Skip to content
EveryOrchard
Menu

Sweet Cherry variety

Sunburst

The short answer

Sunburst requires 800 chill hours[1]. It is self-fertile[2].

Growing facts

Sunburst growing facts
Chill requirement800 chill hours[1] (nursery figure)
HardinessNot published for this variety
PollinationSelf-fertile, bloom group 3[2]
Harvest windowJune–July[1]
Years to bearing5–7 years (typical for sweet cherries)[3]
Sunburst sweet cherrySpecies illustration — no historical watercolor exists for this cultivar

Notes

  • Self-fruitful; blooms mid to late-mid season and can serve as a universal pollenizer for overlapping-bloom cherries.[2]
  • Large dark-red midseason cherry.[1]

A year with your Sunburst

When the work happens for a sweet cherry in USDA zone 6, anchored to typical frost dates.

Months for pruning, thinning, spray-timing windows, and harvest for Sweet Cherry in zone 6
TaskJFMAMJJASOND
Prune——————————
Spray timing—————
Harvest—————————
Care———————————

See the full month-by-month sweet cherry calendar for zone 6 →

Can I grow Sunburst where I live?

Check the verdict for a few regions, or your exact ZIP:

Growing a Sunburst? Get its care calendar for your exact ZIP code, with email reminders.

Save this tree in My Orchard

Questions

How many chill hours does Sunburst need?
Sunburst needs 800 chill hours.
Is Sunburst self-pollinating?
Sunburst is self-fertile, though a pollination partner can improve cropping.

Sources

  1. [1] Dave Wilson Nursery. Cherries — DWN Variety Finder product list — accessed July 2026
  2. [2] Washington State University Tree Fruit. Pollination – Sweet Cherry (WSU Tree Fruit) — accessed July 2026
  3. [3] University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Growing Fruit Trees in Maine — Lack of Fruitfulness — accessed July 2026