Hi,
We planted a Blackgold Cherry about 3 weeks ago (it was potted). Two of the limbs look great but the rest have shriveled up leaves. Not sure if that's okay? There are a few photos below.
My questions are:
1. Watering. I've read a thousand different things. I'm in New York on Long Island. Can I just run a drip line to it or a hose at the base? How often would I do that?
2. Fertilizing. How much and when? The soil isn't great, kind of rocky and clayish but we have lots of trees that grow great. I also compost so I have good soil I can mix in if that's a good idea.
Thank you!
- applestar
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The method I always follow is to dig a shallow hole (no deeper than rootball*) that is twice the diameter of the rootball. Then fill with native soil — most recent instructions say to add nothing — I add maybe 1/4 to 1/3 home made compost or good organic soil conditioner with myco’s.
*I usually dig a little deeper and line the bottom of the hole with upside-down sod peeled up from where the hole was dug.
These two additions seed the hole area with earthworms — in the sod and compost.
After back filling, I make a mounded donut ring/dam — my subsoil is clay so I sometimes plant on a mound and leave a moat.
Fill to top of dam/moat with mulch, not allowing mulch to touch trunk.
The basic rule I have followed and this seems to work — water once a day (fill dam/moat, allow to soak in, fill again — move mulch aside and check) for 3 days, once every three days for a week, once a week for a month, then once a month as needed for the first season.
*I usually dig a little deeper and line the bottom of the hole with upside-down sod peeled up from where the hole was dug.
These two additions seed the hole area with earthworms — in the sod and compost.
After back filling, I make a mounded donut ring/dam — my subsoil is clay so I sometimes plant on a mound and leave a moat.
Fill to top of dam/moat with mulch, not allowing mulch to touch trunk.
The basic rule I have followed and this seems to work — water once a day (fill dam/moat, allow to soak in, fill again — move mulch aside and check) for 3 days, once every three days for a week, once a week for a month, then once a month as needed for the first season.
The shrivelling of those leaves could be from a number of causes.
Over or under watering a young tree can affect it this way...the affected area will recover.
Canker .....check for any sign of a lesion just below the affected area.
Fungi related to Brown Rot can also produce this effect. Here Sprays of a Mildew protectant can give some help occasionally.
If there’s no sign of improvement in a few weeks...then I would remove the infected wood and grow on the sound branches.
Over or under watering a young tree can affect it this way...the affected area will recover.
Canker .....check for any sign of a lesion just below the affected area.
Fungi related to Brown Rot can also produce this effect. Here Sprays of a Mildew protectant can give some help occasionally.
If there’s no sign of improvement in a few weeks...then I would remove the infected wood and grow on the sound branches.