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Yoshino cherry trees losing leaves

8 years ago

I have three Yoshino cherrys that have been in the ground about 7 years and are about 8 feet high. Many leaves are yellowing and falling off. Whats there looks healthy but many branches are going bare. We have been having a rather dry spring and I'm wondering if these mature trees need watering. There doesn't seem to be any bugs and the bark and branches look healthy. They are in full sun, a sandy red clay and zone 6b. I'd appreciate any help I can get on this. I'd like to plant more but if they are this sensitive to a dry spring I can't see watering them all.

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

8 years ago

Need pictures. There are just so many potential problems with cherries that without photos, we'd only be guessing wildly.

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Comments (7)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
pic would really help ....

dry shouldnt be an issue on 7 year in the ground plants ...

i would wonder about frost or freeze.. since they leafed out ...

where in z6? .. great variances ...

how bad was your winter ... i had a z4 in my z5 ... my cherry did not take it well ... but it hasnt leafed out yet ... good.. since frost is possible tonight ..

one might think.. it has to be cold event.. if all 3 are showing the problem .. for a disease to attack all 3 ...... in early spring.. seems off to me

ken
dsyoung92
Original Author
8 years ago
Our last two winters have been bad, but the cherries leafed out after all the bad weather and they looked good, although flowering was erratic and skimpy. Last fall they seemed to lose their leaves a bit early, but didn't think much of it. All three trees have the same appearance. While mowing around them and bumping branches, many leaves would fall off as they would in autumn. If not lack of water or insects, then what? Could the soil need amendments?
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Both trees were planted the end of April. It is a major drought here, I must water the trees almost every other day or every three days. Sometimes daily. I don't water too much. We live in a very hot open field, and it has not rained in 3 months. I could not dig a hole now if I tried. It's hard clay soil. (and yes I read cherry trees can stand droughts and clay soil before I bought them) I don't know what to tell you, that I didn't already say. they are many small holes all over the leaves, new and old , brown around the center of the hole. It doesn't have shock. My other trees (smaller ones) have it too. Both have normal leaf growth, and new shoots and are growing well they just have holes all over the leaves. I didn't want to leave this issue too long and risk the tree dying. The Kwanzan is much better than the Yoshino. I can get a pic tomorrow.
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Ken, Thanks for your quick response. Yes we did have a cold snap but 35 feet near the tree is another Yoshino tree. It's leaves are large and looking very healthy. I will send you a picture shortly. Iris ===>> i have 5 acres.. across such.. i have many forsythia ... frost can hit only one.. all.. some here.. some there ... there is no predictability to mother nature.. and her cruel sense of humor... it simply doenst matter ... what happened to one tree.. as compared to another.. i suppose.. its part of the base definition of micro climate... varying.. even across your small space ... it took me a long time to understand that ... ken
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Comments (6)
On the flip side... if your ground is just solid hard clay.. and you haven't gotten a lot of summer rain recently.... the planting hole that you dug could become a hard sink that holds any water your put down. This is especially true if you didn't break up the bottom of the hole a bit.. and ruff up the sides. I made the mistake years ago when we first moved in while planting a line of cherry trees alone the street line. One started looking just like yours did after planting. After a while of trying to keep it going and watering it more and more (thinking it didn't have enough water).... it died completely. I pulled it up and the bottom of the planting hole was holding a few inches of standing water. I remedied the sink issue... planted a replacement. Didn't go crazy on water.. and now they are all doing well.
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Here are some pictures. Let me know if there is any other pictures needed. I hope this guy is still living. I'm in Roseville, Michigan. It got cold a few weeks ago, but not near freezing.
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dsyoung92
Original Author
8 years ago
I'll have pics tomorrow.
dsyoung92
Original Author
8 years ago

The leaves are yellowing and there seems to be rust spots on many of them. All three trees have the same condition. This has really got me worried.
dsyoung92
Original Author
8 years ago
I've been told this could be cherry leaf spot...a fungus. If so, what would be the regimen for treating it. All I see are treatment for the blossoms to produce fruit which I don't need
1818 Federal (7bEC)
3 years ago
dsyoung92, how did your Yoshino Cherry trees turn out?

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