We are all familiar with cherry trees, especially if you live for the limited sweet cherry season in spring and summer.
There is nothing like a fresh cherry at its peak of freshness. If your mouth is watering at the thought, consider growing Nanking bush cherries. The fruit is sweet and tart, a bit juicier than other cherries.
Easy to grow and care for, high yield, and there’s even a cultivar that tricks birds into thinking the fruit is unripe. What more could you ask for?
Let’s talk about Nanking bush cherries and why you should plant some.
Table of Contents
What Are Nanking Bush Cherries?
Nanking bush cherries (Prunus tomentosa) are native to cool areas in China and have naturalized in Japan and Russia. They were introduced into the US in 1882 and were initially popular. Work was done around developing cultivars, but by the mid-1940s, people lost interest, and Nanking bush cherry fell out of favor.
People are just starting to appreciate these tough, versatile plants once again.
This plant is sometimes known as downy cherry, Manchu cherry, mountain cherry, Chinese bush cherry, and Mongolian cherry.
The fruits range from tart to sweet, though the species tends to be sweet with tart notes. The fruits are technically drupes, which means they have a fleshy outer part around a hard stone that encloses a seed.
Cherries, plums, peaches, and walnuts are all drupes.
Grow in USDA Growing Zones 2 to 7. Outside of these Zones, the temperatures won’t suit. They like cold winters where the cold stratifies the seeds. They will handle heat in the summer, but only if they get a sufficiently cold winter. They don’t like humidity much.
You must plant two bushes if you want fruits, as Nanking bush cherry is not self-pollinating. The two must be different plants or cultivars, not two plants grown from cuttings from the same bush.
Some people choose to grow a single plant to enjoy the flowers and foliage and not worry about the fruits. The pink, cherry-like blossoms are gorgeous.
8 of the Best Cultivars of Nanking Bush Cherries
Firstly, species Nanking bush cherries are hard to come by in the US, but specialist stores and online retailers like Amazon have them. The cultivars are also rare, but they are out there. Most cultivars are found in Europe and Russia.
The species Nanking bush cherry plants can grow up to about 15 feet tall. On average, they often grow to nine feet in cultivation.
Here are a few cultivars worth seeking out:
Efimka
This is a Ukrainian cultivar that has the potential for widespread success. The fruits last a lot longer on the bush than other cultivars. The cherries are also large and perhaps the best tasting out there.
The fruits are also easy to stone, which means less time in the kitchen prepping them for cooking.
Use ‘White Ninja’ or ‘Natali’ as a pollinator.
Gabe
‘Gabe’ is another extremely sweet cultivar, with huge fruits. The cherries are blush colored, with hints of red on a white base. This is another cultivar bred by Michael McConkey and grows to about the same size as ‘Ian’ at eight feet tall and wide.
This productive plant produces up to 12 pounds of fruit in June. Use ‘Natali,’ ‘Ian,’ or ‘Jules’ as a companion for pollination.
Purchase a four to eight-inch, year-old plant at Amazon.
Ian
‘Ian’ is the sweetest of all P. tomentosa cultivars, with the added bonus of having pure white fruits that are larger than the species. It’s also more drought-tolerant than most other cultivars.
Selected by Michael McConkey, grower and owner of Edible Landscaping, it stays about eight feet tall and wide for easy harvesting. The fruits are ready early, usually around June, depending on where you live.
Speaking of harvest, when the bush is mature, you can get up to 12 pounds off of one bush.
Use ‘Natali,’ ‘Gabe,’ or ‘Jules’ as a pollinator. Buy a live two-year-old plant in a 12-18 inch height from Amazon.
Jules
One of the trio of plants bred by Michael McConkey, this plant grows extremely sweet, large, pure white fruits on a plant that reaches eight feet tall and wide. The fruits are ready by June and you will get up to 12 pounds off of one plant.
Use a pollinator like ‘Natali,’ ‘Ian,’ or ‘Gabe’ as a companion.
Head to Amazon to purchase a two-year-old plant in a twelve to eighteen-inch height.
Natali
This is an extremely upright cultivar. The fruit grows large for these types of cherries and is around 3/4 of an inch in diameter.
