Morello cherry trees are a delicious and beautiful addition to any home orchard. Their tart cherries are perfect for baking, jams, and desserts. With the right care and conditions Morello cherry trees can thrive and produce abundant fruit for years to come. But before you plant it’s important to find the right Morello cherry tree for your specific needs. This guide will walk you through what to look for when buying a Morello cherry tree and where to find healthy trees for sale.
What is a Morello Cherry Tree?
Morello cherries are a variety of sour pie cherry, scientifically known as Prunus cerasus. They are an ancient cultivar, thought to have originated in northern Italy. Morello cherries are named after the Morello village in Lombardy where they were first cultivated.
These cherries have a deep red color and a distinctive rich, winy, and tart flavor. The fruit is small to medium sized and heart shaped Morello cherries are popular for cooking, canning, juicing, and liqueurs Unlike sweet cherry varieties, they are too tart for most people to enjoy raw.
Morello cherry trees are self-pollinating and productive. The dwarf varieties reach 8-10 feet tall at maturity, making them an ideal size for home orchards Morello cherries are low chill, only requiring 400-500 chill hours This allows them to thrive in warmer climates where other cherries would struggle.
Benefits of Growing Your Own Morello Cherry Tree
There are many great reasons to grow your own Morello cherry tree:
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Abundant fruit for baking and preserving: One mature Morello tree can produce up to 25 pounds of fruit per year. This allows you to bake to your heart’s content and put up jars of preserves.
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Earlier harvest: Store-bought cherries are often imported from far away. Having a backyard Morello tree allows you to enjoy fresh cherries earlier in the summer.
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Suit your taste: You can pick Morello cherries at their peak of ripeness for ideal flavor. Store-bought cherries are often picked early before full maturity.
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Organic production: Growing your own tree allows you to control how it is cared for. You can be confident you are producing organic fruit free of pesticides.
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Pollinator friendly: Cherry blossoms provide early spring food for bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.
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Orchard beauty: A flowering and fruiting Morello cherry tree makes a stunning focal point in any garden or landscape.
What to Look for When Buying a Morello Cherry Tree
When selecting a Morello cherry tree for purchase, here are the key things to look for:
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Reputable nursery: Order trees from a reputable nursery with expertise in fruit trees. Avoid big box stores.
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Tree health: Inspect the tree for signs of disease, damage, or pests. Reject any trees that are in poor condition.
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Root system: The roots should be well developed but not pot bound. Avoid trees with roots circling the container.
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Chill hours: Select a variety suited for your climate’s chill hours. Morello cherries need only 400-500.
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Pollination: Morellos are self-fruitful but planting two varieties can boost pollination.
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Dwarf rootstock: Dwarfing rootstock produces a manageable 8-10 foot tree, ideal for small yards.
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Certified stock: Opt for certified virus-free nursery stock when possible.
Where to Order Healthy Morello Cherry Trees
Two of the best online nurseries for ordering Morello cherry trees are Raintree Nursery and Trees of Antiquity. Here’s an overview:
Raintree Nursery
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Offers English Morello on two size-controlling rootstocks: Gisela 5 (dwarf) and Gisela 3 (mini-dwarf).
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Trees are shipped bareroot in winter while dormant.
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Only sells virus-free certified stock.
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Grower with 40+ years specializing in fruit trees.
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Prices range from $59.99-$64.99 per tree.
Trees of Antiquity
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Sells 1-year old English Morello cherry trees.
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Bare-root trees shipped January-May.
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Family-owned nursery focused on heirloom varieties.
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Offers organic certified trees.
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Trees sell for $49.95 each.
Both nurseries have excellent reputations for sending out vigorous, healthy trees and providing helpful customer service. Ordering online allows you to have trees shipped at the optimal planting time for your region.
Preparing Your Yard Before Planting Your Morello Tree
To give your new Morello cherry tree the best start, it’s important to prepare the planting area properly:
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Sunlight: Morellos need at least 6 hours of direct sun per day, 8 hours is ideal.
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Soil: Cherry trees thrive in deep, loamy soil that is rich in organic matter. Improve poor soils by amending with compost.
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Drainage: Ensure the soil drains well. Avoid low, wet spots. Cherries hate “wet feet”.
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Spacing: Allow at least 10 feet between cherry trees at maturity for good air circulation.
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Support: Install a stake or trellis for the young tree to grow against. This prevents damage from wind.
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Mulch: Spread 2-3 inches of mulch around the base after planting to retain moisture. Avoid touching the trunk.
Caring for Morello Cherry Trees
With the right care after planting, Morello cherry trees will flourish:
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Watering: Water deeply and regularly during the first year. Established trees are quite drought tolerant.
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Fertilizing: Apply a balanced organic fertilizer each spring as leaves emerge.
