I bought a 4-on-1 sweet cherry tree at Wal Mart in central PA in late
March / early April and was reasonably diligent about watering it, but
the leaves withered and died and there's been no new growth. Today
(Memorial Day weekend) I ran down to a different Wal Mart. They had
two dwarf Bing cherry trees left. Both looked about the same as mine.
One was completely dead and the other's central leader was the only
part left with any green leaves. I poked my finger into the root ball
/ soil and it was moist. Anybody else notice the same thing? Are Wal
Mart's cherry trees diseased, or is the root system so limited that
you have to keep the ground soaked to keep them from dying?
What happened?

RWL



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"RWL" GeoLane_NOSPAM_ @evenlink.com wrote in message
...

I bought a 4-on-1 sweet cherry tree at Wal Mart in central PA in late
March / early April and was reasonably diligent about watering it, but
the leaves withered and died and there's been no new growth. Today
(Memorial Day weekend) I ran down to a different Wal Mart. They had
two dwarf Bing cherry trees left. Both looked about the same as mine.
One was completely dead and the other's central leader was the only
part left with any green leaves. I poked my finger into the root ball
/ soil and it was moist. Anybody else notice the same thing? Are Wal
Mart's cherry trees diseased, or is the root system so limited that
you have to keep the ground soaked to keep them from dying?
What happened?

RWL

You answered your own question. What happened? You bought it at Wall Mart.

This is not necessarily a wal-mart problem. I have noticed problems
with prunus species that have been overwintered in hoop houses. We had
several varieties that leafed out, then melted down and died. There
was no new root growth at all. Im not sure what causes this, but we
had cherries that came from willoway nurseries, overwintered outdoors,
and looked great. Something about the higher temps in the frames is
killing them off, then they use the carbohydrates they have left to
leaf out and start growing. When they run out of carbs, they die.

Toad

"RWL" GeoLane_NOSPAM_ @evenlink.com wrote:

I bought a 4-on-1 sweet cherry tree at Wal Mart in central PA in late
March / early April and was reasonably diligent about watering it, but
the leaves withered and died and there's been no new growth. Today
(Memorial Day weekend) I ran down to a different Wal Mart. They had
two dwarf Bing cherry trees left. Both looked about the same as mine.
One was completely dead and the other's central leader was the only
part left with any green leaves. I poked my finger into the root ball
/ soil and it was moist. Anybody else notice the same thing? Are Wal
Mart's cherry trees diseased, or is the root system so limited that
you have to keep the ground soaked to keep them from dying?
What happened?

I do not buy plants from WalMart or Home Depot or anyone else who
is not a nursery. But, I will buy equipment from WalMart and Home
Depot.

Dick

On Mon, 30 May 2005 06:03:02 -0000, (Dick Adams)
wrote:

I do not buy plants from WalMart or Home Depot or anyone else who
is not a nursery. But, I will buy equipment from WalMart and Home
Depot.

No choice around here. The local nursery doesn't stock cherry trees
and neither do any of the other big box stores. Wal Mart is the only
place to get fruit trees around here. I tried mail order trees, but
it's been hit and miss with bare root trees for me.

RWL



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then try a better mail order. like raintree, who replaces anything wrong
immediately. or Bay Laurel.

the big problem with those other places is they graft incompatible species, like
peach onto nanking cherry or bush cherry roots. they always fail. Ingrid

RWL GeoLane_NOSPAM_ @evenlink.com wrote:

On Mon, 30 May 2005 06:03:02 -0000, (Dick Adams)
wrote:

I do not buy plants from WalMart or Home Depot or anyone else who
is not a nursery. But, I will buy equipment from WalMart and Home
Depot.

No choice around here. The local nursery doesn't stock cherry trees
and neither do any of the other big box stores. Wal Mart is the only
place to get fruit trees around here. I tried mail order trees, but
it's been hit and miss with bare root trees for me.

