Weeping Cherry Tree Trunk Issue

7 years ago

Below is a photo of the trunk of my weeping cherry tree. The tree is roughly 30 years old. What is the canker looking item on the front of the trunk? Is it something I should be concerned about? The rest of the tree looks healthy, at least for the time being. I live in Lexington, KY zone 6a/6b. Thanks in advance.

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

7 years ago

thats not your problem.. its that strangling root wrapping itself around the trunk is...

ornamental cherry is an short lived tree .. at 30 years.. yours is there... if not past ...

sooner or later.. removal is probably suggested ... as such.. i wouldn't worry about that spot.. which has probably been there for years ...

i would not go after it, as suggested above ... my gut tells me you will just cause more problems ...

all that said.. it might sit there for another ten years ...

ken

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Comments (7)

tlbean2004
7 years ago
I dont have an answer for this but i would love to see a pic of the entire tree. How big is it after 30 years?
mradcliffe
Original Author
7 years ago
Here is a picture for you and anyone else who might be interested in how large the tree is after 30 years. The tree was trimmed at least once before by the prior owners and was trimmed by me this past winter.
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Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
7 years ago
If it is soft and rotting is the right thing to do sanitize some tools and cut it out? Then resanitize before them tools touch anything else?
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years ago
I seldom recommend cutting a tree down but in all honesty that is a miserable looking weeping cherry. For that diameter trunk the top should be a wonderful broad earth sweeping canopy in balance with height and girth. My parents had one which you get get inside and hide completely under. However yours is too close to the house for that to be possible and 30 is getting on for a flowering cherry, especially one which has been chopped about. Amazingly, I agree with Ken. Put it out if its misery and plant a new one with enough space around it so that it never needs to be pruned, ever.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
Amazingly, I agree with Ken

===>>> rotflmbo ... i know what you mean.. rather than what you said ... lol ..

i suspect lack of vigor is also being caused by this full sun tree being in lots of shade ...

i suspect some other shade tree ... much larger ... both planted way back when ... and now the other has put this one in full shade ...

if you opt to replace ... whenever ... you might not want to replace it with a sun loving plant ...

just guessing .. my point being.. maybe you can do better than another weeping cherry ... think outside that box ..

ken
Mike McGarvey
7 years ago
I think it's just fine and one little blotch on the trunk wouldn't motivate me to cut the tree down. It has a lot of years left. The girdling root hasn't hurt the tree so far so I don't think that's a serious problem. Maybe it has fused with other roots and is no longer inhibiting the growth of the tree?

It looks like it's been pruned into a Dutch Bob at one time, maybe twice. Several of those upright branches should be let go so the tree will form a series of tiered layers even though it's crowded a bit by the house and another tree.

Mike