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Top Questions About Cherry Trees

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Questions About Cherry Trees

  • Answered by
    Heather on
    December 1, 2010
    Certified Expert
    A.

    I personally do not think topping trees is such a great idea. It can cause some serious health and aesthetic issues for a tree down the road and it does not really keep them small. What they lose in the ability to grow UP, they gain in the ability to grow OUT.

    If your tree is not full, I would instead do some judicious pruning of the leggier branches. This will help fill the tree out some.

    And yes, I would wait until summer to do so. Pruning now can bring the tree out of dormancy, which means it will have a harder time surviving over the winter.

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  • Answered by
    Heather on
    January 1, 2011
    Certified Expert
    A.

    Even if it is not too cold, I would not recommend fully planting them until spring. The benefit in spring is the warm weather causes the tree to establish rapidly and the water from the rain provides support for the rapid growth. This also helps it deal with the shock of transplanting better. You would not have these advantages now. You are better off heeling the plant in, in a sheltered location, then planting it out properly in spring. Here is more information on heeling in: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/heeling-in-plants.htm

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  • Answered by
    Heather on
    January 6, 2011
    Certified Expert
    A.

    The painting advice on cherry trees is outdated. Research has found it actually does more harm than good. The best thing to do is to leave the wound to heal naturally. There may be some bleeding, but this will help the tree self-seal and help avoid disease.

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  • Answered by
    Heather on
    April 11, 2011
    Certified Expert
    A.

    Many smaller fruit trees are relatively short lived. They only live a few decades and then will die of old age. It is very likely this is the case with your tree. It may have been hastened along by a fungus or a pest that attacked the elderly and weakened tree. If any part of it is still alive, I would recommend having a tree specialist come and look at it, but as I said, it is rather old for that variety of tree and there may not be much they can do for it.

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  • Answered by
    Nikki on
    April 20, 2011
    Certified Expert
    A.

    Perhaps this article will help explain soilless mix in more detail: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soilless-growing-mediums.htm

    Japanese cherry needs well-draining, fertile soil that is slightly acidic and should be kept consistently moist, especially if growing in a container. These articles should also help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/containers/how-to-grow-container-trees.htm
    https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/raise-acid-level-soil.htm

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  • Answered by
    Nikki on
    April 22, 2011
    Certified Expert
    A.

    Do you see pollinators around the cherry blossoms? Cherries bloom rather early and it may be possible that poor weather is keeping pollinators from your garden that early. Take a look at attracting more pollinators as you will need all you can get that early.

    Also, almost all of the plants you listed were not fruit bearing. The exception was blackberry. How is the blackberry production? If it is low too, I would look to a phosphorus deficiency. This can cause problems with plants that produce fruit.

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  • Answered by
    Nikki on
    April 23, 2011
    Certified Expert
    A.

    The methods in this article will help with protecting your plants:
    https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/fegen/protect-fruit-tree-birds.htm

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