BlackGold® Cherry on Mahaleb (Spring 2025)

A self-fertile, late-blooming, black sweet cherry. Also known as Black Gold, Ridgewood Cherry, NY 13791.

Black Gold is a reliable, high-yielding, late-blooming cherry that will avoid crop loss due to frost. It is self-fertile and can be planted alone in a home garden or in solid blocks in an orchard. It will also work as a universal pollenizer for any mid or late-blooming sweet cherry. It is cold hardy up to zone 4; a BlackGold® planted in the Twin Cities by Purvis Nursery has taken -30°F with no tip damage. This tree shows considerable resistance to bacterial canker, but its crack tolerance is only moderate. Growers can expect fruit within four years.

The glossy, heart-shaped fruit matures early to mid-season. It is deep red, almost black, firm, and juicy.

BlackGold® is a cross between Stark Gold and Stella, developed by Cornell University in 1996 and released around 2000. This selection was chosen specifically for its late bloom time.

Photo courtesy of Whiffletree Nursery, Ontario, CA.

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The glossy, heart-shaped fruit matures early to mid-season. It is deep red, almost black, firm, and juicy.

BlackGold® is a cross between Stark Gold and Stella, developed by Cornell University in 1996 and released around 2000. This selection was chosen specifically for its late bloom time.

Photo courtesy of Whiffletree Nursery, Ontario, CA.

The Fruit

Fruit Type

Category: Cherry
Subcategory: Crack-Resistant, Sweet, Self-Fertile, Cold-Hardy

Fruit Uses & Storage

Uses: fresh eating, jam, baking, canning, freezing, jelly
Storage duration: less than one month (approximate, depending on storage conditions)

Fruit Appearance

Skin color: red
Flesh color: red

Fruit Origins

Parentage: Stark Gold X Stella
Origin: NYSEAS, Geneva, NY
Introduced in: 1996
Introduced by: Dr. Bob Andersen, Cornell University

The Environment

Calendar & Geography

USDA zones: 4 - 8
Chill hours: 800
Ripening date: Jun 27 (approximate, in New York State) + 7 days after Bing

Tree Height & Spacing

glossary

Rootstock: Mahaleb Rootstock
Rootstock size class: Half-Standard (60% of Standard)
Tree spacing: See details
Good for wildlife planting? N

Diseases & Pests

glossary

Bacterial Canker of Stone Fruit: Resistant

Pollination

Pollination Factors

glossary

Bloom group:
Is it self-fertile? Y
Is it fertile? Y
Ploidy: Diploid
Rootstock size class: Half-Standard (60% of Standard)

Pollination Partners

Sweet cherries are not part of our search tool given various complexities. Please see our Pollenizer Search to run other queries and read how the application uses various factors. Also read more about fruit tree pollination.

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