Weeping Cherry Trees

Discussion in 'HortForum' started by KENNY, Sep 13, 2004.

  1. KENNY

    KENNY Member

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    I just moved to a new home and there was nothing planted in the yard.I planted a lot of tree this spring acording to the directions on the tag.All have lived except 2 weeping cherry trees.The ground were I planted them was red clay type that was really hard so I mixed 2 large bags of M-Grow potting soil in.The trees looked well all summer and then the leaves started turning yellow.I then mixed up plant food according to the directions and put on them and over nite the leaves turned Black.I waterd them good 3 times a week.The tree is still green under the bark and one has a new leaf coming out of the trunk about three feet off the ground ? is it possible that the tree's could come back out in the spring? or is there something I could do to help them like digging them up and removing the M-Grow potting soil and replaceing it with humis or top soil? I paid about $70.00 each.
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Might be too wet, especially if you have a heavy clay and you automatically watered 3x a week, regardless of variations in weather, without checking soil conditions beforehand.

    Do not amend planting holes! This is a disproven practice, recommendations to use this procedure are quite out-of-date. If most of the leaves have fallen you might as well dig them up and look at the roots, check the soil conditions. If most of your trees died there is something seriously amiss with your site conditions, planting methods or the condition of the stock purchased.

    Cherries require good drainage, as do many other trees. Soil pH, mineral content of soil (and irrigation water) can also affect what can be grown on the site. Plants do not adapt, all plants have a range of conditions they will tolerate and if your site has something that falls outside of the tolerance range for those kinds of trees you selected they will not establish very well, if at all.
     
  3. Jody

    Jody Member

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    Hello Friends,

    I am new to the forum, and this is my first post. I am hopeful that someone may have an answer to what seems to be a similar problem with my weeping cherry tree. I live in southern New Jersey, near Philadelphia. It is summer here, and temperatures have been in the high 80's and low 90's (Fahrenheit). The trees were here when I bought the house 2 years ago - there are two trees. One of the trees has suddenly started to appear ill. The leaves are falling off - they seem to either turn black or just fall off - still green. There are no holes or signs of bugs. The leaves that are falling off are just falling off... with a very slight shake of the branch. No holes, no borings, no tell tale brown signs. The leaves that are black are black up the entire branch.

    I thought perhaps that the problem may be caused by a boring insect, but see no evidence of this - no sap running down the tree or cuts/bumps in the trunk or branches. The other tree is doing great and is healthy and green. The sick tree sits a bit lower than the healthy one, so could this be a drainage issue? How do I determine a process of elimination to figure out the issue so I can begin to help the tree recover? I have a sprinkler system, which I will turn off if that may be the problem. Any ideas? I would greatly appreciate any thoughts since the tree was gorgeous and a focal point of the garden. Thanks so much in advance, I do appreciate your help tremendously!

    Jody
     
  4. Newt

    Newt Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Hi Jody,

    It certainly sounds like a watering issue. You also mention that this tree is lower then the other. Do you mean lower in the ground or at a lower level as the ground slopes? You also mention sprinklers and I'm wondering how long and how often you water. I'm guessing that the water filters down to this tree due to sloping land. You don't say how large this tree is. Can you give an estimate of the height and diameter of the trunk? Here's some sites about tree roots, watering, mulching and rootflare that should be helpful.
    http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG089
    http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/WO017
    http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/Garden/02926.html
    http://www.tlcfortrees.info/planting depth.htm
    http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.asp
    http://www.watersaver.org/pdfs/fall_watering_trees.pdf

    Newt
     

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