Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/67288
New Varieties I Dream cherry has DIM FUTURE t was a dream of a cherry: Like Rainier, it was yellow, with an attractive red blush, but it matured ear- lier and was larger and tastier. Mel Omeg and his son Mike who grow cherries in The Dalles, Oregon, were among those Trees of a promising WSU blush selection go into decline enthused at first about a Washington State University selection known as PC 8011-3. "I think blush cherries are an important part of any orchard variety portfolio," Mike said. "They're much higher risk than dark cherries because of the investment that's required to harvest them and the susceptibility of weather harming the quality of the fruit, but when they hit, they hit really good." Trouble is, most Rainiers grown in The Dalles tend to hit the market around the second week in July, when the cherry season is at its peak. "When you sell into the peak season, there aren't the margins there after a few years. by Geraldine Warner used to be because the supply is much greater and the consumer market is smaller and much more finicky," Mike Omeg said. That's why the Omegs and other growers are interested in high-quality early-maturing cherries. Mike said he's not so interested in late blush vari- eties because they're on the tree longer, exposing them to more risk of wind damage and mildew. WSU's PC 8011-3 was patented in 2005 and has been tested in commercial orchards. Nurseries were gearing up to sell the variety when reports of problems with the trees started to come in. When the trees reached three or four years of age, the shank of the scion would crack and split just above the graft union, and sometimes, there was gumming and oozing. In addition, the trees would develop a lot of blind wood in the centers and the spurs would die out, even though other parts of the trees looked healthy, said Dr. Matt Whiting, cherry horticulturist at WSU in Prosser. 26 JUNE 2012 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com