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Fruit & Orchards

kwanzan cherry tree transplant

12 years ago

I purchased a kwanzan cherry tree and planted it two autumns ago. (It was in a 1-2 gallon pot and stands 4-5 feet tall.) It lived through the winters fine and this year it bloomed! I bought a maple and thought the maple would look better in that spot and I dug up the cherry tree and moved it about 10 yards over. I dug it up just as the leaves were coming out, but after it flowered. I dug up a huge hunk of earth to minimize root cutting.

About a week after the transplant, the weather got very cold here in Chicagoland and the leaves went cripsy and brown. The whole tree lost its leaves. I picked them off and noticed there are other buds coming out, so I moderately trimmed the tree back a little bit (it needed it). Other than keeping it well-watered, should I fertilize with a high N fertilizer, or just leave it alone? I dont want to kill it with kindness, but I really liked the tree.

While we are on cherry trees, the photos online show a more pink colored blossom, but the tree looked white to me. Anyone else notice variation in the blossom colors? I am going to confirm with the wife, since I apparently do not "know colors" as she puts it.

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Comments (4)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
12 years ago
brad:

Nitrogen won't help right now. The tree can't absorb nitrogen without leaves. No leaves equals no water uptake and without water uptake there is no nitrogen uptake. So fertilize if needed after the tree starts growing. Keep it moist not wet. Not much else you can do.
bradarmi
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, fruitnut - so far no growth, but the branches are still alive, and its been raining buckets for the last 2 weeks or so. The buds look good too!
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if a recent transplant.. within the last two years.... every leaf is a feeding machine to the young tree ... cut some off .... and you reduce its ability to grow roots to get more fully established ... personally .. i would not prune for the first 2 or 3 years ... except for broken or crossing limbs.. patience is ALWAYS rewarded when it come to trees ... and no.. fertilizer wont help ... time, proper water and proper mulch is all it needs.. a picture and some additional facts would be worth another thousand words of speculation .. ken
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denninmi
12 years ago
Perhaps you truly are colorblind, and it really is pink, but then, I think you would have that trouble seeing even online photos.

Or, perhaps it was mislabeled and really wasn't a Kwanzan, but was something along the lines of a Shogetsu, which has the same flower form and look, with pale pink buds that open to pure white blooms.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
ther than keeping it well-watered, should I fertilize with a high N fertilizer, or just leave it alone? I dont want to kill it with kindness, but I really liked the tree.

==>>> you are on the verge of lovin it to death

i dont care where you post.. but this isnt treated as a fruit tree.. and there is a tree forum ...

let me clarify why nitro is not useful ... nitro stimulates green growth ...

you lost your leaves.. because you cut off 99% of its roots ...

using fert to stimulate green leaves.. will de-stimulate its need to GROW ROOTS ...

make any sense ...

all that.. plus IMHO.. trees NEVER need fertilizer ... other than actual FRUIT PRODUCTION trees .... but that aint you ...

focus on what need be done.. grow ROOTS!.. and all the tree needs for root growth .. is water for that ...

and if it thrived for 2 years.. i will not agree you have sterile soil ... so fert isnt needed ...

and next time you want to move a tree .. do it in FULL DORMANCY .... rather than after bloom and leaf out ... it spent all its stored energy blooming and leafing.. and now it has no roots ... to process water ... if you perfect TIMING.. the whole process is much more forgivable ...

good luck

ken

ps: NEVER fertilize a stressed tree.. and your is stressed from transplant ...

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