Yoshino cherry trees sick?

[Kassie381]

Hello everyone.* I'm new to this forum.* My husband an I are in our first house and are trying to develop green thumbs, but are getting pretty disheartened.* We readily seek advice, but everyone has something drastically different to say...and no one we know is anything close to an expert!

We have two Yoshino cherry trees in our front yard that are around three years old.* They didn't do great last year, but had a few blooms.* We had no blooms this year.* Pruning the trees back a bit was recomended and so we did a month or so ago.* Yesterday we noticed some leaves had gone yellow.* When we arrived home this evening they both looked pitiful!!* The leaves are all drooping, many have gone yellow and fallen off.* A few leaves have spotted and developed some holes...but these are very few and far between.

We invested in trees froms a reputable nursery here in NW Arkansas.* They have a great reputation and the plants we have bought from them are beautiful so I am sure it is something we have done wrong!* We are desprate to save these trees so any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much!!!

*

[backyardgardener]

Sorry to read about your* Prunus x yedoensis Yoshino Cherry*trees.

http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/PRUYEDA.pdf

http://www.efn.org/~ipmpa/diseases.html

Backyard

[Newt]

Hi Kassie,

When I read about recently planted trees (planted within the last 2 to 3 years) having problems I've found the cause is often due to either improper planting techniques or inadequate after care.* You don't say if these trees were planted by you or by the nursery they were purchased from and if they were in containers or b&b (balled and burlaped).* If they were in containers and severely rootbound, they might not have been able to take up enough water.* If they were b&b and the twine wasn't removed, the roots might be girdling themselves and cutting off the trees ability to take up water and nutrients. If not enough of the burlap was cut away and there is any above ground, the moisture will be wicked away.* Many trees are planted too deep and young trees tend to show the ill effects within 2 to 3 years.* Check to see that the trees weren't planted too deep and the rootflare is showing.* Mulch should not be placed against the trunk.
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/pla...ees/f1147w.htm
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/rootg...ontainers.html
http://www.mortonarb.org/deeptreeroots/index.html
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/rootg...pingflare.html
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1298/

Yoshino cherries don't always flower prolifically each year.
http://www.aboutcherrytrees.com/yosh...rry_tree.shtml

I'm not sure what the pruning did for the tree unless you were removing dead wood or opening the canopy to allow the leaves to get more sun.* Here's some diseases that might be effecting your trees.* Take a look and let me know if what you see matches the symptoms and pics.
http://www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville.../omchlfsp.html
http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/d...m?RecordID=293
http://www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville.../bactcank.html
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3029.html
http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/d...m?RecordID=303
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci...rop/pp689w.htm
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modzz/00001194.html

If you know or think there were cherry trees in that location previously:
http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/d...m?RecordID=295

Feel free to look at everything here.* Most of the links I gave you came from this site.
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/pp/ext...x.shtml#cherry

Newt

[Talbott]

Hi,
Read your replies to Kassie re: sick cherry tree? May have overlooked it, but I did not see what seems to be the problem w/ my trees in the links you posted.

I have 2 Yoshino Cherry trees in front yard in full sun (30 miles west of Wash, DC). Planted one 12 years ago, second one a year or so later about 20 feet apart. The newer one has outgrown the other by 10 feet, is very leafy, robust and healthy looking. The older, in the last couple years, has had fewer leaves and is very twiggy, many dead and dry. Not nearly as many leaves per stem as newer tree. Leaves look OK, green and normal on both trees. Both bloomed profusely, the newer one a little more so. On the older one, leaves are maybe a wee bit more hole-y. Only other visible sign is some dead twigs appear as is bark was cut and peeled back in many small cuts and some budded twigs are dried. Besides this, nothing else is plainly visible to me on older tree showing a problem. Have applied tablet fertiler to older tree last few years per local nursery's direction. Also sprayed both with fruit tree spray last summer at suggestion of same nursery... No difference.

Any help or insight GREATLY appreciated. THANKS!

--Steve in VA

[Newt]

Hi Steve,

I'm having a difficult time figuring out what is going on with your cherry tree.* It could be more then one problem and pictures of the dead branches, places where the bark is missing or split and the spots on the leaves would be most helpful.* Cherry trees are plagued by many diseases and pests.

It almost sounds as if the older tree has been in decline for a while now.* That makes me wonder if there could be something going on with the root system.* A picture of the base of the tree would also be most helpful.* I'm wondering if there could be some girdling roots, especially if the declining limbs are located in one area.* Another possibility could be too much soil or mulch against the trunk, burying the rootflare.* If your tree looks like a telephone pole in the ground instead of having a flare at the base, that could cause the decline.* Take a look here at rootflare and too deeply planted trees to see if any of this looks famaliar.
http://www.mortonarb.org/deeptreeroots/index.html
http://www.mortonarb.org/deeptreeroots/landscape.html

Tree root and mulching info.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/Garden/02926.html
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/trees_turf.aspx
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx

You may need to remove some soil and look at the roots.* Some of the symptoms you describe almost sound like verticillium wilt.* Does this look like what you see?
http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/d...m?RecordID=303

Any of this root rot sound famaliar?
http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/d...m?RecordID=289

Crown gall.
http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/d...m?RecordID=277

Do you see any oozing of sap on the damaged limbs?* That would be bacterial canker.* I have my suspiciions this could be the problem.
http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/d...m?RecordID=270
http://www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville.../bactcank.html

Look at other cankers here, especially #3 for Valsa canker.
http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/pubs/diseases/bark.htm

Fireblight isn't high on my list of possibilities, but it's worth looking at.
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0542/ANR-0542.pdf

This is what cherry leaf spot looks like,
http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/d...m?RecordID=282
http://www.caf.wvu.edu/kearneysville.../omchlfsp.html

Cherry brown rot.
http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/d...m?RecordID=272

Newt