Kwanzan Cherry Tree - Ask Extension
My Kwanzan Cherry Tree Has no leaves and did not bloom this year. I planted it two years ago. Last year it was beautiful with no issues. There is a...
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Kwanzan Cherry Tree #837381
Asked June 24, 2023, 8:45 PM EDT
My
Kwanzan Cherry Tree
Has no leaves and did not bloom this year. I planted it two years ago. Last year it was beautiful with no issues. There is a crack at the base that i noticed this early spring. Tree seems to be still alive. I watered it and fertilized. What could the issue be? Has about a 6 inch trunk and is already a very tall tree.
Thanks
Meghan
Middlesex County Massachusetts
Expert Response
Hi - I'm pretty sure if the plant has no leaves by now, it will not be coming back. Cherries are not particularly hardy here in the Northeast. My best guess is that the 2 arctic events we had the day before Christmas and in early February where the temperature plunged with below zero wind chill killed the leaf and flower buds. A number of plants were damaged or lost from those 2 events. Since it was so mild this fall, plants did not get to go into all their stages of dormancy. The crack at the base could also be due to the temperatures plunging or it could be from some mechanical injury. So again if there are no leaves by now, it does not bode well for your plant.
There are a few scattered leaves here and there but basically an empty tree. So do you think it will come back next year? Could it be in shock? When I scratch the limbs I do see green underneth bark.
Thanks
Meghan
HI Meghan,
Since it has a few leaves and it is still early in the growing season, you can see if more leaves are produced during the summer. If only a handful more are formed, my guess is that the plant will not be able to photosynthesize enough to keep itself alive over the winter. So you can wait until the end of summer and see what happens.
Dawn
Since it has a few leaves and it is still early in the growing season, you can see if more leaves are produced during the summer. If only a handful more are formed, my guess is that the plant will not be able to photosynthesize enough to keep itself alive over the winter. So you can wait until the end of summer and see what happens.
Dawn
Hi Dawn- Thank you for getting back to me. Well that is too bad. We have had the tree only two years.But we bought it as a pretty mature tree. It bloomed and leafed well last year. I thought it would have been established enough to survive. Its trunk size is at least 7 inches around and height is at least 20 feet
I Hope it survives.
Thanks
Meghan
Hi Meghan,
The winter temperature drops did in a number of trees and shrubs or parts of them. I have dead branches and whole stems on some of my plants too - even those that have been here for a number of years. I don't know what we can do in extreme cases of weather but suspect they are going to continue.
Dawn
The winter temperature drops did in a number of trees and shrubs or parts of them. I have dead branches and whole stems on some of my plants too - even those that have been here for a number of years. I don't know what we can do in extreme cases of weather but suspect they are going to continue.
Dawn
