How to Grow a Cherry Tree from Seed (Part 1)

[pkpowagirl]

Hi all,
I'm going to share with you how I got my cherry seeds to sprout within 2 weeks WITHOUT refrigerating or "stratification". This was mostly trial and error, but so far it seems to have worked! I got my cherry seeds from cherries from a local store.

1. You need to crack the cherry pits to get the seeds. It is SUPER easy to get the cherry seeds this way:
Once you eat your cherries, keep the seeds. Don't worry about removing all the pulp; it doesn't matter. Just remove most of it.
2. Gather however many seeds you want, and leave it outside in the sun for a few hours (maybe 1-2, not much). The seeds should have a "dry" look to them vs if they are moist. They should have a "chalky" appearance to them. The point of drying the seeds first is to make the pit weaker and easier to break.
3. Take your dried cherry pits and GENTLY tap them a few times with a rock, brick, etc. I used a brick. If you tap too hard, you can damage the seed inside. You should hear a distinct "cracking" sound. It takes some practice to know how much force you'll need. *keep in mind to do this somewhere it's easy to clean up!* You'll have pointy shell fragments everywhere if you do this without a plastic bag or somethin.
4. Once you acquire your seeds, submerge them in water for the night. LEAVE THE ONES THAT INITIALLY FLOAT ON TOP. They still have the potential to sprout! :) The next day, toss away the seeds that are still floating on the top. They're no good.
5. Use the "paper towel in a bag" method. Put the seeds in a DAMP (not dripping wet) paper towel, and leave it in a plastic ziploc bag. I usually blow up the bag a bit with my breath and seal that in. <-- That's optional.
6. Leave the bag in the sun from a windowsill or even outside in the sun (if the sun isn't too strong) for at least 2 weeks.
And that's it! You should see little seedlings at the end of the two weeks. I used 10 seeds, and have 3 sprouting with a lot more showing signs of germination.

Please like this comment so others can see! Thanks everyone!

[catznbearz]

I've got fruit producing banana trees, papaya trees, lemon trees, lime trees, figs, pecan trees, pineapple guava plants along with peach trees in my yard. Just planted 8 cherry tree seeds according to this video. Thanks for sharing this video.

[rsk]

Greetings from Nova Scotia, Canada! Just an observation! Obviously these cherry seeds must be from trees that have not been grafted! You are very fortunate because the vast majority of fruit trees today are grafted trees.

[davidcordon]

I live in Austria, so all my plants are potted, after I ate some cherries about 3 months ago I threw the seeds on a planter, they are about 2 inches tall by the kitchen by the glass sliding door where the sun hits every morning, my plants use regular soil for planters. in the same pot, a mango is growing too, it is about 2 ft tall, and jalapeno peppers.

[DrOmg]

It's been a while, did they fruit?

[carladamczak]

This is pretty cool. I'm going to try planting some yellow cherries, hope they sprout.

[jacobeksor]

I bought a bag of cherries from Harris teeter today do you think it will grow if I plant the seed pot ?

[stephenburns]

this is amazing! What an interesting plant. Thanks for the great info.

[Users_rx]

Do we need to crack the pit open first? Thanks!

[tiratree]

I now have my cherry seeds and they have been in the refrigerator for 10 weeks. But it is already Fall. Should I plant them now?

[PresidentBob]

Great video. Quick question, how often do you water the cherry seedling per week when you first put the seedling in the soil?

[steelyhendrix]

That is highly debatable. No matter what, it will take five years on up to fruit, if the tree was grown from seed. Tropical fruit trees seem to have the best results reproducing an edible fruit. Not enough research has been done on cherry trees (at least that I could find). My cherry trees are a year old. I am keeping a close eye on their progress. I recommend you keep growing them, they are beautiful trees. If you are looking for fruit in the next few years, head to a reputable nursery or take a cutting from an established tree. 

[faresalsheikh]

Which weather or climate is suitable to grow cherry? Please share.. thanks

[tabiewade]

This will definitely be my first Cherry try, but as of yet, I haven't found a seed I could not grow, and with very little effort, honestly I really don't know, when people ask me what my secret is.. sometimes I see they need left alone, sometimes I see they need attention, so here goes nothing.
I'm starting from some cherries that I got from the farmers market, they were sweet by the way, and I'm going to refrigerate as the narrator said. I'll let you know.. today is July 25th 2018 and I'm hoping my 11 year old has some cherry trees on our land in the near future
thanks for the tip.
T

[athasmak]

Well after putting many seeds in a pot, as you said I slowly introduce them to the sunlight, slowly walking the cat's walk and saying dear seeds this nice and bright thing in the sky is the sun, believe me they didn't give a shit about it, and I place them in little partly sunny corner, and now I am waiting. My dog give them plenty of nitrogen. It was 1973 when I did all this. Nothing yet. Grand son says just keep waiting, so I do.

[scotianbank]

Hey, do you mean refrigerator or the freezer? What temperature would you say is best more or less?

[Janewomanpower]

Hi. I recieved some cherry seeds i ordered online. There is a hard shell over them. Do i plant them like this or crack the outer shell to get the interior seed? They came with no instructions.

[manuelvillalpando]

I just bought a Sweet Cherry 'Black Tartarian' with the text on that tag that says, "Prunus Avium." It is about five feet tall too. I know that cherry trees can take quite a bit of time for them to bear fruit, but I am being hopeful that this tree will be successful in bearing cherries. Anyhow, while I posted a picture of the tree on Facebook, a friend of mine suggested or was asking me to find out what type of cherry tree this was, because most cherry trees will require another cherry tree to be nearby for pollination. Has anyone else heard about this before?

When I used to live in central California, my relative had a cherry tree that was very successful for bearing cherries, and I don't recall ever seeing other cherry trees near that cherry tree. Now I live in Yuma, Arizona, and the weather here is super hot during the summer months. I am hoping that the cherry tree does tolerate the dry Yuma summer heats well, but time will tell.

I am VERY surprised in the last two years that I've lived here in Yuma, Arizona that despite being a desert region that the land here is extremely fertile and nutritious for plants. Just about anything and everything grows here too, and because the weather is mostly warm year round, local farmers here plant pretty much all year long. Yuma is indeed a very interesting place.

[mohammedhafeez]

can we use the seed s in the cherry one

[samkh]

Hi
It's so nice and good video
Do I need to store the seeds in the refrigerator or I can plant it directly after eating the fruit, by the way its a summer time now here
Thanks for being helpful and cooperative
BR