Hailing from Russia, ‘Efimka’ and ‘Wostocznaja’ make the best pollinators.
Red Ninja
‘Red Ninja’ is a Russian cultivar that has large fruits. It’s less common than the others on this list, so you’ll have to really search to find it. When you do, you’ll have piles of huge cherries.
‘White Ninja’ and ‘Natali’ make excellent pollinating companions.
White Ninja
This cultivar is exciting because it produces white fruit. There aren’t many plants out there that can produce white fruit, especially fruit that tastes just as good as the colored kind.
The fruit is sweet and juicy, but it makes most birds think the cherry is unripe, and so they leave them alone.
The downside is that this plant doesn’t produce as many fruits. Use ‘Wostocznaja’ or ‘Natali’ as a friend for pollination.
Wostocznaja
A slow-growing Russian cultivar, this plant grows wider than it does tall.
This is a good one to try if you already have an original Nanking bush cherry, or any of the other cultivars, because it takes longer to become mature enough to produce cherries.
Once it reaches maturity, you’re in for a treat. The fruits are massive and there are lots of them. Pick ‘White Ninja,’ ‘Red Ninja,’ or ‘Natali’ for a companion.
How to Propagate Nanking Bush Cherry
If you can buy plants from a seller, it’s highly recommended, as propagating Nanking bush cherries from both seeds and cuttings is hit-and-miss. Despite the challenge, it’s achievable nonetheless.
Many retailers sell seeds, and there are options to buy them online. Just keep in mind that you need to seek out reliable retailers because quality seed is important for reliable germination.
Seeds
Nanking bush cherries are reasonably easy to grow, and you can find seeds for sale easier than the plant itself. You can also collect the seeds from fresh fruit if you know someone with a plant.
Remove the flesh, wash the seeds to remove all pulp, and place them on a paper towel in a warm area for a couple of days to dry out completely.
From this point on, treat store-bought or collected seeds the same.
Nanking bush cherry seeds need to be stratified for 100 days. The easiest way to do this is to place the seeds in a small amount of wet sand and place them in the fridge. Make sure the sand remains moist (not wet) while the seeds are stratifying.
After 100 days and in early spring, remove the seeds and plant them in individual containers filled with seed-raising soil. Place the pots in a spot with full sun. Keep the soil moist with a spray bottle.
If your timing is out season-wise, you can sow the seeds outside in the fall and let winter take care of the stratification. This is natural, but controlling the environment is not always easy. Alternatively, leave the seeds in the fridge until you are ready to sow.
When the seedling in the pot is big enough to handle, plant in the final spot in the ground.
Cuttings
This is the most reliable way to propagate Nanking bush cherry, but remember you need two distinct plants for pollination, not two from the same mother.
You can always try both purchased seeds and cuttings simultaneously and then plant one of each. That way, you can experiment and see what works best while ensuring you have two different plants.
You can do this in summer, at which time you would take softwood cuttings once the fruit begins to ripen. In the early spring, take dormant hardwood.
Look for healthy stems that feel springy and pliable and cut just below a leaf node at a 45 45-degree angle. The cutting should be six to eight inches long.
Strip the cutting of all leaves except the top two. Dip the angled end into a rooting hormone and gently push into sterile seed-raising soil or potting mix. I’m a fan of FoxFarm’s Ocean Forest potting mix, which is available at Amazon.
Place in a warm, dry area and keep the soil moist. Every four weeks, test by gently tugging on the cutting. If you feel resistance, the roots have grown.
Carefully transfer this outside for final planting after a week or two of hardening off.
How to Care For Nanking Bush Cherry
If you keep Nanking bush cherries as individual specimens, plant them about 15 feet apart. They make an attractive and efficient windbreak or ornamental hedge. In this case, plant them close enough so that their growth overlaps at five feet apart.
You get more cherries when planted in an area that receives about eight hours of sun per day. Part shade is okay, but it won’t be as fruitful as one that gets eight hours of sunlight.
The soil should be as close to a neutral pH of 7.0 as possible. It must drain well.
Add well-rotted manure or compost into the hole when planting. Make sure the hole is twice the size of the root ball.
In the first year, water once a week to once a fortnight to keep the soil moist. They do prefer cold, dry areas like their natural habitat.
