Ornamental cherry, Japanese cherry, Prunus serrulata – care

Shady and dark places are hardly accepted by the “Japanese cherry blossoms”. The full bloom is only fully developed in full sun. Depending on the variety, the tree can reach a height of up to 12 meters. With large Prunus varieties you should therefore avoid front gardens that are too small and the direct proximity to house walls and fences. The demands on the substrate are relatively uncomplicated: the flowering cherry can be cultivated on humus-rich, deep soils as well as in extremely sandy soil.

pour

The tree, which belongs to the rose family, has an average water requirement. In midsummer, the substrate around the Prunus must not dry out completely. With a pouring rim, you ensure even water distribution. This area is created immediately when planting and has to be mulched and weed cleared on a regular basis. Use rainwater with little lime and avoid waterlogging. You can loosen up heavy and loamy soils with coarse gravel.

With deciduous trees, the rule of thumb is that a few liters of water over a period of a few days is more effective than applying a larger amount of moisture once a week. After all, dry soils cannot store the water and the precious water drains unused into the ground. Water early in the morning or in the evening to keep evaporation as low as possible.

Fertilize

Ornamental cherries only need a little fertilization. Liquid fertilizers containing phosphorus have proven to be effective for the formation of the splendid and colorful bloom. Add these nutrients to the irrigation water regularly during the flowering period. In early spring or late autumn, on the other hand, it is completely sufficient if you extensively mulch the soil around the Japanese ornamental plants and enrich it with horn shavings or compost.

plant

The best time for planting is in the autumn months, so that the tree can grow firmly by the coming spring and start sprouting vigorously again at the beginning of the new growing season. The space requirement of the Japanese flowering cherry depends on the selected variety, columnar trees require far less space than other growth forms of the flowering cherry. To avoid damage and to promote the growth of the tree, you should avoid the immediate vicinity of garden fences and house walls. Other large plants could quickly develop into unpleasant competition for water and sunlight. All representatives of the Prunus family are deep-rooted, so the soil should be deep and permeable.

The planting hole must be twice as wide and deep as the root ball of the tree. Enrich the excavated earth with compost or horn shavings. It is also advisable to loosen up heavy soils with pebbles or pieces of basalt. Before the ornamental cherry is relocated to its final location, you should treat the roots of the young tree to a sufficient water bath so that they can soak up plenty of moisture again. Immediately afterwards, the implementation takes place in the field. The root ball of the ornamental cherry must be completely covered with the prepared soil, at the same time you can create a pouring rim at the same time. This consists of a substrate layer that rises slightly upwards and in the middle of which is the plant itself.

Compact the soil with pressure so that any existing voids in the soil are filled. Finally, pour the cherry blossom firmly. If the planting takes place in autumn, you should also water the soil on frost-free winter days, this makes it easier for the ornamental wood to acclimatise at the new location.

Keeping in pots: Ornamental cherries are only partially suitable for cultivation in pots. If you still want to give it a try, choose a sturdy, tall planter. The conditions for direct sunlight remain the same, provide the Prunus with fertilizer regularly and water it as soon as the top substrate layer is noticeably dry.

Multiply

All varieties of the ornamental cherry can be propagated using cuttings. This type of propagation is considered to be particularly efficient and takes place in frost-free winter months when the leaves have already fallen. The procedure is relatively simple and you don’t need any special preparation.

• Shorten a one-year-old, already lignified shoot to about 10-15 centimeters. There should be two to three pairs of eyes where further shoots can develop after successful root formation.
• If necessary, you can coat the lower end of the cuttings with a root powder. This ensures that the roots emerge quickly and reliably.
• Insert the short pieces of wood into lean substrate at regular intervals of about 10 centimeters. You can also use planters to get a better overview. Ornamental cherries, however, do not require high temperatures or tropical humidity, which is why the cuttings can easily be left outdoors.
• If the roots were successful, the cuttings sprout new shoots and branches in the spring. Move the vigorous plants to their final location.

It can take several years for the first flowers to appear on the young trees. In addition, Japanese flowering cherries cannot always be propagated using cuttings. Use grafted plants from specialist retailers if the Prunus cannot reproduce at all.

