Weeping cherry trees dying?

[Meloncat]

My 2 Weeping Cherry trees that I bought from Bunnings appear to be dying with the leaves shriveled and gone brown, they were going great for the first few months with a nice display of blossoms and even a few fruit, they are planted with the suggested soil mix from Bunnings and perlite, they are in full sun and are on a watering system which delivers the suggested water to each plant. Are these now dead since they should have the summer foliage on them?

Community manager's note: Check out How to diagnose a sick plant for expert advice. 

 

 

[EricL]

Hello @Meloncat

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's great to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about your Weeping Cherry trees.

One method to find out if there is still life inside the tree is to do the scratch test on the trunk. I suggest doing it on different parts of the trunk to see its condition. If it's green under the bark, it could possibly be suffering from heat stress. The possible reasons for a Weeping Cherry tree to wilt and dry off can range from not having enough nutrients in the soil, poor watering schedule, heat stress, and disease. 

I've spoken to one of the plant specialists at the store and they recommend using Seasol for a few weeks. Young juvenile trees require a lot of water and the soil should not be allowed to dry out. An appropriate liquid fertilizer for flowering plants can then be applied to the tree. During this stressed period, you may not see any changes in the tree. But as long as the trunk is green, there is always the possibility that the tree will recover.

Let me tag our experienced members @Noelle and @Adam_W for their recommendations. 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Meloncat]

Thank you, I will try that and see how it goes. Perhaps it is heat stress as we have had plenty of rain and it wouldn't be from lack of water.

[Noelle]

Hi @Meloncat 

Looks like the leaves have been sunburnt - badly. Young deciduous trees may be prone to this in the first season after planting especially if they are in an exposed or full sun position.

The advice given by Eric is spot-on - check the wood under the bark is still green by scratching carefully in a couple of places and help the trees overcome their stress with regular applications of Seasol. Preferably use the simple Seasol tonic without any added fertiliser as this form will give the greatest benefit at this time.

Since the trees are deciduous, fertilising will be of most benefit in late winter - early spring when the flower and new leaf buds are just beginning to show colour.

[Meloncat]

Thanks, the main trunk is in fact still green under the bark, I have ap applied the Seasol and will monitor.