Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Common name: 'Black Gold' cherry

Family: Rosaceae (Rose)

Distribution: Cultivated

Hardiness: USDA Zone 5 (-20 to -10 °F)

Life form: Deciduous tree

Occurrence in New Mexico: Cultivar

Growing Conditions: For best fruit production, fruit trees should not be planted in low areas where cold air accumulates. They can be planted within enclosed walls or near buildings, but can be adversely affected by temperature extremes near west facades. Planting on a north-facing slope or on the north side of a building may delay flowering and minimize effects of winter sun on buds but full sun is needed during the growing season for fruit production. Bare root or dormant trees should be planted in winter in compost-amended, well-drained soil with the graft union 2- 5 inches above soil level. Wrapping or painting the trunk with diluted white latex exterior paint or kaolin clay reduces winter sunscald. In New Mexico, fruit trees appreciate nitrogen fertilizer in early spring. Staking can provide stability, but should not interfere with a young tree’s natural capacity to resist wind. During the first year, water often enough to keep the soil moist, but avoid over-watering and soggy soil. After the first year, water less frequently but increase the volume. Although cherry trees grown from seeds are somewhat true to the parent plants, they are often grafted because ungrafted trees require about 10 years to produce fruit. Sweet cherries require minimal, if any pruning.

Description: This sweet cherry tree has smooth, purplish-brown bark and bright green leaves with toothed margins. Small, red glands appear at the tip and base of the leaves. Clusters of 2-6 five-petaled, white flowers cover the branches in late spring, appearing at the same time as the leaves. Fruit first appears yellowish-red and matures to a rich red in mid-summer. This tree blooms later and is less affected by late winter freeze than apricots and peaches. The tree itself is reported hardy to -30°F, and buds generally survive down to about -20°F. It is not appropriate for most southern areas of New Mexico because it needs 700-800 chilling hours before buds will emerge from dormancy. (The number of chill hours in New Mexico ranges from about 200-500 in the southern low desert to 1200-1400 in the northern part of the state.) It is self-fertile and does not require a pollinator; however, is useful for pollinating other late-blooming cultivars that are not self-fertile. The tree at SFBG is on Gisela 5 rootstock, a dwarfing rootstock that produces trees about 50% standard size, imparts some winter hardiness, and induces early fruit production after 2-4 years (compared to 10 years for seed-grown trees). On this rootstock, this tree will produce 25-50 pounds of fruit annually when mature and should live about 35 years. The medium-sized, heart-shaped fruit resists cracking and is juicy, firm and sweet.