Hi there. I've planted a Kwanzan Cherry in Florida, zone 9. The tree gets south exposure, so I know that planting it in this location was going to be a toss up. Having said that, the tree at the beginning of Spring took off quite well.
Branches towards the top of the tree formed, and grew somewhat fast. The leaves formed beautifully, and it seemed quite healthy. A lot of growth was taking place, all over the tree trunk. At this time (late Feb/early Mar), in an effort to motivate the tree to continue focusing its growth near the top, I pruned off any new branches trying to form (two or more were halfway up trunk, and a couple more were towards the bottom of the trunk). Soon after I pruned, the results were not what I had anticipated. The tree did not grow any more towards the top. Instead, it halted growth all together. Soon after, the newly formed branches and leaves towards the top began to look stressed. It was at this time, that I began to regret the pruning I had done to the lower branches. Fast forward another month or two, and now there is some growth starting towards the very bottom of the trunk. The leaves towards the top are turning yellow and brown, then falling off. I applied an organic fertilizer (dry/granulated), early in spring and then most recently (during April and early May) used a liquid fish fertilizer mixed with water (municipal water sourced).
Timeline:
Dec 15th - Planted
Jan 10th - Pictured before first foliage appeared
Jan 15th - Approximately when first foliage appeared at top of tree trunk
Feb 10th - Pictured with new growth all over trunk, top and towards the bottom, before pruning of lower growth that occurred in Jan/Feb/Mar
Feb 13th - Continued new growth on tree shown in pictures, again before pruning of lower growth took place
April 6th - Tree pictured after pruning took place. First signs of stressing appeared at top of tree around this time.
April 11th - Tree showing increased signs of stressing.
May 5th- At bottom of trunk, in two different areas, new foliage emerges, and that growth remains. Growth of this foliage is slower compared to past growth that occurred in early spring. I do not intend to prune any more of this lower growth.
May 27th - Leaves that have fallen off top of tree.
May 28th - Pictured with new growth at bottom of trunk
My questions are:
1) Does the leaves shown exhibit a bacterial or fungal infection?
2) Have I badly damaged the tree by pruning much of it's lower growth?
3) Is there anything I can do to help the tree at this point?
4)How often should I water my newly planted trees in this region? I feel that once a week may not be enough with the brutal heat we're about to endure through the summer, especially if we lack rainfall like last.
Thanks everyone in advance for your time in reading this! I hope to learn from anyone willing to share their knowledge!
