Author Topic: Cherry substitutes  (Read 2528 times)

AndrewAZ

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Cherry substitutes
« on: June 24, 2017, 11:35:45 PM »
I live in Scottsdale, AZ.  Very avid fruit grower.  In the desert, I have apple trees, plums, pears, peaches, apricots that do very well out here.  Unfortunately,  my son's favorite fruit are cherries.  Even the current low chill varieties out struggle with the summer sun.  So, I have looking for a subtropical or tropical substitute for them.  Finally got my Barbados cherry to fruit, and, they are too sour.  Before I waste more money on a tree, are there any other treeach or bushes that gave fruit that actually taste like a cherry and take strong summer heat?

bsbullie

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2017, 11:50:12 PM »
Unfortunately,  none of the South American "cherries" I have tasted are cherry like.  Not Grumichama, Surinam, Star/pitangatuba nor CORG are like a cherry as you are looking fir.  Some Barbados cherries, when fully ripe, have a balance of sweet and sour but they arent cherry like like a Bing, Queen Anne, Ranier or the like.
- Rob

RodneyS

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2017, 12:01:10 AM »
I thought Cherry of the Rio Grande was comparable to regular cherries when I tasted it

bsbullie

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2017, 12:10:21 AM »
I thought Cherry of the Rio Grande was comparable to regular cherries when I tasted it

Yes, its sweeter than others but IMO saying its like or a replacement for a Prunus is an imaginative stretch (and its not that easy to fruit either).  This is just my opinion...
- Rob

SoCal2warm

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2017, 01:35:49 AM »
There are also Capulin cherries, which are more popular in southern Mexico and the Andes. Some people may be reluctant to consider these "real cherries" and many people are put off by their resinous taste. A Capulin grows a bit different than common sweet cherry varieties do. Like the Black Wild Cherry species, to which Capulin is very closely related, Capulins flower/fruit on racemes. Technically Capulins are actually real cherries, but they are about as different from normal sweet cherry varieties as sweet cherries are from sour varieties. Capulin has a much lower chill requirement (maybe 100-200 hours) and can handle the hot sun a little better than regular cherry trees.

sildanani

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2017, 02:05:13 AM »
Have you heard of Prunus lyonii - Catalina Island Cherry? Only thing is the fruits aren't too great.
Otherwise cherry of the Rio Grande might be your best bet.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2017, 08:19:52 AM by sildanani »
Anisha

00christian00

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2017, 03:52:47 AM »
Have you tried Nanking cherry/ Prunus tomentosa?
It's not sweet like a real cherry, but it's quite tasty and not too sour, my 6 year nephew like it a lot.
Probably sour like a strawberry. The fruit are kinda small however.

sildanani

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2017, 08:15:01 AM »
Have you tried Nanking cherry/ Prunus tomentosa?
It's not sweet like a real cherry, but it's quite tasty and not too sour, my 6 year nephew like it a lot.
Probably sour like a strawberry. The fruit are kinda small however.
But Nanking cherry needs chill hours to fruit. I don't think he is in the best agri zone for them. They do well in 4-7 but he's in 9. He needs to find a species requiring little to no chill.
Anisha

sildanani

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2017, 08:16:59 AM »
Have you tried Nanking cherry/ Prunus tomentosa?
It's not sweet like a real cherry, but it's quite tasty and not too sour, my 6 year nephew like it a lot.
Probably sour like a strawberry. The fruit are kinda small however.
But Nanking cherry needs chill hours to fruit. I don't think he is in the best agri zone for them. They do well in 3-7 but he's in 9. He needs to find a species requiring little to no chill. That seems to be the point of the question.
Anisha

johnb51

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #9 on: June 25, 2017, 09:32:20 AM »
Sorry, no such thing as a cherry substitute, especially for a child who isn't open to something weird but vaguely cherry-like!
John

gnappi

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #10 on: June 25, 2017, 09:50:49 AM »
I quite like Grumichama, and while anywhere near a bing, or black cherry their flavor is reminiscent of northern cherries. Add to that they're inexpensive and don't (at least here) grow huge and they make a nice hedge if watered and trimmed right.
Regards,

   Gary

bsbullie

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2017, 10:42:06 AM »
I quite like Grumichama, and while anywhere near a bing, or black cherry their flavor is reminiscent of northern cherries. Add to that they're inexpensive and don't (at least here) grow huge and they make a nice hedge if watered and trimmed right.

fyi - grumichama can grow into a 20+ foot tree...
- Rob

achetadomestica

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Re: Cherry substitutes
« Reply #12 on: June 25, 2017, 11:28:15 AM »
I have a COR that fruited pretty well recently. It has been flowering non-stop since last summer with
only an occasional fruit being set. It had about 30 fruit at one time. The tree is over 8 feet tall and looks
great, so far no die-back. The fruit tastes the closest to a northern cherry. The flesh is not as firm as a
Northern cherry but the taste is right.
 I have another small COR I just put in the ground and the tree doesn't look the same. I guess what I am
saying is there is allot of variation in COR. I was selling/trading seeds but am currently out. PM and I will
save seeds, the tree has a few fruit on it now. Will a COR do well in your area? I am in Florida