Coral Champagne Cherry Tree

Coral Champagne is a low-chill sweet cherry known for its glossy pink skin, coral-pink flesh, and very sweet, low-acid flavor. UC Davis Foundation Plant Services records a requirement of about 400 chill hours, bloom roughly two days before Bing, and ripening about a week before Bing; it also states that Coral Champagne is not self-compatible. ## Site and Pollination Choose a sunny site with fertile, well-drained soil that remains evenly moist during fruit development. Arrange for a compatible pollinizer: UC Davis lists Bing and Brooks among effective partners and also identifies Black Tartarian, Rainier, Van, and Early Burlat. Sweet cherry flowers are white and appear in spring. Net or otherwise protect the crop from birds as cherries color. ## Maintenance Prune to develop a sturdy, open canopy and remove damaged branches. Avoid prolonged dry soil while fruit is sizing, but do not let roots sit in water. Pick fruit when fully ripe and handle it gently. UC Davis notes that Coral Champagne is not patented and that the cultivar has become established in California production. See the [UC Davis cultivar record](https://fps.ucdavis.edu/treedetails.cfm?v=3555) and [Oregon State’s sweet cherry profile](https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/prunus-avium).