“Low Chill Cherries”- Can They Grow Here?

verry cherry

Q: Is it possible that the new “low chill” cherries would produce fruit in Georgia?

A: While it is true that their requirement for wintertime chilling severely limits cherries such as ‘Bing’, ‘Ranier’ and ‘Lambert’ in Georgia, many other things make cherry success here doubtful. Spring freeze/thaw cycles can initiate early blooming, heavy spring rain can induce cracking, summer heat leads to disease, etc. Cherries that require low chilling, such as Minnie Royal, Minnie Ann and Minnie Lee, seem to do best in the drier parts of California and the Midwest. Try a couple and let me know how they work for you.

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