Our weeping cherry tree is about 20 years old and is quite large. It has always done well and is beautiful. However, this year it is only blooming in certain parts. What do I do? Lynda
Answer
Hi Lynda, There are several reasons why your Weeping Cherry is not flowering in certain areas.
1. The flower buds could have been damaged by the cold weather this past winter. We had some very cold, windy days this past winter that could have harmed the flower buds.
2. Insufficient watering of the tree. When a tree is stressed, it will not expend energy to make flowers. The soil around the base of the cherry needs to be moist to encourage flowering.
3. Improper or no pruning will affect the growth of flowers. Weeping Cherry trees flourish from proper pruning. Thinning is important to allow sufficient sunshine on all of the branches to produce flowers.
4. There could be a nutrient deficiency in the soil surrounding your tree. In order for any plant to make flowers it needs phosphorus. On all fertilizer labels there is the NPK symbol that indicates the available Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium in a particular fertilizer. Choose an organic, slow release fertilizer with a high P (Phosphorus) number such as Flowertone which is especially formulated to feed flowering plants. A good practice though is to get soil sample of the underlying soil to find out exactly what the deficiency is. Then you will know exactly what soil amendment to add to help the tree flourish without guessing.
5. Weeping Cherry trees are susceptible to fungal diseases which usually start within the tree (usually the root area) eventually weakening the tree and preventing it from flowering.
6. Finally, spring seemed slow to arrive this year. Your mature tree may flower over a longer period of time with different areas blooming before others.
If you'd like, our Tree Care Manager could come out to take a look and assess the tree, give us a call.
Thank you for your question.
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About Linda Lillie
Linda K. Lillie is the President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc, the premier
landscape design and maintenance, tree care, lawn care, stonework, and carpentry
service provider in southeastern Connecticut since 1997. She is a graduate of
Connecticut College in Botany, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national
award winning landscape designer for her landscape design and landscape installation work.
