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| I have grown several cherry varieties this year: 1. Sweet 100 2. Sun Gold 3. Black Cherry Due to frequent rains this summer I lost about 2/3 of the crop due to splitting/rot. All 3 varieties turned out to be very prone to splitting. So, I'm planning for the next year and I am looking for the recommendations on good-tasting cherries in red-orange-yellow-black range that don't split. From what reviews I read here, Mexico Midget and Riesentraube are supposedly good-tasting non-splitters reds. Are there any recommendations for yellow-orange-black-multicolored cherries (I'd like them somewhat on the larger side, not grape/currant)? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| My seeds include Blush and Maglia Rosa for next year. I have not grown them yet, but plum like cherry type varieties do a bit better for me in terms of splitting. |
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| also I have grown this year HHHS, from Baker creek, mouthful of name, Hssiao His Hung Shuh or something like that. It is yellow grape quite meaty for cherry. Super productive and does not split. |
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- Posted by carolyn137 z4/5 NY (My Page) on Fri, Nov 1, 13 at 13:44
| Having grown one heck of a lot of cherry varieties I'm of the opinion that almost all of them can split given the right circumstances, mainly weather. So no way am I even going to try to list which varieties never split, b'c a given variety can split one year and then not the next year. Lindalana mentioned Blush and Maglia Rose, both bred by Fred Hempel and I've grown both and what they have is a thicker cell wall so don't split as much as some others IMO and there are others that have thicker cell walls that usually don't split that much. But no way can I remember those specific varieties b'c again, variety A splits in 1998 and doesn't in 1999, ( smile) Carolyn |
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| Sun Sugar is pretty much a non=splitting Sun Gold. Substituted it some years ago. There are many others with some degree of non splittting. Check out the Penn State Extension report on line. They have an excellent report from 2012 |
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| I have a simple solution for this problem: SIMPLY PICK THEM EARLY if it is important to you., especially when it is going to be rainy. However, this past season I had PEAR shaped varieties(Yellow and red) that I don't recall seeing a cracked one. Only over ripe round ones cracked. |
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| Thank you for recommendations! I think, I can start drafting my next year cherry list. |
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| I agree with seysonn, pick a bit early. I found that the ripest ones had higher chances of splitting. When you look at 'em and think "it needs just a few more days", you should probably pick 'em at that moment. I guess it depends on your taste (ripeness) preference, but they can be ripen on the kitchen table. To me, Tess' landrace currant tasted best when overripe (winey bitter-sweet mature fruit taste, but short lasting due to small size), I couldn't taste the difference from vine ripened vs table ripened. |
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- Posted by bmoser z6PA (b2m2@moserproduce.com) on Wed, Nov 6, 13 at 11:52
| The varieties you mention will split more readily than many others and the recommendations of picking a little early can help. I suggest a 2x/week regular picking roiutine. The suggestion to switch from SunGold to SunSugar is also something I highly recommend- Sunsugar will split too but not like SunGold and the taste is identical. There is an orange cherry I've tried called Torinjina that is even less prone to split but it lacks flavor. I have not seen any improvement in pear types although the suggestion to grape varieties is well noted. Since you want to stay with cherry varieties I will suggest a few varieties that seldom split for me under a regular picking routine. Favorita and Sakura are good red varieties; Sweet Treats is a pink variety that resists splitting well although it is the largest cherry I grow. Yellow Mini is also less prone to split than many others. One other suggestion is to watch the weather and pick prior to a rain event or anything that will cause wet fruits. |
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| " Sunsugar will split too but not like SunGold and the taste is identical. " They did not taste identical to me, growing side by side in the same row this summer. Sunsugar was just very sweet, without the more fruity acid kick of SunGold. All my cherries split this summer, but with the irregular rain storms, there wasn't much that anyone could have done about it. |
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- Posted by sanpedro 6A (goodwin@operamail.com) on Sat, Nov 16, 13 at 19:06
| I'd have to agree with ddsack, Sunsugar and SunGold do not taste the same. SunGold has better flavor in my experience. However, we grow one we bred for market, Sugar Drop, which has the same flavor and aroma and doesn't split as easily. Even watering is the key, though the thicker skin of some types like Isis Candy helps. Lee |
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| I wonder, has anyone ever tried covering ripen fruits with a thin layer of plastic and then removing it after it rains? It's interesting to know if the rain hitting the plastic will still cause the tomatoes to split or not.... |
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| I thought it was water intake (from the ground) that causes splitting. If that is correct, a large umbrella would work (LOL). Linda |
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- Posted by bmoser z6PA (b2m2@moserproduce.com) on Tue, Nov 19, 13 at 9:49
| The problem with any covering is that when it rains the humidity (dampness) is still causing fruits to split. I am growing all of my cherry varieties under plastic and I even use an inner dripless plastic layer but under high humidity conditions the fruits still get wet. One thing I didn't mention earlier has to do with your picking manner. If you pick in such a way as to keep the fruit stem attached you will notice less splitting as a result and followup to picking. Picking may take a little longer since the tendency with cherry types is to grab a cluster at a time to speedup the picking process. Yesterday was probably my last picking for the season and I was surprised at the late season yield as well as flavor of my cherry/grape varieties but all fruits were still wet at noon when I picked. Pouring each gallon picked over a cloth helped to dry the tomatoes and I didn't put more than 3 gallons in any carrier so the fruits would be allowed to dry more quickly. I pick out all visibly cracked fruits immediately and most often eat quite a few as I pick. Cracked fruits are just not marketable but I will continue to grow crack prone varieties, including SunGold, SunSugar, Black Cherry and even newer AAS winner Jasper (highly prone to cracking) b/c individual tastes varry and I have a great market for those varieties. |
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- Posted by sanpedro 6A (goodwin@operamail.com) on Tue, Nov 19, 13 at 19:19
| bmoser (above) has some good ideas. We also grow for market, and it helps to keep the stem on as well to pick a day or two earlier, especially if the forecast calls for rain. They're picked into baskets lined with dry paper towels. Any 'splitters' that don't get eaten immediately are run through the dehydrator, and those dried ones are quite a treat. Lee |
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