I hope KeithC sees this thread - will all my volunteer montmorency trees be viable if I dig them up? I know it was grafted to a rootstock but some of these volunteers are now 8' tall under the tree and I need to dig and move them if they will make a cherry. I know the parent tree is considered a pie cherry and not sweet but they do such much better than my sweet cherries. Would these volunteers be worth transplanting? They obviously do well in my soils.

They are not suckers but trees from fallen cherries I have not mowed off last 2 years

They make great cherry bounce, nice tart cherries.

Good luck and give them a try at transplanting, be nice to hear how they do.

Worth a shot, but probably be better transplanting in the fall...

In New York, it's still likely early enough to successfully move your Montmorency cherry trees. I would dig the smaller ones, getting as many roots as you can and then prune them back by at least 1/3rd to help reduce transplant shock. Make sure they get around 2" of water a week through the Summer.

The trees that come off of the root suckers here have fruit by their third year and sometimes their second. Have your trees from seed produced yet?

Keith

These seedling trees have not produced seed yet but I do want to get them moved before they do - so likely fall. They are already fully leafed out and doing excellent again this year. Just wasnt sure if they would produce a decent cherry or not but I think they are worth trying as good as they are doing now with no care.
Honestly, I kind of like the tart cherries just fine as they are - kind of like the bitter tartness and good cherry flavor without the extra sweetness. This year a late frost smoked most of my fruit blooms. Only very few apples made it. This montmorency tree in particular has given us about 4-5 gallons of cherries the last few year - this year dont see a cherry on it.

I would imagine Montmorency cherry puree would be a goood addition to a coon bait.

Montmorencies make the best cherry pies bar none......

I agree wholeheartedly. They are good off the tree and out of the jar too. I eat about a quart jar every week or two. Mine are just starting to ripen.

Montmorency and other sour cherries are an excellent treatment for gout too.

Keith

The old cherry stoners/pitters work great on Montmorency cherries. They save hours on pitting by hand. We have 3 of them like the one on the left.



Shop Goodwill almost always has some for sale. New, they are usually over $100.00. Used, you can usually buy them for under $10.00.

Keith

I agree wholeheartedly. They are good off the tree and out of the jar too. I eat about a quart jar every week or two. Mine are just starting to ripen.

Montmorency and other sour cherries are an excellent treatment for gout

...and dont forget anti inflammatory for arthritis relief...