To cut

Japanese cherries show different growth forms. While some varieties rise up to 12 meters in height, other species are characteristic for their hanging branches or columnar growth. Ornamental cherries should also be pruned at least once a year, ideally in June or July. You should have the following materials ready:

• Loppers
• Saws
• ladder

Remove branches and wild shoots that are growing transversely and affect the tree’s growth habit. Dead and caring shoots are also cut off close to the trunk. Avoid unclean cut edges by using sharp tools. These only heal slowly and thus offer fungal pathogens an optimal breeding ground. Thoroughly clean the tool before and after work so as not to transfer any germs or pests to other plants.

Overwinter

Many varieties of the ornamental cherry are extremely hardy and do not require any special protection in the frosty months. When buying the ornamental tree, pay attention to a resistant species that will only protect you from large temperature fluctuations in the first winter. For plants in pots, use sackcloth, which you wrap generously around the entire container. This prevents the root ball from freezing through.

Tips on cultivation and care

• Japanese flowering cherries are vigorous and can grow up to 70 centimeters in height in the first few years. Only cultivate Prunus varieties whose location and space requirements can be met. A constant pruning in height is difficult, and the growth habit visibly suffers as a result.
• The small, black fruits of the Japanese flowering cherry are not very tasty, but are not considered to be poisonous. If you want to plant a reliable fruit supplier in your own garden, you should resort to a sour or sweet cherry tree instead.
• Avoid using fertilizers with a high nitrogen content. Because this promotes the growth of the ornamental cherries, but the formation of the flowers suffers from it.

Diseases and pests

Japanese flowering cherries are considered robust and resistant to a large number of fungal pathogens and harmful insects. However, the Asian ornamental trees are by no means completely immune to unwelcome visitors.

Shotgun disease 
Holey leaves and egg-shaped, carmine-red to brown spots indicate an infestation with the fungal pathogen Stigmina carpophila. The fungus overwinters in the leaves of the tree and infects the flowering cherry again the following year. Plants weakened by incorrect maintenance and damp weather favor the shotgun disease. Effective fungicides are not yet available on the market. Consistently remove infested leaves and destroy them with the residual waste. Regular watering and spraying with a brew made from field horsetail has also proven its worth.

Frost 
worm When the leaves are eaten away in spring, it is often due to an infestation with caterpillars. The offspring of the Frostworm turns out to be extremely voracious visitors and can cause immense damage to the infested tree within a very short time.
If you do not take countermeasures, the ornamental cherry will always serve as a nutritious host plant for future generations of caterpillars. Due to their inability to fly, the female frost wrackers prefer to return to their nearby hatchery.

Collecting the voracious fellows is laborious and, especially with larger cherry trees, this type of control is almost unsuccessful. Attach glue traps to the trunk and prevent the females from laying the eggs in the crown of the tree. Replace the traps regularly. Some animals tend to lay their eggs directly on the sticky surface. Due to the decreasing adhesive strength of the trap, the hatched caterpillars still manage to reach the leaves of the tree.

sorts

Different growth forms and flower variations of the Prunus are available in specialist shops. The best known of these include, for example:

Prunus Autumnalis 
The variety, also known as winter or snow cherries, has a bush-like, medium-sized growth of up to 5 meters. The half-double flowers are already formed at the end of November and bloom – if the weather is favorable – into March.

Prunus serrulata Ananogawa
With the columnar growth habit of  this variety, you can also cultivate flowering cherries in smaller gardens without any problems. While the width of the “columnar cherry” is only 1 meter, the tree can reach a height of up to 5 meters.

Prunus serrulata Kanzan 
This variety is often sold under the name “Japanese clove cherry” in specialist shops and is one of the most famous Prunus varieties. The ornamental wood with the magnificently double flowers can grow to a height of well over 12 meters, so the demands on space and location are correspondingly high.

Conclusion
Japanese flowering cherries bring you a touch of the east with their colorful cherry blossoms. In addition, you will be enchanted by the different Prunus varieties in autumn with their unusual and variable leaf color. Ornamental cherries are easy to care for and can also be cultivated in your own garden without much effort.