SEE HOW I GREW CHERRY TREES FROM PITS, IT’S EASY

I did it! I successfully turned cherry pits into cherry trees. Well, cherry seedlings for now but someday they will be productive trees in the cabins orchard. 

Late September of this year on a whim I decided to add more fruit trees to our already established orchard. We’ve lost all our cherry trees over the years for one reason or another so I was on the hunt for replacements.

Wow the prices are crazy high and there’s no guarantee they’ll survive the winter so after picking up 6 new trees; 2 apple, 2 cherry, and 2 pear I thought what the heck why not try and grow my own.

Hubby had a berry basket of black cherries in the fridge so I told him to save the pits for me. He did and after a little research on line to see how to germinate them and after watching a few videos I decided to give it a try. 

Nothing could be easier:

1. Save cherry pits (collect more than you think you will need I find the germination rate to be 50%)
2. Let pits dry on a paper towel for 2 weeks on the counter.
3. With a pair of side cutters or jewelry cutters snip a small hole in the pit and release the seed that’s inside.
4. Wet a paper towel and place the seeds 1/2” apart on the paper towel
5. Fold the paper towel over the seeds and fold again making it 3X3 square or similar.
6. Wrap the paper towel filled with seeds in tinfoil, and fold the tinfoil like you did the paper towel into a 3X3 square.
7. Write the seed type and date with a sharpie on the tinfoil and place in the crisper drawer in the fridge.
8. Forget about it for 2 months.

After the 2 months get it out and open it up. The seeds should be sprouting by now. Poke the sprouts into seed starting soil, water, and let them grow. 

I planted every seed even if it wasn’t sprouting yet. I started with 30 seeds and 15 germinated and are now 3-4” tall. I know it will take 7-10 years before they produce cherries but it’s good to know I can grow them from seed if needed.

Now my goal is to keep them alive and growing until spring where I’ll pot them up and babysit them outside on my deck for another year. 

If you need visual instructions just search on YouTube and you’ll find plenty.  My next attempt is with peach pits. We have 2 peach trees currently that produced wonderfully this year but more trees is always better in my opinion. 

I should have started this project years ago in my younger days but oh well someone may enjoy them long after I’m gone or have moved away. Free trees is never a bad thing.