Cherry Varieties
Benton® cv.’PC7146-8′ (PP#15,847)
Ripens 2–3 days ahead of Bing
Noted for its large, high quality dark red fruit of superior flavor, and early ripening time, a few days before Bing. Blooms later than Bing, consistently crops well, has lower susceptibility to rain cracking than Bing, and is self-fertile. Developed as part of a controlled breeding program at the Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center at Prosser, WA.
$1.00 per tree royalty
Bing
Ripens late May–early June
The leading sweet cherry that has set the standard in California. It produces large fruit that is firm and juicy sweet. Pollinators include Black Tartarian, Brooks, Early Burlat, Rainer and Lapins.
Black Tartarian
A small black fruit that is very soft. The tree is very upright and blooms early and the fruit set is heavy. It is also an excellent pollinator for Bing.
Brooks
Ripens 10–14 days ahead of Bing
A very large fruit that is firm with an exceptional flavor. There are very few doubles in the fruit set in hotter climates. It is susceptible to severe cracking in the rain. Pollinators for Brooks are Bing, Rainer, Early Burlat and Tulare.
Chelan (PP#8,545)
Ripens about 2 weeks ahead of Bing
A dark red fruit. The growth has not been found to be vigorous, but the fruit tends to set very heavy. Fruit set needs to be managed to obtain its large size. Pollinators include Index and Bing. It should be noted that Chelan is not compatible on Mahaleb.
Coral
Ripens early season
Coral is a low-acid cherry with glossy dark flesh and very sweet flavor that is similar to Bing. The fruit is firm and large to very large. Coral requires a pollenizer. Both Bing and Brooks work well.
Early Burlat
Ripens ahead of both Brooks and Chelan
Early Burlat is a very early ripening cherry. The fruit tends to be on the soft side but it is an excellent pollinator for Bing.
Index™ (PP#10,459)
Has a medium to large, firm dark red fruit that has an excellent flavor. While it blooms ahead of Bing. Index™ is self-fertile with moderate incidence of rain cracking, similar to Bing. The tree was developed at Washington State research facility in Prosser Washington.
Lapins
Ripens late June–mid July
Lapins is a self-fertile cherry that has excellent quality fruit that is resistant to cracking. It is a good backyard cherry because you can plant just one tree. While Lapins is self-fertile, it also acts as a good pollenator for other sweet cherries.
Rainier
Ripens just after Bing
A large, sweet cherry. The color is blush-red over a white-yellow background. The texture of the fruit is firm. Rainer is a cherry that tastes great right off the tree.
Regina™
Ripens late season
Excellent tolerance to rain-induced fruit splitting. Blooms 3–4 days later than Bing. One of the best of late-blooming varieties in terms of fruit size and quality. The parent tree(s) of the new variety was discovered in a cultivated area in Jork, Hannover, Germany.
Santina™
Ripens 8 days ahead of Bing
Santina is an early, black cherry with better than average fruit size, that matures about 8 days before Van. It is moderately firm, and the skin has a highly attractive, bright luster. This cherry is oval-shaped with a medium long stem. The flavor is good and it is moderately sweet. The tree is self-fertile. It is considered to be moderately tolerant to splitting but appears to be prone to nose splitting when it does split.
$1.25 per tree royalty
Ripening dates shown are approximate for Fresno and will vary with season and location.