However, I saw no sign of freeze damage in the tree or in surrounding plants. Another major factor in fruit development in New Mexico orchards is pollination or the lack of proper pollination.
Weather can cause poor pollination if it is cold or rainy during the time of bloom.
If it is cold or rainy, the insects which carry pollen from one plant to another may not be active. Rain is usually not a problem in New Mexico when it comes to pollination, but temperature can cause the bees to stay in their hives. Sweet cherry trees require a pollinator tree to be relatively near. If such a pollinator tree is not nearby, then cherries will be few or none. That is because most sweet cherries cannot be effectively pollinated by pollen from the same variety of cherry tree.