Cherry tree dying - pls help

djwfree82X-yXZoFq · May 2023

Hi there,

Our weeping cherry tree (?) has been fine for the past 10 years but after blossoming this spring the leaves have been dying, gradually turning brown and then rolling up. There are no obvious signs of pests, but there is a lot of what I think is lichen on the branches. We also recently trimmed back the lower branches (~ 1 foot, which we don’t normally do) and are not sure if this may have caused this response? The majority of the leaves seem to now be affected and have the appearance of the attached photos. The photo of tree in blossom is from a few weeks ago, when all seemed fine. Any help would be massively appreciated! Thanks so much, Dan

Fairygirl · May 2023

Lichen isn't a problem - it's the opposite in fact, as it exists mostly in cleaner air conditions.

I doubt if your pruning has caused a major problem, deppending on what you've done, but it isn't really the right time to prune them as it can cause silver leaf - they're pruned in late spring or summer because of that. Aphids and other sap sucking insects can cause leaves to curl and roll, but so can weather at certain times, so that isn't necessarily a problem either. All trees/shrubs get damage to foliage quite regularly.

Here's a link which might help
https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/types/trees/pruning-guide

Palustris · May 2023

Sadly Cherry trees are very susceptible to the way our climate is going. They hate being dried out and equally hate being too wet. There is going to be a lot of death among them over the next few years. A tree expert friend said that Cherry trees dying was the most frequent calls out that he attended to.

djwfree82X-yXZoFq · May 2023

Thank you Palustris - sounds a bit bleak. Are you aware of anything we can do give it a chance of bouncing back please?

djwfree82X-yXZoFq · May 2023

Thank you Fairygirl - hopefully it is the change in weather. Really hoping it recovers!

Cherry tree dying - pls help

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