Q. I heard about a cherry tree from the Dave Wilson
Nursery website that has very low chill hours. Can we order these from the UNCE
Orchard?
Nursery website that has very low chill hours. Can we order these from the UNCE
Orchard?
Low Chill Fruit Trees for the hot desert
A. There are low-chill sweet cherries but they have been
in such high demand we have not been able to secure any in past years.
in such high demand we have not been able to secure any in past years.
However,
we have had no problems growing high chill hour apples, peaches, apricots and
plums here in the valley. They have been productive for over 15 years. So the
idea of chilling hours being an “on or off switch” for producing fruit should
not always be a consideration for homeowners when selecting fruit varieties.
we have had no problems growing high chill hour apples, peaches, apricots and
plums here in the valley. They have been productive for over 15 years. So the
idea of chilling hours being an “on or off switch” for producing fruit should
not always be a consideration for homeowners when selecting fruit varieties.
Sweet
cherries are a problem in southern Nevada unless you can plant them in a backyard
where they have protection from wind and there is some humidity from a pool or
a lawn. We had many different varieties of sweet cherries and produced only about
12 cherries from all of them in 15 years at the UNCE orchard.
cherries are a problem in southern Nevada unless you can plant them in a backyard
where they have protection from wind and there is some humidity from a pool or
a lawn. We had many different varieties of sweet cherries and produced only about
12 cherries from all of them in 15 years at the UNCE orchard.
 |
| We could not get sweet cherries to produce at the UNCE Orchard even with good flower production and lots of pollination opprotunities from many different sweet cherries planted in the same area |
Sweet
cherries flower extremely well so chilling has not been the problem. The
problem has been in setting the fruit and keeping it on the tree. Poor
flowering is what you would more likely expect if you didn’t have enough chill
hours.
cherries flower extremely well so chilling has not been the problem. The
problem has been in setting the fruit and keeping it on the tree. Poor
flowering is what you would more likely expect if you didn’t have enough chill
hours.
Other
people in town have had success with sweet cherries but nearly all of them
appear to be in backyards that are protected and have a higher humidity. The
people in Las Vegas who have been growing sweet cherries successfully tell me
that they have grown Bing, Lambert and other common varieties.
people in town have had success with sweet cherries but nearly all of them
appear to be in backyards that are protected and have a higher humidity. The
people in Las Vegas who have been growing sweet cherries successfully tell me
that they have grown Bing, Lambert and other common varieties.
You
might have more luck with sour cherries and they are more versatile anyway. We
have no reports to give you yet whether they will work here or not because they
are still being tested.
might have more luck with sour cherries and they are more versatile anyway. We
have no reports to give you yet whether they will work here or not because they
are still being tested.