need a pic ...

trunks do NOT elongate ... they grow from the top

perhaps you lost your leader ... i dont know.. because i cant see it ...

it is probably regrowing new ones ... and you will eventually have to chose one...

ken

Make sure the new growth is not coming from the rootstock. A tree of this type is usually grafted or budded. It's not uncommon for the understock to throw out vigorous growth from the roots. It's not the variety garfted on or you intended to purchase. You can usually see a swelling where the graft was done. If the new growth is coming from above that point, all is well. If from below, just the opposite.

Here are a few pictures I took this morning of the tree. I really can't see a clear leader, and the tallest branch facing upward currently started its growth from a branch far from center. There is one near the center that could be the new leader. I looked for a clear swelling but it's hard to determine for me. I can see a rather large knot at the top of the thickest part of the trunk, that's where it seems to diverge into what may be multiple leaders.

At this point I'm not sure if I should just leave it be, or try to establish a new leader.

I also read something about pruning on another site that suggested taking away 1/3 of the bottom branches to help establish a taller trunk. It also mentioned staking out a new leader to help train the tree.

Any suggestions on what I should do at this point?

I think my main confusion is that this is supposed to be a dwarf weeping cherry, but maybe it's just too young to actually have the branch weight to start to weep?

For more pictures click the link, I couldn't upload them all and you can really see what I mean in regards to the divergent branches.

Here is a link that might be useful: Additional Photos on Google Drive

Apparently the idea was if they grafted a weeping Japanese cherry tree onto a shrubby Nanking cherry (Prunus tomentosa) a dwarfing effect would be produced, and your weeping cherry scion is dead and gone.

Or they used another rootstock choice that produces similar leaves to Nanking cherry.

Would it help any to achieve the desired shape, and to try to train a new leader to remove all grown from below the circled point? From this point upward there is quite a bit of growth. I just don't want to damage the tree by attempting anything.

So the thinking at this point is that the graft of the weeping cherry is gone?

There is no sign of weeping cherry in your pictures. Unless you are interested in seeing what the rootstock looks like when it blooms there is no point in retaining it. It would have made a more attractive specimen if it had not been heavily cut back to produce a hedge-like habit. Except for perhaps removing a few superfluous branches at some point to produce a less congested structure additional cutting on it is not going to improve it.

Thanks bboy, sad to hear that my weeping cherry will never be. Given this new information if I wanted to transplant the tree to a new location, and replace this with an actual dwarf weeping tree, when would be the best time to do that?

Even though it's been more than a year, it might be worth contacting the nursery where you bought the tree. The timing is not totally clear to me from the original post, but it seems as if the grafted portion was dead when you bought it. I'm also uncertain about why this or any tree would still have been dormant in July.

@akamainegrower - I can certainly contact the nursery to find out. While I bought it in July, they said (and I'm going strictly on what they told me) that the tree was being kept dormant, and so when it was shipped to me was the first time it came out of wherever they were keeping it dormant.

I do like the tree, and don't want to just get rid of it. I still do want a weeping tree in my front yard, preferably with a dark pink or purple color. I was looking at a Lavender Twist Weeping Redbud, but can't really buy one now.

When would be best to both purchase the new tree (preferably a well established one 3+ feet tall) and to transplant this Cherry to a new location. I have a spot in the back of my house that gets plenty of sunlight, and if this is a Nanking and it will produce fruit it will keep the mess away from the front of the house.

Thanks

one might suggest ... that if the understock were a valuable tree... they wouldnt have grafted something else onto it...

bboy gave you the tree name.. google the latin ... you might find.. it isnt worth limited space to save ... unless you have acreage ....

where are you in z5??? ... planting time is either now.. or right after ground thaw ... the issue being.. how you get the plant at either of those times ...

in the future.. buy no tree in july.. that is allegedly dormant... that just aint right ...

see link for planting .. planting depth is important.. your pix might show this one as planted too deep ...

you can mail anything you want ... for delivery at the proper time ....

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

The only way to have been keeping it dormant would have been storing it under refrigeration. And I am not sure that even then a cold climate adapted tree that far behind schedule would remain dormant - yet still viable. During the winter hardy trees and shrubs effectively hibernate, getting by on energy stored in their roots and stems kind of like bears with their stored fat.

What everybody else already said. Sorry.

A conscientious nursery would not have sold you a dormant plant without checking to see that all was as it should be. They basically sold you a dead weeping cherry.

Transplant and keep what you have if you want. It won't grow into a tree and it's very prone to insect and disease damage. Brief period of bloom in the spring, small edible cherries if you can keep the birds away. The chief - maybe only - virtue of prunus tomentosum is its extreme hardiness. Planted for wildlife, land reclamation even in Z's 2 and 3.

Others may disagree, but I would defer planting a new tree until the spring at this point in the year in Z5. There are many sorts of weeping trees to choose from. Many also have beautiful flowers and grow with much less difficulty than members of the prunus family.