soft to medium-firm dark red cherry, and “Van” (Prunus avium) a firm, dark red cherry. “Van” ripens at the same time as “Bing,” while “Mona” ripens two weeks later.

Cultivars with Overlapping Blooming

• “Black Tartarian” (Prunus avium “Black Tartarian”), a small to medium-sized, soft, dark-red cherry will pollinate “Bing” but is an early spring bloomer. While some of its blooming may overlap “Bing,” you may risk poor yields of “Bing” cherries in some years. Two cultivars recommended for pollinating “Bing” bloom from early to mid-spring, a better blooming range. Early Burlat” (Prunus avium “Early Burlat”), a medium to large, soft to moderately-firm dark red cherry, ripens two weeks before "Bing." “Larian” (Prunus avium “Larian”), a large, moderately-firm, dark-red cherry; ripens one week before "Bing."

Yellow Pollinating Cherry

• “Rainier” (Prunus avium Bing x Van) a firm, sweet yellow cherry with red blush, blooms at the same time as “Bing.” “Rainier” is a hybrid cross between “Bing” and “Van,” another “Bing” pollinator. It ripens three to six days after “Bing.”