Bing Sweet Cherry
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Bing cherry pollination guide: S-genotype (S3S4, Group III), compatible pollinizers (Van, Rainier, Lapins), bloom overlap, and orchard management.
Bing is Self-Incompatible (Needs 1 Partner)
Bing needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 2–4 to set a reliable crop.
- S-Genotype / Genetics
- S3S4 (Group III)
- Required Companions
- 1 Compatible Partner
- Bloom Group
- Group 3 (Mid-Spring)
- Harvest Timing
- Mid-Late Season
Flowering Period & Overlap Window
Sweet and sour cherry flowering periods are classified into numbered bloom groups (1 through 5). Cross-pollination requires overlapping bloom timing between genetically compatible cultivars.
Any compatible cherry cultivar flowering within Group 2 to 4 provides matching blossom overlap.
Compatible Pollination Partners (17)
| Cultivar | Bloom Group | Overlap Type | Harvest | Primary Uses | Interactive Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 3 | Adjacent Overlap | Mid | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Adjacent Overlap | Mid | Fresh Eating, Dessert | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Adjacent Overlap | Mid | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
SelahGuideUniversal Donor | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
StellaGuideUniversal Donor | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid | Fresh Eating, All-Purpose | Test Cross |
SunburstGuideUniversal Donor | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Adjacent Overlap | Mid | Fresh Eating, Canning | Test Cross | |
Attika | Group 4 | Adjacent Overlap | Late | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Adjacent Overlap | Early | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 2 | Adjacent Overlap | Early | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early-Mid | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
| Group 4 | Adjacent Overlap | Mid | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
LapinsGuideUniversal Donor | Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late | Fresh Eating, Canning | Test Cross |
SkeenaGuideUniversal Donor | Group 4 | Full Overlap | Late | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (6)
These cherry varieties overlap in flowering time with Bing but cannot fertilise it due to shared S-allele genetic incompatibility groups.
Emperor Francis shares both S-alleles with Bing — they are mutually sterile, whatever their bloom overlap suggests.
Kristin shares both S-alleles with Bing — they are mutually sterile, whatever their bloom overlap suggests.
Ulster shares both S-alleles with Bing — they are mutually sterile, whatever their bloom overlap suggests.
Utah Giant's S-genotype is not recorded. For this crop compatibility is computed from S-alleles, so it cannot be offered as a partner without one.
Vibrant's S-genotype is not recorded. For this crop compatibility is computed from S-alleles, so it cannot be offered as a partner without one.
Vindskörsbär (Victor)'s S-genotype is not recorded. For this crop compatibility is computed from S-alleles, so it cannot be offered as a partner without one.
Bing Cherry Pollination Strategy & Orchard Production
Bing is the historic standard against which all Pacific Northwest dark sweet cherries are measured. Originating in Oregon in 1875 by horticulturist Seth Lewelling, Bing produces exceptionally large, firm, heart-shaped fruit with intense mahogany-red skin and rich, sweet, vinous flesh that sets the global commercial benchmark for fresh dessert quality.
Genetically, Bing is a diploid, self-incompatible cultivar possessing the S3S4 genotype, placing it in Incompatibility Group III. It cannot set fruit with its own pollen or with other Group III cultivars including Emperor Francis, Kristin, Ulster, and Lambert. It cross-pollinates with complete compatibility when paired with Van (S1S3), Rainier (S1S4), Black Tartarian (S1S2), or universal donors like Stella and Lapins.
Flowering reliably in Bloom Group 3 (mid-spring), Bing achieves dependable commercial fruit set when interplanted with 10% to 15% compatible pollinizers distributed systematically throughout the orchard block, supported by 2 to 3 active honeybee hives per acre to facilitate dense pollen transfer across the main blossom window.
Key Orchard Considerations for Bing
Bing is highly prone to apical and stem-end rain cracking during the final two weeks of swelling and ripening. Deploy orchard canopy covers, calcium chloride sprays, or drying helicopters immediately after rain events.
Young Bing trees are susceptible to bacterial canker (Pseudomonas syringae) on cold, waterlogged soils. Ensure excellent soil drainage and apply copper bactericides at autumn leaf fall.
Maintain a balance between vegetative growth and spur renewal by heading upright branches and pruning mature trees to avoid over-spur development that reduces individual fruit size.
Take Bing from Planning to Planting
Use Kropigo's free browser tools to model your block density, tree counts, and pollinizer rows, then maintain permanent orchard records row by row.
Pollination Checker
Check Bing against supported cultivars with compatible flowering and pollination data.
Commercial Block Planner
Calculate high-density tree spacing, row geometry, and establishment costs.
Block Record Keeping
Track pruning, chemical thinning, and harvest tallies block by block from the orchard.