How to Grow a Cherry Tree From a Seed

Grow cherry trees from healthy, ripe cherry seeds.

Many nurseries and garden centers offer cherry trees for home gardeners to plant and produce their own cherries. By germinating and planting cherry seeds, you save money by not buying an established tree and take satisfaction in knowing exactly what products and methods have been used in growing your cherry tree. Although it may take up to seven years for the cherry tree to produce fruit, growing a fruit tree from seed is a worthwhile project that is also easy and fun.

Things You'll Need

• Cherries
• Cherry pitter
• Hand-held strainer
• Towel
• Paper towels
• Plastic bag
• 3-inch biodegradable peat pots
• Perlite
• Peat moss
• Clear plastic wrap
• Plastic tray
• Fruit tree fertilizer

Instructions

1. Locate a local cherry tree and pick healthy cherries off the branches when they are ripe but have not yet fallen on the ground. If you cannot locate a local cherry tree, obtain cherries from a farmer's market or reputable cherry dealer.

2. Pit all the cherries with a cherry pitter. The cherry pitter will remove the cherry pit, or seed, from the cherry without inflicting the damage to the seed that a knife may cause.

3. Place the cherry seeds into a hand-held strainer and run clean water over them to remove the cherry pulp. Put the cherry seeds flat on a towel to dry for two to three days.

4. Spritz two paper towels with water to dampen them slightly. Lay the dried cherry seeds on top of one paper towel, and place the second paper towel over the seeds. Fold the paper towels with the seeds enclosed, and place them into a sealable plastic bag.

5. Set the plastic bag into the bottom crisper drawer of the refrigerator and set the interior temperature at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the paper towels moist at all times. Do not allow them to dry.

6. Remove the cherry seeds from the refrigerator when the seeds begin to crack open, after three months or longer.

7. Fill 3-inch biodegradable peat pots with equal amounts perlite and peat moss. Dampen the pots with water and add more of the soil mix if the level drops when the water is added.

8. Poke one 1/2-inch-deep hole into each peat pot using your finger. Place one cherry seed into each planting hole. Cover the peat pots with clear plastic wrap to raise the internal humidity.

9. Transfer all the peat pots to a plastic tray and set it in a location that retains steady temperatures of 70 degrees Fahrenheit or above.

10. Remove the plastic wrap when the cherry seedlings are touching the wrap. Keep the cherry seedlings indoors in a sunny location until the last frost has passed.

11. Plant the cherry seedlings --- including the peat pots --- six feet apart in a location that has well-draining soil and receives at least six hours of afternoon sunlight.

12. Water the cherry seedlings once or twice per week, maintaining a moist soil. When the cherry seedlings reach at least 1 foot in height, feed them with a fruit tree fertilizer according to the label directions.

Tips & Warnings

• Fruit trees are frost sensitive. If you live in an area where temperatures drop below 40 degrees, keep the cherry tree in a large planting container and bring it indoors during the winter.

References

• New Mexico State University: Growing Cherry Pits
• Iowa State University: Germination of Tree Seed