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Prunus Kanzan (flowering cherry) going brown

marjoriesloughmarjorieslough Posts: 2
in Problem solving

Hi,

I'd really appreciate some advice about why the leaves on my flowering cherry are dropping, going brown and dying off in August.

It's just over a year old. No sign of insects, though I did kill an ant infestation about 2 months ago (with B&Q general bug killer spray).

Soil has been kept watered but the tree looks like it isn't getting enough water (leaves drooping, then drying out and going brown).

I live in Manchester where it's been very wet but soil has not been water logged. We had a week of hot weater and the problem started around that time, but I wouldn't have thought it hot enough to scorch the tree.

Advice much appreciated. Many thanks

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 86,997

    The weather might not have been hot enough to scorch the leaves in a normal year, but as it's been so cool and damp with low light levels,  the leaves havaen't had a chance to harden off - it might well be scorch.  

    Is it all the leaves all over the tree, or just the youngest ones on the tips of the branches?


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • marjoriesloughmarjorieslough Posts: 2

    It's all the leaves, not many have gone brown yet but it just looks like a matter of time - all of them are dried out and drooping. Branches still look green and light brown.

    What do I do with scorching? D'you think it'll come back next year.

    Thanks so much

  • pr1mr0sepr1mr0se Posts: 1,194

    I had just such a problem the other year.  I put it down to low light levels and a general malaise of poor seasonal weather.  A lot of rain promoted lush, weak growth, although the soil was far from waterlogged.

    Advice that I was given was to give it a bit of a feed and see how it responded.  It didn't.  That is why it is, sadly, so more.

    I don't know if my diagnosis was correct, or if the advice that I was given was poor.  But sometimes a plant reaches a point beyond which it cannot be saved.  I hope this is not the case with your tree - but I would be prepared for the worst, and pleased if next year it manages to perk up. (or, hopefully, there may be better advice from more knowledgeable posters here.)

     

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