Dr Carolyn PINK

[MikeInCypress]

I am aware that there are 2 different types from this variety - a small cherry with excellent taste and a golf ball sized cherry with average or below taste. Is there anyway to determine at the seedling stage which one you are growing?

MikeInCypress

[Alberta]

Mike
I've grown both types with the name Dr.Carolyn, the smaller being an ivory- yellow color, the larger is the pink, golf ball size or just a bit smaller than a golf ball. Both equally good tasting. I don't think at seedling stage you'll be able to tell the difference until they produce a fruit, but Carolyn herself may be better to answer that question,
Alberta

[carolyn137]

Alberta, Mike is talking about the two different sizes of Pink Dr. Carolyn, for there are two different sizes that can appear, on different plants.

This variant of Dr, Carolyn was sent to me by an SSE member already named.

When I first grew some plants I saw ASAP that there was one size that was about the size of the typical Dr. Carolyn fruits and one that was larger.

If I saved seeds from the small fruit and replanted I got plants with either one size or the other.

If I saved seeds from the larger sized fruits I also got both.

And I did this several times getting frustrated at not being able to get seeds that gave all one size fruit. And in the meantime I deleted my listing for this variety in the SSE Yearbook.

But then I got e-mails asking where it was and I had a ton of seed and some said they liked the larger sized fruit just as well as the smaller sized fruit, so maybe two years ago I relisted it in the YEarbook.

Mike, to answer your question directly, no, there is no way at the seedling stage to know which size fruits you'll get. YOu could plant out three plants and get all small fruits or do the same and get all large fruits. Just no way to predict.

Does this size instability surprise me? Absolutely not, for I never could explain, in a genetic sense, why my saved seeds of Galina's Yellow ( great variety, PL with small gold fruits) gave rise to all RL plants and all cherries of different colors such as yellow, red, pink, salmon and the ivory one that I thought was not only the best tasting but also the most vigorous plant and it's that one that became Dr. Carolyn.

Early on the variety Dr. Carolyn, named by Steve Draper, not me, gave some plants with red fruits, and as with my initial observations some with pink, also RL.

So somewhere deep in its DNA there's something going on. But I haven't seen anyone report a red Dr C in many years.

And Dr. C and friends have inherited some of the wonderful taste genes from Galina's, and that's the good news.

[Fusion_power]

I grew Dr. Carolyn Pink for the first time about 4 years ago as a result of a seed trade. There was significant variation in flavor as well as fruit size. One single plant gave large cherry size fruit with phenomenal flavor. I saved seed from that plant and each time I have grown out from it have saved only from the plants producing the best flavored fruit. There is still some segregation going on but the good flavor can definitely be concentrated!

Of all the open pollinated cherry varieties I've grown, Dr. C Pink gets a spot in my garden every year. Only Galina holds the same distinction.

DarJones

[gdionelli]

I grew two plants of it last year. Both gave me the large cherry size - not only incredibly rich and tasty, but beautiful and prolific. I'll be interested to see what comes from my saved seeds. (By the way, I have some extra seeds if anyone wants to PM me...)

[Alberta]

<<<Alberta, Mike is talking about the two different sizes of Pink Dr. Carolyn, for there are two different sizes that can appear, on different plants.>>>

Gee Carolyn, I didn't know that. I've grown Dr.C pink and always get the just smaller than golf ball size fruits.

Mike mea culpa, i didn't realize about the two different size fruits from the same named variety.
Alberta

[feraltomatoes]

I got seeds from TGS five or more years ago and got three colors from 20 plants.
Yellow, pale yellow and pink. I think they where all the same size fruit.

I was just doing a seed inventory and came across seeds from all three colors that I saved.

I have yet to grow out the yellow or pink ones, maybe this year.

Brad.........

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by feraltomatoes

I got seeds from TGS five or more years ago and got three colors from 20 plants.
Yellow, pale yellow and pink. I think they where all the same size fruit.

I was just doing a seed inventory and came across seeds from all three colors that I saved.

I have yet to grow out the yellow or pink ones, maybe this year.

Brad.........

Brad, TGS has never carried Dr. Carolyn Pink, which is what I assume you're talking about b'c it's the title subject.

If you're talking about just regular Dr. Carolyn, the colors you got don't surprise me b/c the variety is no different from other so called ivory/white ones and the color can be anything between an ivory color and a deeper yellow depending on the degree of foliage cover and the UV intensity.

And the pink is not surprising either b'c as I said above, I got some pinks early on and another SSE member also sent me the pink he named Dr. Carolyn Pink. I saved seeds from the pink that I got when I first sowed the saved seeds from Galina but never did anything with them b'c I thought at the time that the ivory one which became Dr. Carolyn was far superior.

So see what you think of your pink one and if you want some seeds of the current Dr. Carolyn pink to compare with it just let me know.