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Pruning: Prune in winter to maintain an open vase shape. Remove inward facing branches.
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Harvesting: Pick cherries when fully colored but still firm. Leave stems on until washing.
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Pest control: Use organic sprays like neem oil to prevent aphids, fungus, and cherry fruit flies.
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Protecting: Cover trees with netting before fruit ripens to keep away birds.
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Chill hours: Ensure the required 400-500 hours under 45°F each winter.
With its cold-hardy nature and modest care needs, Morello cherry trees are an ideal fruit tree for the home grower. The reward of harvesting bucketloads of sweet-tart cherries will make the initial investment worthwhile for years to come.
Adding a Morello cherry tree to your backyard orchard can bring you an abundant harvest of fruit for cooking, canning, or fresh eating. Seek out healthy bareroot trees from reputable nurseries and provide sun, rich soil, and attentive care. In return, Morello cherry trees will grace your garden with spring blooms and summer fruit for decades to come. The tart, ruby cherries are well worth the effort needed to grow your own tree.
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- Is this tree self pollinating? Yes it is considered self pollinating.
- Hi! Will English Morello Cherry pollinate Black Tartarian cherry? No, they dont bloom at the same time.
- Does this pollinate well Surefire? Yes, they work will together
- When is the time to plan this morello pie cherry Spring is the best time to plant this tree.
- What size is the English Morello I would get? This tree is shipped bareroot and is 4-5 tall at the time of shipping
- how do you discourage a tree from bearing fruit? Remove the flowers when they bloom.
- I read in various places that sour cherries can grow in shady areas. Is this true? In certain areas yes, there is a happy medium between heat and chilling hours that can allow sour cherries to grow (and ripen) in partial shade.
- Will these do well in containers? The mini-dwarf will be okay in a large container, but the dwarf will eventually get too big.
- Does this tree come producing? This tree is old enough to bloom, but fruit should be discouraged until it can establish a larger root system.
English Morello Sour Cherry Taste Test
FAQ
What is the difference between a tart cherry and a Morello cherry?
More than 95 percent of North American tart cherries are Montmor-ency, an amarelle-type variety with bright red skin, pale flesh, and clear juice. In Europe, the morello type is the tart cherry of choice. Morello cherries have dark skin, flesh, and juice and are larger, firmer, and sweeter.
What is the difference between sour cherry and Morello cherry?
Sour Cherry Varieties
Sour cherries often tend to be smaller than sweet cherries. Whereas most sweet cherries tend to be dark red in color, sour cherries fall into two categories: Amarelle-type cherries – yellow flesh and white juice Morello-type cherries – red flesh and red juice.
How big does a Morello cherry tree get?
Ideal for small gardens. Half-Standard: A freestanding form with a trunk about 120cm tall. It will grow into a full sized, “normal” cherry tree, about 4m. Ideal for orchards, easy to mow underneath.
What zone do Morello cherries grow in?
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 4-9. In flowering group:4 Medium size, dark reddish black pie cherry with semi-firm, tart flesh and dark-colored juice. Astringent until fully ripe. Trees are naturally semi-dwarf, upright, spreading, productive and hardy.
Is English morello a sour cherry tree?
The English Morello cherry tree, Prunus cerasus ‘English Morello, is a variety of sour cherry tree that grows well in the United States. It’s a late-blooming tree and is high-producing, growing clusters of deep red fruit that ripen in mid-summer. Its fruit is sour, making it ideal for cooked applications like jams and jellies.
Where can I buy an English morello cherry tree?
If you’re in the market for an English Morello cherry tree, you can find one at Nature Hills Nursery. They give plenty of information on the best ways to help your tree thrive as well. Many specialty and more common shops sell English Morello cherries, either whole or as jams, jellies, or preserves.
Are morello cherry trees edible?
The English Morello cherry tree is a popular tree in the UK for making jams and jellies and also grows well in the United States. This late-blooming tree is high-producing, forming clusters of dark red fruit which are edible to humans, as well as birds and other small animals.
What does English morello cherry look like?
English Morello cherries are smaller than your average sweet cherry, and have a dark-red, near-black skin. The fruit is firm and filled with sour, dark red juice. The picking period lasts about a week and may stretch into June or even July! English Morello cherry trees do well in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 9.
What is the best use for morello cherries?
Morello cherries are perfect for pies, jams, tarts and flavouring. They have a very acidic but full flavour. Fruits are smaller than sweet cherry trees but this is normal for this type of tree. They are mid red and have a very acidic but full flavour, perfect for pies, jams, tarts and flavouring.
How tall do English morello cherry trees grow?
English Morello cherry trees can grow to a mature height of 15 to 20 feet, and can be kept smaller with careful pruning. Be careful to give your English Morello plenty of room from other trees and the sides of your house when you first plant it.