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BlackGold Cherry tree

Owner: David

Location:  Two Rivers, WI, United States

Age:Planted in about 2012
Age of this tree:15 years
Soil:sandy with a little clay 
Climate at this location:Zone 5b - cool, within 1 mile of Lake Michigan
Pruning:summer pruned to maintain balance
Tree form:Central leader (widest at bottom)
Height:Between 6ft / 2m and 15ft / 4m
Cropping:Light crops
Growth:This tree grows fairly well here
Herbicides:Manual treatment (hoeing and weeding)
Pesticides:Chemical treatments
Local pests:birds

Owner's comments

Planted as a 3-foot whip in 2012. By the thick 3/4-inch caliper it looked to be a couple years old already. This tree grows in half-shade of a 200-year old maple, so it stays relatively small and leans towards the sun.

Season records for this tree

  • 2025

    Spring blossom: 15 May
    Fewer blossoms this year. Decided to remove blossoms from north side in hopes to get more vegetative growth on that side. Do not forget to spray in July!

  • 2024

    Spring blossom: 30 April
    Size: 2.0m / 6.7ft high   1.5m / 5.0ft wide
    Netted this year, and would have had a mediocre crop, but waited too long, and pesky fruit fly worms destroyed the entire crop in a couple days. Spray for them in July!

  • 2023

    Spring blossom: 15 May
    Size: 2.0m / 6.7ft high   1.5m / 5.0ft wide
    Half the fruit buds were empty! Cold damaged? Not much to harvest, allowed the birds have the couple cherries that would have been any good.

  • 2022

    Spring blossom: 19 May
    Size: 2.0m / 6.7ft high   1.5m / 5.0ft wide
    Moderate bloom.

  • 2021

    Spring blossom: 12 May
    Harvest: 3rd week July  1kg / 2lbs
    Size: 2.0m / 6.7ft high   1.5m / 5.0ft wide
    Typical moderate to heavy bloom. Good fruit, birds stole about half.

  • 2020

    Spring blossom: 21 May
    Harvest: 3rd week July  1kg / 2lbs
    Size: 2.0m / 6.7ft high   1.5m / 5.0ft wide
    Huge set of blossom. No thinning. Decent harvest. Rose chafers arrived 6/14.

  • 2019

    Spring blossom: 22 May
    Not much fruit bud, but expect good shoot growth then instead.

  • 2018

    Spring blossom: 18 May

  • 2017

    Spring blossom: 13 May
    Size: 1.5m / 5.0ft high   1.0m / 3.3ft wide
    Lots of blossom with several new shoots, all on south side of tree.

  • 2016

    Spring blossom: 17 May
    Harvest: 3rd week July  1kg / 2lbs
    Size: 2.0m / 6.7ft high   1.0m / 3.3ft wide
    Heavy bloom. Birds and dog ate half. Covered and saved half. Good quality.

  • 2015

    Spring blossom: 12 May
    Left untouched in winter. Huge branch growth, but only 3 cherries.

  • 2014

    Spring blossom: 30 May
    Harvest: 4th week July  0kg / 0lbs
    Size: 1.5m / 5.0ft high   1.0m / 3.3ft wide
    Very cold winter, very late spring, small growth, birds got the few cherries.

  • 2013

    Spring blossom: 19 May
    Harvest: 3rd week July  1kg / 2lbs
    Size: 1.5m / 5.0ft high   1.0m / 3.3ft wide
    I got about 30 cherries on this 2nd year tree. 16 survived the birds.