| I planted a black tartarian along with a stella from bare root this early spring. The Black tartarian is doing great....the stella's leaves have already turned brown...by Sept 1st. Questions....is this my second stella fatality...(i killed one last year) or should i wait till spring to find out if its dead. is it time to give up on stella cherries? Will the Black tartarian...(home depot) fruit on its own if i decide to plant only one cherry tree. Better suggestion for type of cherry to go with the Black tartarian in LA area...San Fernando valley. thanks |
| 'Stella? is not a good variety for your region because it has a high winter chill requirement (700 hours). Although its chill requirement is high, gardeners in colder pockets of Orange, San Diego and Riverside counties report good production from this variety. Described as self-fruitful, I find that ?Stella? does better with a cross pollinator such as ?Black Tartarian?. The fruit is tasty and dark-burgundy. ?Stella? remains a question mark in your garden. I think I would give it one more year to establish and fruit. If it doesn't, you might want to replace it with Royal Lee (Est. chill 400 to 500 hours). ROYAL LEE CHERRY is a medium-large red cherry; heart shaped, very firm with excellent flavor; tree is very productive with a low chill requirement; best pollinated by Minnie Royal (Est. Chill 400 to 500 hours.) Or you could just enjoy your Black Tartarian. |
