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 ...

>Prunus x yedoensis (Yoshino) cherries have an ability to get much larger than the 'Kanzan'......almost double the size< Both are large and vigorous Japanese cherries, which tend to produce generally similar individual crown dimensions. For example a 'Kwanzan' in Sultan, WA was 50 ft. high in 1993; another example, in Sumner, WA had an average crown spread of 55 ft. the previous year. P. x yedoensis has been measured 55 ft. high in MD (1990), and with an average crown spread of 65 ft. in Seattle (1993). More recent (~2005) measurements for Seattle (USDA 8) include a 'Kwanzan' 53 ft. high, another with an average crown spread of 57 1/2 ft., and a Yoshino cherry 57 ft. high. The charm of the Yoshino is in its perfect balance: its dark rugged trunk, often burly and besprouted, makes an ideal contrast for the quintessentially delicate pink blossoms. Nor is the tree so fussy and weak as the winter-blooming Higan cherry, or so bloated and gaudy as are 'Kwanzan' and the other Sato-zakura --Arthur Lee Jacobson, Trees of Seattle - Second Edition (2006)

how about a pic of your potted one ... why give us a pic of a perfectly grown one.. and ask us why the non pictured one isnt right??? ken

Oh for heaven's sake!! Don't make more out of this than needs to be!! A Kwanzan\Kanzan or any other larger growing tree will not grow to full size in a container. That's what containers do - they naturally dwarf or stunt the growth of the tree due to root restriction. So you can grow them long term in a decently sized container but just do not expect them to reach optimal size. This is NOT bonsai and you are not trying to keep it to a tiny, miniaturized size like you would with bonsai but many of the care procedures are similar including pinching or pruning back topgrowth occasionally and periodic root pruning. Which you would need to do with any tree grown in a container. I know because I grow a great many trees in containers, several for as long as 25 years. But whatever you do, ignore comments about growing it indoors and under lights!! That is something you do not want to do!! You may get other, more appropriate advice on this topic if you were to post in the Container Gardening forum, where folks who do this routinely - grow large trees in containers - can contribute some meaningful information. Here are links to three threads from that forum's archives written by our resident expert that may further your knowledge and success. Trees in Containers Trees in Containers II Trees in Containers III