Neglected Brush Cherry...Need Advice

kizuna

Hello.

We left our previously thriving Brush Cherry with relatives for 2 weeks and came back to a sorry sight. It has lost about half its leaves and the remaining ones are very dry and fall off when they are touched. There are two spots on top where the leaves haven't dried out...

We soaked it in water for about 45 minutes to try and penetrate the root ball.

We scratched off a small part of the bark on the trunk and it's still green.

Is there anything else we can do to rescue our poor tree? Should we cut off the dead leaves or dead branches?

Thanks.

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cbobgo

Yes, you should remove all the dead leaves.

Then you just want to give it the best care - make sure it is getting good ammounts of sun. And be careful about overwatering - since it lost alot of leaves it will not be using as much water. Overwatering is as bad as underwatering at this point. Check the soil moisture daily, and only water when it starts to get dry.

Good luck.

- bob

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"As a twig is bent the tree inclines" - Virgil (70BC-19BC)
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kizuna

Thank you!

After my wife and I let it soak, we decided we would only water it from now on if it needed it. We're afraid of over-watering it.

I assume that since the tree trunk itself under the bark is still green, it means it's still alive and has a chance of making it through this.

Our thread title may have been a little misleading. Our tree was doing well under our care, but when we went on vacation and left it with relatives, we made the mistake of not giving them clear enough instructions on how to care for it. They apparently didn't water it nearly enough and gave it very little sun, which is why it began dying. Never again.

Anyway, thanks for the advice.

cbobgo

keep us informed of how it does. Good luck.

- bob

__________________
"As a twig is bent the tree inclines" - Virgil (70BC-19BC)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Check out my blog: bonsaiapprentice

Joanie

It's a good lesson for everyone to remember. Many times people write to the forum with the same problem, when leaving their trees for a length of time. Maybe written instructions would have helped? It seems a little embarassing to make such a fuss when someone has offered to watch your bonsai, but really your tree can be harmed so easily.

Hopefully it will live, let us know!

Joanie

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kizuna

Well, it's been a couple weeks since we last posted, and unfortunately, the situation doesn't look good. We trimmed off all dead leaves, which leaves our Brush Cherry pretty bare. We've given it as much sun as we could, and since the weather here in NY has been relatively nice (65-70 F), we've been keeping it outside for part of the day most days. And we've only given it water when it starts to get dry.
But the tree isn't responding. No new leaves have grown on the upper branches. I'm thinking the top branches may be dead. The tree is still alive though, because under the bark of the trunk it's still green. Once thing I noticed is that there are about 3 small green foliage beginnings coming from the trunk, far below where the main branches are. It almost looks like it's trying to grow new branches there.

I'm posting pictures here. If anyone has any advice to give us, we'd appreciate it. Should we prune some of the top branches off, which look like they're dead? What is the best way to do that?

Part of me doesn't want to give up on this tree, but we may have to accept the fact that we can't save it. I'm just not sure what to do at this point.

Thanks.

jjeter

Mmm. Let's see, you are in NY, are any other trees losing their leaves? You didn't give too much detail about how your relatives took care of the tree other than the intimation that they didn't water it. Your tree may have gone dormant for the winter. I would not expect a new flush of leaves at this time of year from any decidious trees. If it did, I would be worried about how the next cold snap would affect the tree. Let it go for the winter, protect as you normally would and see what happens next spring. Good luck.