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Help Diagnose Weeping Cherry

7 months ago

I have a weeping cherry tree (i think) and this year it is struggling no damage to the trunk it just started oozing sap on the trunk and the leaves have holes

i can not see any pests wondering if i have bores would appreciate advice as this is a favorite tree when it blooms in the spring with pink flowers i am in central new jersey i took a few sample pics

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Comments (6)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 months ago
Judging by the trunk size it's pretty elderly. Cherries don't live very long. I'd guess it's just natural decline through old age.
Dutch
7 months ago
Holes in the leaves: shot hole disease. A common disease with Prunus species. Doesn't look too serious.

Oozing sap: disease called gummosis. This disease can be the result of stress, injury, canker, another underlying disease.
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I've tried uploading a picture of the part where the leaves are dead, but for some reason it keeps saying the files are too large. I even tried a couple of different pictures. Hopefully this is enough to tell if it is at least able to be saved. As far as watering, I have been holding my garden hose over it for around 5 minutes each day. It is hard to tell exactly how much it is pooling because of the mulch. I have been watering daily since I wrote the original post, and the tree has been looking about the same each day.
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I think the habit of the tree looks fine as well. I don't have a weeping cherry, but I do have a couple crab apples whose labels described them as weeping. They certainly didn't look like so many of the typical weeping cherry trees, and their initial growth on the youngest branches were also more upright. I got to reading up on the habits of those cultivars and found out they are better described as 'pendulous' and I really like their presentation so much better than the severely weeping trees. As their branches grow, the weight of the branch eventually bends them over in a most pleasing and novel way and it's so much more natural than the box store items everyone else seems to be growing. The only pruning I've done on them is to remove some crossing branches and open up the canopy a bit to the sun. They've been installed maybe fifteen years now down by the little spring pond, and just keep getting prettier in their habit. Both are in bloom now and I stand at my kitchen window and soak them i as I'm working.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 months ago
Flowering cherries have a whole host of disease issues.......one of the primary reasons they do not live very long. The oozing sap is gummosis, a common occurrence with a wide range of causes. Holes in the leaves could be an indication of shothole, a common Prunus issue with both fungal and bacterial origins. Could also just be a minor insect problem.

It may be time to consider replacement.

If you had borers, I'd expect to see both sawdust and frass. I don't see either.
Jim Mac
Original Author
7 months ago
thanks for the input although it makes me sad the tree has been a focal point in my yard especially in spring anything i can do to help it a few more years? or should i plan for a spring replacement
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 months ago
It will struggle on for a few more years, although it will never get better and overcome the decline. So not a huge rush to replace.
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kitasei2
7 months ago
FWIW I have many old weeping cherries that have rallied and soldiered on for many more years. Just treat it like an aging relative.
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