New and Unread Tree-Mails
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Name: Michael Martin St. Albans, WV, USA (Zone 6b)  mmartin4242 Sep 5, 2020 10:04 PM CST |
  I planted this yoshino cherry two spring ago. It grew well over the first summer and this spring we saw several clusters of bloom that lasted a couple weeks. It has grown significantly this summer and this week we noticed new blooms that don't look anything like what they looked like in the spring. We weren't even aware that there was a second blooming that ever happened with these trees. Can you explain what is going on here? Is this to be expected? Also I would love if you could give us some information about pruning. I have read conflicting information. One place said to never prune an ornamental cherry. Another said to prune "suckers". I have noticed that there is a lot of new branches near the ground and the tree looks more like a shrub than a tree. Would removing the small branches at the base encourage the tree to put more energy into growing upward? Thanks so much for your help. |
Name: Daisy I Reno, Nv (Zone 6b) Not all who wander are lost    DaisyI Sep 6, 2020 10:05 AM CST |
 You have two different pruning questions: Root suckers and canopy pruning. There are certain times and rules for pruning the canopy of a Flowering Cherry but, suckers are not canopy and should be removed the minute they show up. Suckers are all the growth at the bottom of the tree (the stuff making it look like a shrub) - those branches are growing off the rootstock and will kill the grafted part (the canopy) if allowed to grow. They are robbing nutrients from the canopy. The only part of the canopy you should prune are dead, broken or diseased limbs and limbs that cross through the middle of the tree or crowd other branches. Cherries are usually pruned in early summer after they flower. Except for suckers - prune them now and don't let any more grow. Fall blooming is a stress reaction, in this case, the stress is being caused by the suckers. Without the suckers the roots will nourish the part of the tree you want to keep. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada Webmaster: osnnv.org |
Name: Michael Martin St. Albans, WV, USA (Zone 6b) mmartin4242 Sep 6, 2020 12:48 PM CST |
| Thanks so much for the info. I actually found out that the blooms that I thought were part of the tree are actually a vine called devils knitting needle, I removed the vine and did some additional weeding around the tree. I blame my old eyesight for thinking they were part of the tree! HAHA Is there any special method I should follow for removing the suckers? How should I cut them? How close to the trunk should I cut? How far up from the ground should I remove sucker branches? Thank you! |
Name: Lin Vosbury Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)              plantladylin Sep 6, 2020 1:17 PM CST |
LOL, I was confused because the blooms didn't look like Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis), they looked like Clematis.  "Devil's Knitting Needle" and "Devil's Darning Needle" is a common name for American Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana) but the leaves on your plant look to me more like those of Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora), which is a pest plant in some areas. ~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt! ~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot! |
Name: sumire Reno, Nevada (Zone 6a)  sumire Sep 6, 2020 1:34 PM CST |
| Remove absolutely everything that is a sucker, ie everything extra below the graft. Show us pictures if you aren't sure if it belongs or not. Cut suckers off as close as possible to the trunk or roots without damaging the main tree. I try to catch them as soon as possible and just rub them off with a thumb or rip them up off the roots with a little yank. (That only works if you catch them early though, don't do more damage to your tree in enthusiasm!) www.sumiredesigns.com |
Name: Daisy I Reno, Nv (Zone 6b) Not all who wander are lost DaisyI Sep 6, 2020 2:35 PM CST |
I looked at those flowers a long - oddest looking cherry blossoms I've ever seen but, Oh Well, people come up with a lot of weird stuff in this forum. I just looked again and can see the Clematis vine leaves attached to the flowers!  Yes, what Sumire said. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada Webmaster: osnnv.org |
Name: Michael Martin St. Albans, WV, USA (Zone 6b) mmartin4242 Sep 6, 2020 2:37 PM CST |
| I think maybe the ship has sailed on getting the suckers off. I think I should have done that early in the summer. There doesn't appear to be any new growth below the graft. Is there anything I can do to promote vertical growth of the main trunk?      |
Name: Daisy I Reno, Nv (Zone 6b) Not all who wander are lost DaisyI Sep 6, 2020 3:21 PM CST |
| The suckers are really big! In Photo #3, the darker stem in the middle is the Yoshino cherry. the green stems coming off each side are suckers. Cut those two off. I think I see other suckers in back but, I'm not sure what I see. After you cut those two suckers off (do it now), take another photo or two from different angles. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada Webmaster: osnnv.org |
Name: Michael Martin St. Albans, WV, USA (Zone 6b) mmartin4242 Sep 6, 2020 3:44 PM CST |
Ok I cut those off and a couple others on the other side. It's looking a lot more like a tree now. Do I need to do anything with the open wounds from cutting those off?    |
Name: sumire Reno, Nevada (Zone 6a) sumire Sep 6, 2020 3:46 PM CST |
Looks good!  www.sumiredesigns.com |
Name: Daisy I Reno, Nv (Zone 6b) Not all who wander are lost DaisyI Sep 6, 2020 3:48 PM CST |
| That looks great! No don't do anything with the cuts. You will have to pull suckers off as they grow (and they will grow quickly). Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada Webmaster: osnnv.org |
Name: Michael Martin St. Albans, WV, USA (Zone 6b) mmartin4242 Sep 6, 2020 3:53 PM CST |
| Thanks so much for all your help and input! Prior to getting this sapling planted, I've not done any type of planting/gardening. I read a lot of things about the Yoshino and many guides say to never prune it. I think those guides are meant for more mature trees and are not good instructions for a young tree which needs some guidance as it grows. My wife and I will remain stalwart from here on out and eradicate any suckers when we see them. I look forward to sharing bloom pics with you all next Spring! |
Name: Daisy I Reno, Nv (Zone 6b) Not all who wander are lost DaisyI Sep 6, 2020 4:06 PM CST |
| I think the confustion is that most trees these days are two trees growing as one because they are grafted together. But, sometimes, they need to be treated as two trees: The root tree and the canopy tree. The root tree can't be allowed to grow anything more than healthy roots because that's its whole function. The canopy tree needs to be pruned minimally: dead branches, broken branches, crossing branches - that's it. Yes, photos! Please add any photos to this thread so everyone can see the history of the tree and appreciate your gardening efforts. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost President: Orchid Society of Northern Nevada Webmaster: osnnv.org |
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