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cadillactaste

Sand cherry...Dead or will we have a chance of it coming back nex

cadillactaste
11 years ago

We're redoing the backyard...and the placement of the sand cherry was not in full sun.and frankly it never did well or even bloomed. So we dug it up and moved it. The leaves have became very brittle...

I was told that we were smothering it by having the rocks we have for mulch up against it. So I have pulled away the rocks...there is aa few leaves not brittle but sadly most are.

So the big question is do we continue to water and hope for the best come spring...or is it hopelessly a goner?

Should we prune it hard come spring?

Comments (15)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    i would water.. properly.. deeply.. maintaining such thru next spring.. [dont know where you are] ...

    and wait and see what happens.. before i made any plans about pruning ...

    do you know the scratch test???? can you see any viable buds?? can you post a pic ...

    ken

  • cadillactaste
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I live in Zone 5 in NE Ohio...Water deeply...That's what I've been doing since I read to do so in a gardening magazine. How often though? Every other day with it being watered deeply?

    The "scratch test"...um-mmm sorry no clue what that requires to do. I'm imaging that one scratches the bark to see what is below the surface. But not sure what I would even look for.

    Viable buds...Hm-mmm I only noticed one branch with live leaves...But again that was the only thing I was looking for. My husband was pulling off the dead leaves and I told him to leave it be. Bad enough the leaves are dead...but bare stems looks worse. lol

    I'll grab a picture...I can do that.

    Thanks Ken!

  • cadillactaste
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    The sand cherry is in the background...not quite dead in this picture...
    {{gwi:275112}}

    Close up of the few leaves that are alive..."very few".
    {{gwi:275114}}

    Pathetic sand cherry... :O(
    {{gwi:275116}}

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    gorgeous setting ...

    scratch test.. if you gently scratch a branch.. green under good... its the vascular system of the plant .. the cambian layer .. for an easy term..if black under the bark .. branch dead ... if green.. potential future growth ...

    but dont go scratching it all the time ... dont make too many wounds ..

    any still live leaf is good.... but it is fall ... so they will be falling off soon anyway ...

    if you water deeply.. this time of year.. it might be weeks or months.. before the soil dries at depth ... especially in clay ... but i cant dig a hole.. or stick my finger in your soil ... i suspect you are on the verge of over-watering ...

    this time of year.. the shrubs are setting buds.. at tip ends.. that winter over.. and burst next spring .... some are even flower buds ...

    look at all your different shrubs.. notice the pattern.. then look at this one .. can you see hard.. properly colored buds??? .. if you find them black and mushy.. odds are.. they arent going to make it thru winter ....

    all this said.. you are still basically going to have to wait until next spring.. to see what happens... OR!!! ... just get rid of it.. if all you will do.. is worry about it all winter ...

    if you have a warranty.. talk to the nursery ... maybe they will replace it now.. if they have one in stock.. or discuss whether they will honor it next spring.. after we find out for sure.. its status ...

    hope this clarifies it all ...

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: 10th link

  • cadillactaste
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Ken on the compliment...This is where my husband and I plan on sitting out back on the swing and growing old together.
    Sadly...this shrub was planted near a black walnut and never bloomed in all the years we've had it. [I'm imagining 5-7 yrs] Learned about black walnuts just last year. Planted a shrub that was to thrive near one to see if they were correct. And it has been thriving...So with us redoing the backyard and flower beds. [Went with rock to blend with the waterfall. And to keep the critters from tossing mulch all over my backyard] We decided to transplant it...It didn't make the move well. I bet I've over watered it. Though I was told by a nursery that I don't frequent that I was smothering it with having the rocks up near the bark of the bush. So I pulled the rocks away.

    Running out to do a scratch test...be right back!

    Well...I did a few scratch tests. Do I scratch through the red that first appears? Because I'm seeing red when I scratch.

    Not really noticing but one shrub with a starting of buds just now appearing.

    After years of buying plants and having them die...then learning last year about the black walnut tree. I would prefer if I could let this guy winter...and see what happens come spring. Unless my neighbors looks drastically covered in buds...then this one surely is dead. Though I am looking forward to filling the flower beds now that I know what I was doing wrong in the past. Still relatively new to growing things...so I'm not rushing out buying tons of plants. Things that catch my eye that I've researched...Like the Weigela I seen did well near a walnut tree. And my neighbor has one two jeep lengths away from his Weigela. So we'll be planting one of those. We want to block our border so we feel even more secluded than we already are.

    Thanks for input. Much appreciated!

  • cadillactaste
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'm thinking this bush is dead...I was told by two others it would be easier if I pruned it back. Less shrub the roots have to supply with water.

    I did not find any green...lots of red under bark but no green period. So that basically means this is dead. Correct?

  • cadillactaste
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well...I pruned it real hard last year assuming it was dead. Had a bush picked out for that area and everything...guess what came back! Now I wish I hadn't cut it back so harshly.

    The neighbor said it will grow up...and not to worry about it. Right now I think it looks like an annual planted. So embarrassed at the job I did on it last year.

  • cadillactaste
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well...it definitely isn't dead! Rejuvenated it by that harsh pruning...now I am more confident with the outcome.

    Pruned one limb on a different shrub (taramix) the husband didn't want me to do even that...read up on it to prune once blooms are finished. I can't wait! I see how we'll the one branch is doing I pruned back last year... and can envision it next spring! Once pruned...

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    yippee

    ken

  • shellbell04
    10 years ago

    Did it flower this year too? I have a Sand Cherry that I dug up this year (3 of them were planted way to close together)! It looked like it was dying immediately but I'm going to keep it until next year to see what happens. This gives me hope!

  • cadillactaste
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I butchered it pretty hard. It did bloom...but on tiny little sprouts. But it is growing crazy fast! Up past mid thigh now!

    My dad got the other one we dug up. It wasn't planted until days later...almost a week. It looked dead when he planted it. His bloomed this year as well!

    I think these shrubs can take a beating and are very hardy. After my own experience. But they seem to not do well when moved the year of the transplant. But surprised me and my dad when they both came back.

    I have high hopes your bush will surprise you as well next spring!

  • Jan Nguyen
    8 years ago

    Thanks so much for your posts. I just recently did the same thing with my sandcherry which I've had for about 5 or 6 years. I planted it near a fence and this year it was too close so figured I would move it. The gardeners told me not to uproot it in spring since weather was still cold so I listened, but then realized that other garden workers had dug it up halfway so roots were exposed anyway. So I decided to move it. Now it's in a much better location, but looks like your first few photos - dried up and basically dead. I will prune it back like you did and see what happens. After you pruned it, did you also put a lot of fertilizer on it to help with roots?

  • cadillactaste
    Original Author
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    No, I didn't put any fertilizer on it. I was always told a stressed tree shouldn't have fertilizer.

    Here is a photo taken from last year. The sand cherry has done quite well. It never thrived where it once was located near a walnut tree. It always stayed dwarfed barely chugging along. This season we had lovely blooms that we've never had in the past.

  • cadillactaste
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    Thank you foreignlady...it totally took me by surprize that's for sure. I too hope you find the same results as I did. Wishing you success...

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