Japanese Flowering Cherry Tree 'Akebono' care

[alexia61307]

My name is Anthony and I live in Victorville, California (Southern) I recently purchased online two Akebono cherry trees, one from 'Monrovia' nursery in California (shipped in 5 gallon pot, topped) and another from an east coast nursery (shipped bare root). I planted the potted cherry and potted the bare root cherry. The planted cherry has been getting what looks like burn spots mainly along tip of leaves and few tiny holes in middle. I tried wetting the leaves during afternoon but it just made more burn spots. I thought this was weird since it is only early spring and it gets pretty hot in my area during summer. And even more strange is the potted cherry is not getting the burn spots. The potted cherry is getting the same sun as the planted cherry but is in shade towards sundown. I am watering the planted cherry about every other day and now trying to water less. The leaves do look a little dry and hang down (I assumed the leaves are hanging because of big leaves with small stems) but the leaves are green and feel fine and internally moist when touched. I am not sure if I am over watering or not watering enough for a just been planted tree, 2 weeks ago. Can someone help?

 

[arbadacarba]

There are a lot of things that can come into play here. First, at two weeks into planting the tree really hasnt had much time to get established. Give it a season or two of careful watering and care and then you should end up with a healthy resilient tree (all else equal).

On the leaf tip burn, some would be normal, but fertilizer burn could be a possibility as many people overdo it on the fertilizer to start. When I put in trees I just use a handful or two of bone meal. This promotes root growth without providing nitrogen for too early top growth. Overwatering is unlikely to be the culprit unless your hole is too narrow or drains poorly. It is good practice to fill the hole up with water when you first dig it and then see how long it takes for the water to drain. |If it drains too slowly then you have to open up the underlying soil to let it breathe, if it drains too fast then you should add some compost to give the tree some help. When watering, a long slow trickle for a night does far more good than more frequent waterings during the day. You want to get the water down deep where the roots can get at it. Afternoon watering on the leaves is the worst thing you can do for the tree. Early morning water is far better, and a fogger nozzle is far better during extreme hot spells.

For the pinholes in the leaves, get a magnifying glass and look at the undersides. Sounds like some sort of pest to me, but could also be something like shothole fungus. Most good garden centers have somebody who can tell you what it is. Even if you posted a picture here it would be difficult to tell as different camera angles can make one thing look like something completely different.

The leaves hanging down may be natural as many ornamental cherries have been bred for this. Google the cultivars of trees you buy up so you are not trying to fix something that is perfectly natural. A perfect example of this would be a weeping sequoia sempervirens versus a regular one - looks very strange when you first see one, but its perfectly natural.

In general, ornamental cherries are quite hardy trees, but they also are succeptible to a fair number of pests and fungi. You could try the Monrovia website for further information and that, combined with a trip to your garden center with some leaves, should set you right.

Good luck!