Black Cherry Trees (Keep them or remove them) seeking opinions
I'm looking for opinions on whether or not I should remove 3 black cherry trees from my backyard (or some of the three).
They have been there since we moved in in 2006, and at one time there were five of them. We took down one that was about significantly taller and at least 3x the trunk diameter because the tree was 1/2 dead and the other tree was about the same size as the remaining trees but was leaning towards the house and had a lot dead limbs in it. We have noticed that these trees tend to break frequently and Cherry #3 in picture was heavily damaged in the 2014 winter storms we had here.
Here is my dilemma. I have planted some maple trees) over the years and I want to to think about how things will look down the road and not just today.
As you can see from the picture, my 10 year old autumn blaze is very large, but will continue to fill in that area. Red Maple #2 is still relatively small because it doesn't receive much sun, but it's from my dad's property and has some sentimental value, so I would like to keep that and give it some room for growth. It's about 25 feet from the sugar maple and Autumn Blaze maple. The Commemoration Sugar maple is really doing well an I know that will get quite large over time, and the other Red Maple on the right side of my yard is also taking shape very nicely and will continue to grow.
Every year it seems the cherry trees break apart or suffer dieback, so I am concerned about how they will do years from now if I leave them there. These are far enough away from the house that they are not causing any safety issues, other than being a branch dropping while being under them. I have a one year old now so that is a factor too.
Please let me know your thoughts/opinions on whether I should keep one or none of the cherry trees. I would rather remove them now, while they are easy to get to and easier to take down without damaging surrounding landscape and the yard. I really do enjoy them though and all of the wildlife they attract. :)
Thanks!
Steve
Comments (23)
Campanula UK Z8
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Black Knot Disease on Cherry Trees
Comments (14)Chokecherries seem to be prone to black knot. Depending on your climate, it could be a problem to you. I've got chokecherries that grow among pie cherries and plums in a bit of a jungle. Many of the older chokecherries have some cankers, and on occasion it will show up on a cherry. I don't recall seeing the plums showing any signs. But--I am in a very dry climate where moisture to aid in the spread of the disease is fairly uncommon. Since it has never bothered me, I've never done anything about it--didn't even know what it was until fairly recently. So, depending on your climate and the specific susceptibility of your trees, you may or may not have a problem. Still, if it is present in your area, you may want to take preventive measures. Otherwise, you could risk an infection, remove it as soon as you find it, then start treatments going forwards. Kocide is used as a foliar spray as a bacterial disease preventive/inhibitor on some crops, though it may be used at a lighter rate than when you dormant spray. Kocide doesn't cure an infection, so you must apply it before the infection takes hold to inhibit the initial infection or slow its spread. This means it is usually applied earlier in the growing season or just before the time the tree is most susceptible to infection. Nude Gardener: Many of the names listed are the trade names you would purchase the product under. Often they are capitalized. The chemical names are usually not capitalized, and sometimes, though not always, sound more "chemical-like". Many of these chemicals are sold in the garden sections of your favorite local stores and the big box stores, plus at garden centers/nurseries. If in doubt, do an internet search on the term and you'll find out pretty quickly whether you have a trade name or a chemical name, and you can quickly get the other name. Also read the label to see what crops and uses it is registered for. Unlike medicines, if the use you have planned is not labeled, it is illegal to use it for that crop/purpose. The blue stuff is copper sulphate, which is the active ingredient in Kocide. The crystals are not as easy to dissolve in water, but they do work in drains to kill tree roots. Kocide is formulated so that you can easily get the proper concentration of copper sulphate in water and to ease application. Some of these products are not sold for the home market. Sometimes they present a greater safety risk, so they will not be sold to homeowners who are not expected to have any knowledge in proper use and safety with pesticides (I'm not saying home users don't use them properly, but nothing says a home user HAS to know how to use the product, so mis-use is more likely). Others will not be sold to the homeowner because the companies deem the market to be too small, or the EPA is trying to limit exposure potential to the general public. Commercial formulations will be packaged in larger quantities and concentrations for use by commercial growers. However, if the product is labeled for the crop you have and will use it on, it is perfectly legal to purchase it from a farm supply. The main drawback is that it will generally come in packages that will treat a number of acres, which means a 20 year supply for the home gardener. If you are purchasing a commercial grower's product, you may need a private applicator's license, depending on your state's laws. If you do, the cooperative extension service in many states handles the training and/or testing for these licenses, so you can check with them to get certification and a license. The private applicator's license where I am is pretty common. It takes about a half day of classroom instruction on the safe use of pesticides, calculating application rates, reading labels, etc....See MoreI dont get it. I covered my trees to protect them from frost/snow
