Weeping Cherry Is Not Flowering / Alive In 80% Of The Tree

Question

I have a grafted weeping cherry that always looked beautiful up until last year. Last year when we trimmed in spring we immediately had a drought and I don’t think the tree has recovered. A small portion of the top us flowering and growing and everything else looks dry/dead. Should I trim it back completely (will remove 80% of the branches)? Will it recover?

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Answer 1

These trees cannot survive this kind of damage and recover to a point to where they will ever look good again. The way this tree is grafted leaves very little room for error. When the top, weeping part sustains this much damage it will usually kill it. Next, root suckers will start to grow and take over. These are a different type of cherry tree and will not weep.

Removal and replacement is necessary from here.

This article will help offer tips on the care of these trees for the next planting:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/weeping-cherry/weeping-cherry-growing-tips.htm