kanzan cherry tree after winter

Discussion in 'Ornamental Cherries' started by robv187, Mar 15, 2010.

  1. robv187

    robv187 Member

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    Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've posted a question about my tree. Well, i planted it about 7 months ago and so far it seems to be healthy with what appears to be new bud growth. I noticed that in vancouver the trees have blossomed already but here in hamilton we haven't gotten to that point yet. The temperature here has been above seasonal at 6 - 14 C so the soil has thawed, and just this weekend we received about 82 MM of rain. My question is, once the soil has finally thawed, how much water does a tree need? 82 mm is an awful lot of rain, i'm a bit worried but i've been told to just let nature take its course. Any opinions on this would be appreciated, i have little to know knowledge on gardening. What i do know is that the roots do not go dormat when the tree does, so maybe after winter the rain was the best thing for it.
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Cherry trees do require good drainage. To succeed your tree will need full sun, good drainage and even moisture. If you are not able to visually judge the moisture content of the soil during dry periods then poke around in it with your finger.
     
  3. robv187

    robv187 Member

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    I appreciate the help ron and know you are one the most knowledgeable ones on the site, i'm wondering about trees after the winter though, since the ice has now melted what are a trees watering needs being the first spring thaw? Do you think the 82 mm of rain is more then enough? I think the soil is well draining which we used and there is also a sand mixture too. Thanks again for posting in my topic :)
     
  4. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Hopefully you did not plant in a pit of different soil, including added sand surrounded by unmodified existing soil. This approach can result in suffocation of the new specimen on heavy soils under wet conditions - the planting pit acting as a sump, receiving water from the surrounding soil and collecting it beneath the tree.

    Especially since you are in eastern North America it may be some time before irrigation is required this year. It depends on what state your tree is in, in terms of handling of the original root mass and planting hole back-fill.

    Maybe next have a look at this state-of-the-art planting fact sheet:

    http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda chalker-scott/FactSheets/Planting fact sheet.pdf
     

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