Wild Michigan Sweet Cherry Seeds

currently unavailable This wild strain of sweet cherry is found in groups scattered around southwestern Michigan probably distributed by birds and humans. The fruit can have a bit of tartness along with the normal sweetness of black cherry. The seedlings I use to grow are from the trees pictured (like almost all the images on our website-they are real!) from a nearby farm that allows us to collect seeds from this almost timber like grove of them. The trees are very vigorous and upright in growth easily averaging 2-3 ft. per year in good soil. Fruits are produced often tend to be black 1/2 inch in size. Some trees yield a dark red fruit.  Even though not a grafted tree, all the trees are highly productive. Great for fresh use, pies, jam and juice.

Selecting further from this group is quite easy as some trees naturally grow very fast with a strong upright growth with a straight leader like a Christmas tree. Normally in an orchard setting these trees are pruned to maintain a open vase shaped tree to allow light to penetrate as well as spray materials. In a forest, the opposite is true so the fruit production is 'forced' to the top of the tree. This makes it impractical to harness the fruit production. But smaller limbs can be maintained while still allowing to grow tall and strong for wood while having limbs left specifically for fruit production. If planted like black walnuts in plantation style, there would be little fruit production compared to an orchard. But it is possible to do that if you want only wood production.

The amazing quality of this cherry wood is fantastic and surprisingly has not been tapped into. No one thinks of sweet cherry wood as a source of cherry wood. It is all the native wild black cherry that people are familiar with. Once I saw a gift given to fruit explorer Bob Kurle of a black cherry bowl. Wow was that a rich color!   Ever since I have been interesting in the wood only to find that it is considered specialty or non existent.  In southwestern Michigan due to the commercial sweet cherry orchards of past, there are a number of wild sweet cherries. Because of the early flowering in some locations, it is a difficult tree to fruit which is subject to late frosts as it flowers before sour cherries.