After a year, they should only need about 12-14 inches of water per year. If your area gets that amount or more, no need for extra watering.
Don’t fertilize nanking bush cherry. It will keep producing every year without it.
You don’t have to prune every year, but the form is nicer, and you will get more cherries if you do. Prune to your desired height to keep harvesting easier.
Prune out dead or diseased branches, those that cross, prune for airflow, and prune for height. You should also remove the older canes because they become less productive. Take off any canes that are older than three or four years or that aren’t producing well.
Best Companion Plants for Nanking Bush Cherry
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- White Clover
- Lupine
- Daisies
- Spring bulbs
- Chives
- Marigold
- Comfrey
- Blueberries
Problems and Solutions for Growing Nanking Bush Cherries
Nanking bush cherries are hardy plants, but here are a few things that can go wrong.
Birds
Birds love the ripe cherries, except for the white cultivars. If the birds are taking more fruits than you’re willing to share, netting is your best option. You can find affordable options at Amazon, which carries 26 by 28 feet by PetiDream.
Black Cherry Aphid
Like all aphids, the black cherry aphid (Myzus cerasi) is a sucker and can deform shoots and cause vigor issues, especially in big numbers. They can be found where any cherries grow, not just Nanking bush cherries, and they are slightly larger than other aphids.
It uses ranking bush cherry as a winter host, then moves to the mustard family in summer. Young leaves curl on themselves when attacked by black cherry aphids. In bad cases, the leaves will turn brown and drop off the plant.
They excrete honeydew on leaves and fruit. This attracts ants and wasps. Encourage ladybugs and lacewing, the aphid’s natural predators.
If the infestation calls for it, use a mixture of neem oil and an insecticide as an initial spray. Follow up with regular sprays of neem oil every two weeks for six weeks.
Western Cherry Fruit Fly
Rhagoletis cingulata is a destructive pest. The female lays dozens of eggs under the fruit. When maggots hatch, they burrow into the cherry, and once inside, pesticides won’t reach them. They can destroy an entire harvest.
You can use yellow sticky traps to see if you have western cherry fruit fly. Ask your local nursery which trap is best if you suspect this insect.
Use a pesticide on the adults to prevent egg laying. Repeat the spray every 10 days and monitor fruit for maggots.
Spider Mites
These can be a nuisance, depending on the numbers. See our detailed article on spider mites to learn how to identify and treat these pests.
Coryneum Blight (Shothole)
Coryneum blight is a fungal infection caused by Wilsonomyces carpophilus. It’s spread by spores from spring to fall.
Lesions appear on leaves rapidly in the warmer weather. In cooler weather, they still form and spread, just a little slower.
Leaf infections start out as little red dots. They spread and enlarge changing to a purple ring with a whitish center. The spots drop out, leaving a shothole appearance. Spots also form on the fruit. These spots spread and eventually crack and ooze fluid from the fruit.
Prune out any diseased branches. Then spray with a copper-based fungicide when 50 percent of leaf fall has occurred.
Root Rot
Root rot is an annoying oomycete (fungal-like pathogen) that as the name suggests, causes roots to rot. You won’t know because it all starts in the soil. You will see yellowing leaves and stunted growth, along with a sad-looking plant.
When you dig around the plant’s root system, you will see the roots have turned to mush. If the majority of the root system is infected, you will lose the plant. There is hope if there are some white roots left. Dig the plant up, remove all dead and mushy roots, wash it all off, and replant in another area with soil that drains well.
Prevention is best with root rot. Make sure you plant in soil that is well-draining and not too dense for the plant.
Harvesting and Using Nanking Cherries
In general, Nanking bush cherries are ripe in July through August, though this can vary depending on your cultivar and location. You can always just put one in your mouth to tell if it’s ready.
The cherries should be plump, juicy, and round. The color should be fully developed, which will vary depending on the cultivar. The species should be bright, deep red.
When they are ripe, gently pull them away from the plant. They should come off easily.
The most common way to use these cherries is in jams and jellies. The cherries are naturally sour, so most people like to add some sweetness to offset the sourness.
You could also use them to make a crisp, sorbet, ice cream, muffins, pie, shrub, or bars.