I live in Atlanta and have a 22 year old yoshino cherry tree that, until this spring, has been absolutely beautiful in the Spring when blooming.....then progressed into very healthly looking leaves for the rest of the season. This year the blooms began coming out and then fell off very prematurely. Then the leaves began coming out, but stopped abruptly with only about 15% of the normal foliage coverage. The leaves that did appear are about 1/4 the normal size. A close inspection of the tree showed no types of insect infestation or obvious disease. The lowest limb to the ground has a good bit of healthy looking foliage (although somewhat small in size), but the rest of the tree is pitiful. One thing to mention is that we've been in a drought condition here in Atlanta for about 5 years with only about 1/2 of the normal rainfall this year. This is the first year that we've not been allowed to water our lawns. Can anyone help? Can this tree be saved? Could the drought be the cause? If so, will watering at this point help?
