How should I go about growing my Bing cherries in Ohio?

Question

I have an extremely fertile and large backyard. I bought a great bag of Bing cherries from Meyers. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio. I want a cherry tree. Can Bing cherries grow successfully in my backyard? More so, how should I go about growing and nurturing my cherry tree. Any and all information is appreciated.

Thanks

Answer 1

Bing cherries do grow in Ohio.  I have one myself.

Two things you need to know though.  well, 3 or 4....

1) Bing Cherry Trees will need a pollinator of a different sweet cherry species in order to set fruit.  Otherwise, you'll have a nice flowering tree, but no fruit.

2)  The variety of cherries you get from your bing cherry pit may not breed true from it's mother plant - the Bing Cherry tree.  It will share DNA from the pollinator (the "father" if you will), and the resulting tree will be somewhere in between the two - with possibly traits that were dormant in either parent tree that produce small cherries not all that great for eating.  Most fruit trees are propagated by grafting from the tree you want, so you essentially have a clone of the mother tree - which will produce the same kind of fruit.

3) If you choose to go ahead anyway (because it's fun), keep in mind that cherry trees need well drained soil - they don't like wet feet.  So don't plant in a low spot, or a place that gets standing water after a heavy rain.