The Distance Between Trees to Pollinate With a Cherry Tree Pollinator

Planting Distance

• Standard sweet cherry trees typically are planted 25 to 30 feet apart. They take five to seven years to bear cherries, and live from 20 to 30 years. Plant sour cherries 18 to 24 feet apart. They will bear cherries from four to five years and will live from 15 to 20 years. Plant semi-dwarf sweet cherry trees 12 to 15 feet apart. In addition to planting cherry trees the correct distance apart, you must match cultivars for successful pollination.

Sweet Cherry Pollination Exceptions

• "Stella" (Prunus avium "Stella"), "Lapins" (Prunus avium "Lapins") and "Starkrimson" (Prunus avium "Starkrimson") do not need pollen from another tree, making them exceptions among sweet cherries, A few sweet cherry cultivars will bear fruit if they receive pollen from another tree of the same cultivar. These include “Bing” (Prunus avium “Bing”), “Royal Ann (Prunus avium “Royal Ann”) and “Lambert” (Prunus avium “Lambert”). Most cherry cultivars require pollen from another cultivar.

Universal Pollen Donors

• Some sweet cherries cultivars will pollinate many other sweet cherry cultivars. These universal sources of cherry pollen include "Lapins," "Stella," “Sonata” (Prunus avium “Sonata”), “Sweetheart” (Prunus avium “Sweetheart”), “White Gold” (Prunus avium “White Gold”), “Sunburst” (Prunus avium “Sunburst”), “Symphony” (Prunus avium “Symphony”), “Skeena” (Prunus avium “Skeena”) and “Index” (Prunus avium “Index”).

Matching Bloom Times

• When you plant two cherry cultivars together, make sure they bloom at the same time so they can share pollen. “Lapins” or “Skeena” will pollinate early-blooming “Somerset (Prunus avium “Somerset).” “Sweetheart” and “White Gold” will pollinate early-to-mid-blooming “Black Republican (Prunus avium “Black Republican”), “Kristin” (Prunus avium “Kristin”) and “Chelan” (Prunus avium “Chelan”). “Sunburst,” “Stella,” “Sonata” or Symphony” will pollinate mid-to-late-blooming “Ranier” (Prunus avium “Ranier”), “Bing,” “Royal Ann,” “Lambert,” “Burlat” (Prunus avium “Burlat”), “Regina” (Prunus avium “Regina”), “Windsor” (Prunus avium “Windsor”) and “Sam” (Prunus avium “Sam”). “Black Gold” (Prunus avium “Black Gold”) will pollinate the late-blooming “Hudson” (Prunus avium “Hudson”) and “Gold” (Prunus avium “Gold”).