Question
QUESTION: Hi, I read your answers about how to germinate bing cherry trees using the refrigerator. What I am wondering about mainly is how long do you keep the tree shoot at 60-70 degrees after you take it out. Also,what zones are best/worst for successful growth and fruiting?
I truly appreciate your time and the information you give to people, myself included.  Thanks~ Susan

ANSWER: Hi Susan,
Thanx for your question and thank you for doing a little background work.  It always helps that I don't have to repeat information that is already available and a lot of people don't realize we have a lot of information available through the Search function.  Also, thank you for your kind words.  I think I speak for all of us here at Allexperts by saying that we do very much enjoy helping people and answering questions.  With that said, I keep my saplings underlights until they are of manageable size.  That is they are 5 or 6 inches tall with a couple of strong leaves.  Gently, I prick them out of the soil and plant them in separate pots.  If you have experienced your last frost and temperatures are consistently above 50F, take the saplings outdoors and place in the shade for about 10 days.  This is called hardening off and gets the seedlings acclimated to the outdoors.  After that, you'll want to plant the seedlings in full sun and mulch them to keep weeds down so the sapling doesn't have to compete for nutrients.  Bing cherries are sweet cherries and are harder to grow in the colder climates although there are cultivars being hybridized for the cooler zones.  If you will contact your local county extension office, they can tell you the varieties that will be best for your area.  That is if you're in the U.S.  If you want to give me your general location, I can give you contact information.  Canada, U.K. and other countries have similar resources.  I hope this helps.
Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Tom,  Thank you for your reply.  I do not know how to find the county extension office for my area. So I am taking you up on your offer by giving you my general location, which is Maricopa County, Phoenix, AZ.  I figure that my seedlings should be ready to plant in Oct/Nov.
Again Thanks~ Susan

Answer
Hi Susan,
Thanx for the additional information.  Wow!  I lived in Phoenix in 1978 and 1979 and in Glendale in 1979-80.  I was stationed out at Luke AFB.  Phoenix is certainly warm enough to grow sweet cherries but may be too warm.  I think the folks at the Maricopa County Extension Service can tell you what cultivars of cherries (if any) will do well in the Phoenix area.  Good luck!  Here's the link.

http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/general/hort.htm

I hope this helps.
Tom