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Comments (6)Thank you both for your attentive answer to my inquiry. I don't have too much issue with the SVB. They usually destroy my first crop of zucchini right around the time I get tired of picking 5 or 6 new squash every 2 or 3 days... I just pull the plants and start new ones in their spots and by the time I am missing having zucchini, they are back in business again! They also usually take out my pumpkins (regardless of the type) before I get more than 1 (sometimes 2) nice pumpkins from the vine. It's sad, and unfortunate but I don't really mind. I might have to stick with moschata types though, since I was able to harvest 4 nice sized butternuts without any attention being given to them last summer (lots of traveling, little time for gardening). As far as the ability to get creative with my plants... The area I grow them in my tiny little yard is right next to the south side of my house. It is the farthest corner of my yard from my backdoor, and it is very warm there - reflection off the WHITE exterior of my wall certainly helps, I think. Anyway, this area is about 9 feet wide by 12 feet long. I put a bed in there, shaped like an "E". The Backbone of the "E" runs along the side of my house and is 12 feet long. The backbone is about 3 feet wide. Then the "spokes" coming off the E are each about 4 feet long and about 2.5 feet wide. This gives me just enough space to be able to access each area via a walkway. Two of the spokes have 7 foot trellises "permanently" in place. The trellises are 10 feet long 4x4's from recycled wooden pallets, with a cross brace and nylon garden netting for the vines to grow up. Last year this space was used for onions (the base of the E - no trellis), a cheyenne bush pumpkin (I got one nice sized pumpkin from it) and two butternut squash plants. The area got completely overgrown with weeds, as I was unable to really get in there to tend it given my schedule this past summer, but I still got 4 nice sized butternuts out of it. No weeding, no watering, etc. I just went back there to harvest when the time was right. So, creativity wise, I think I have it covered (although I'd be interested to hear other suggestions). I have another area I "could" run the vines if necessary, but that area has been decided will become a "naturalized" flower bed for my wife. The bed will kind of hide the squash vines running up and over the trellising from the street view. So, I don't want to actually have the plants running on the ground in there... kind of defeats the purpose....See MoreIf you plant blueberries and dont pick them what animals will eat them
Comments (17)Everything! Birds, rabbits, possums, raccoons, bears... A tip for Birds: years ago I went for a cruise in the meditteranean and noticed out by the pool they had something over the pool and asked about it... the cabana guy said it was a strand of fishing line, to keep the gulls away so they didn't poop on everything. My 3rd year with 12 rabbiteye blue berries (climax/tifblue) I went from 30 gallons of berries to about 10 due to bird loss. So I strung 2 strands of mono philament fishing line above them anchored to bamboo posts on both sides... the birds will not go near it! Not sure if they are afraid of getting tangled or why... cheap and easier than bird nets! Now if I could just get rid of the rabbits!...See MoreCampanula UK Z8
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years agolongtee81 (Zone 5a)
6 years agoedlincoln
6 years agoCampanula UK Z8
6 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
arbordave (SE MI)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoscotjute Z8
6 years ago
bengz6westmd
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI have one now 55' tall and intend to preserve it, but that's enough. No significant damage, but it's protected by an upwind sugar maple. Some of these trees can produce tasty fruit when they are VERY ripe, but mine usually doesn't. Below is the large one 11 yrs ago -- grown quite a bit since then:
Below are very strong-flavored black cherries from a small one at the woods edge:
wisconsitom
6 years agokitasei
6 years agoMike McGarvey
6 years agowisconsitom
6 years ago
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
6 years agolongtee81 (Zone 5a)
6 years agoThanks for all of the constructive comments. I have them scheduled for removal in about a week, but I am liking the idea of keeping #2 and am considering that option. If I keep this tree, I would would like to have some branches removed (those that are directly above where the maples will fill in in the next 10 years or so.
I am not looking for perfect specimen trees and like the them to look more natural (forest like) with higher branches, and without perfect symmetry.
I have marked up the branches that I would have removed (see those marked in red). The yellow represents the locations where the pruning cuts would be.My question is...... would this be too heavy of a removal all at once, and should I have these branches taken out over time? I would like to avoid sprouting, but I know that is a normal reaction (see tree #3 on far right from sever storm damage).
Thanks for the great suggestions!
Campanula UK Z8
6 years agoHuggorm
6 years agowisconsitom
6 years agoCampanula UK Z8
6 years ago
NHBabs z4b-5a NH