The Zee Stem, a cherry interstem on top of Mazzard rootstock, allows a wider range of rootstocks to be used in California cherry plantings. Getting cherry trees to grow in California is the easy part. It’s keeping them from getting too big that concerns most growers in the San Joaquin Valley. “Trees in California are going to grow,” said Steve Blizzard, farming director at Lagomarsino Farms in Tulare, California. “If you’re not careful, they will double in size.” The limiting factor in growing cherries in the southern San Joaquin Valley is heat and doubling, he said. “We don’t have a […]