Will a cherry tree grow from a pit obtained from supermarket cherries?

Question

Is there some reason that would not work? Does it have to be put in the freezer for a month or so first to simulate winter conditions?

Answer 1

I've also wondered if a cherry tree would grow from a pit obtained from supermarket cherries, so I did a little surfing to see what I could learn. I know cherries are often grafted onto other stock, so grafted cherries would grow differently than the plant they came from. But could you grow cherry trees from those supermarket seeds? I found a Q&A site with a nice answer to the question. Flower Power wrote "Cherries will not come true from seed. You'll get cherries, eventually, but they won't be the kind you like so much - could be as good but will probably be small and not all that well flavored. To grow them, just plant the seeds and wait - they'll probably come up next year after they are chilled. I have them come up on the compost heap after I discard a pile of seeds. I would not waste time growing fruit from seed - better to buy a grafted plant of the variety you like. Otherwise you waste a lot of time on something you won't enjoy when it fruits."

It seems growing cherries properly can also be tricky. If you want to do it, Dr. Lynette Morgan states "Cherries benefit from about 150 days at 4 deg. C for their cold stratification period (again, in moist conditions or wrapped in moist paper). For cherry stones, it's often better to soak the pits in warm water for 24 hours before chilling for the required number of days".

You would probably do better and save a few growing years by buying a good sapling at the nursery.

Answer 2

It may or may not, most fruit in stores comes from trees that have been grown in such a way that they are sterile, but in the possibility that the one you got is not sterile then I believe cherries require an acid bath, and stratification at a temperature and time that varies from species to species.

Answer 3

There is no reason that they shouldn't grow. In nature they would be planted in the autumn so putting them in the freezer for a while would be a good idea. The seed coat of a cherry is very hard and woody so you would need to scarify the seed. Use sandpaper or a file to file enough of the seed coat in a small space away to expose the endosperm and allow water to soak into the seed.

Now that you know how to plant the seed there are several reasons that you shouldn't, unless you are just experimenting on seed germination. First most cherry trees are grafted to get a desirable type of tree. Your seed, while it would grow, might develop into almost any type of cherry. It could be a good cherry, but the chances are more likely that it will not. The problem is that you are going to have to wait 7 or 8 years to find out, and if it does no produce good cherries that time will be wasted. Another reason is there is no telling where the cherry that you purchased came from. It may not be adaptable to your environment. You should buy a small cherry tree from your local garden center. If you want to start your own tree, select a good tree from your area and root a cutting from it. It will grow into the same kind of tree that you took the cutting from.

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Answer 4

yes, and it will generally produce a typical, normal producing cherry tree since there is little hybridization in cherries.