We bought a house in Surrey last year, and the previous owner had hired an arborist to look at the cherry tree in the back. The trunk branches about 4 feet from the ground, and one of those branches looks like it is dying. The weight of that side of the tree is pulling it away from the core of the trunk, which almost looks as though it is bug-eaten. The arborist said that there is too little iron in the soil....so how do I add some? The tree is growing on a slope of hardpan.
Was the soil sampled and tested? Otherwise I'd like to know how it was possible to be certain it lacked iron. And the condition issues you describe are not the usual kind of thing associated with nutrient deficiencies. Cherries ARE quite prone to blights etc. that cause branches to die or die back.
Iron deficiency is not the most likely problem in this region. It is associated mostly with arid climates.