RWL



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I suspect that anything still at a discount store for more than a week will
probably start showing signs of neglect. I think that the more expensive
the plant you're looking for, the more you need to purchase from a local
nursery/grower.

Suzy, zone 5, Wisconsin

"RWL" GeoLane_NOSPAM_ @evenlink.com wrote in message
...

I bought a 4-on-1 sweet cherry tree at Wal Mart in central PA in late
March / early April and was reasonably diligent about watering it, but
the leaves withered and died and there's been no new growth. Today
(Memorial Day weekend) I ran down to a different Wal Mart. They had
two dwarf Bing cherry trees left. Both looked about the same as mine.
One was completely dead and the other's central leader was the only
part left with any green leaves. I poked my finger into the root ball
/ soil and it was moist. Anybody else notice the same thing? Are Wal
Mart's cherry trees diseased, or is the root system so limited that
you have to keep the ground soaked to keep them from dying?
What happened?

RWL



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On Tue, 14 Jun 2005 01:26:28 GMT, "Suzy O" wrote:

I suspect that anything still at a discount store for more than a week will
probably start showing signs of neglect. I think that the more expensive
the plant you're looking for, the more you need to purchase from a local
nursery/grower.


The nurseries around here don't seem to carry fruit trees. I've had
three Cherry trees from Miller Nurseries never quite turn the corner
and die in a few years. This year I was delighted to find cherry
trees at Wal Mart since they weren't bare root. I bought the tree
shortly after its arrival and it appeared to be in good shape when I
planted it. I watered it with 5 gallons about once a week. In early
spring here there was adequate rainfall, and when we had a week with
perhaps an inch of rain, I didn't water that week. The tree got as
much water as other trees I've planted which survived. I'm not sure
what was wrong with this tree.

RWL


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RWL wrote:
[...]

The nurseries around here don't seem to carry fruit trees. I've had
three Cherry trees from Miller Nurseries never quite turn the corner
and die in a few years. This year I was delighted to find cherry
trees at Wal Mart since they weren't bare root. I bought the tree
shortly after its arrival and it appeared to be in good shape when I
planted it. I watered it with 5 gallons about once a week. In early
spring here there was adequate rainfall, and when we had a week with
perhaps an inch of rain, I didn't water that week. The tree got as
much water as other trees I've planted which survived. I'm not sure
what was wrong with this tree.

RWL

A tree takes 2 to 5 years to establish, so as long as the tree is
actually surviving, I wouldn't worry too much. It's early days yet --
wait to see if it puts out new leaves later this season. Partial dieback
is common in the first year or two, and often transplanted trees seem do
to nothing at all for the first couple of years.

I also assume that the tree is suitable for your Zone - cherries are
fussy, and if you're in a fringe area for cherry trees, there will be
problems. They don't like the cold, and they don't like the heat.
Walmart and other big box stores etc often sell material that is _not_
suitable for your Zone. That being said, here are a few additional
points to consider, for any transplanted trees.

a) If the soil has layer of water retaining stuff at the wrong depth,
you may actually be drowning the tree's roots. Soil should be moist but
not wet.

b) While extra watering is needed in the first year of transplanting a
tree, after that it should receive no more than any other plants in your
area.

c) Over-watering can leach fertilisers from the soil.

d) Use a specialised tree and shrub fertiliser as recommended. I used
spikes at the drip lone the first couple of years after transplanting an
oak, which helped it establish it. (It was about 2-1/2 ft high 25 years
ago, and now is approaching 30 ft.)

e) It's not too late to give the tree a dose of bone meal to help it
develop its root system. If the drip line is about 3 ft out from the
trunk, work about a pound into the top soil under the tree and about 1
ft beyond the drip line, and water lightly. Then water as usual.

f) There should be a circle of well mulched cleared soil around the
trunk of the tree, about 3 ft in diameter.

g) Finally: while trees are generally very adaptable, soil that is too
acid or too basic is not good. Do you know the pH of your soil?

HTH&GL