Bing Cherry Tree (Prunus avium)

The Bing cherry tree is a renowned, high-quality hardy cherry tree which can do well in USDA zones of five to eight. It can establish well under good conditions to a height of approximately twenty feet and can spread to about fifteen feet upon maturity. The cherry tree is usually grown for its fruits which are considered to be edible and appetizing.

The cherry tree can yield deep-red, glossy almost black cherry fruits with spectacular green coloring foliage during its growing season. These bright, colorful red cherries usually make an excellent contrast to the foliage. The skin of the cherry fruit is usually smooth with its flesh being firm, juicy and sweet. The cherries produced by this tree preserves well and can be great for cooking. However, it can also be eaten straight off the Bing cherry tree

In order for the tree to do well, it requires to be established and cross-pollinated with another sweet cherry cultivar, at least one, so that it can receive necessary pollen for the development of its sweet juicy fruits. The best cultivar for the tree is the sweet Windsor cherry. It is important to note that the tree cannot cross-pollinate with the Lambert, Napoleon, Stella or even the Emperor Francis cherries.

The Bing cherry tree can do well in well drained soils and in full sun. It is necessary that the tree is exposed to the sun for at least six to eight hours a day. For the tree to be established in a homemade garden, it requires a composted manure soil during planting with a regular replenishing of the compost around the already growing tree. This can be done by top dressing the soil with a few inches of organic material and an inch of shredded bark compost. The spacing between each Bing cherry tree should be approximately fourteen to twenty feet.

The tree is loved for its huge, sweet cherries which usually ripen throughout the summer periods. However, the tree can also enhance any garden or landscape in which it is established.