Basketball coaches always put in their star players to start a basketball game. Being a starter is a coveted position all the bench players aspire toward. I like to think of the cherry blossoms as one of the starters of Spring. They’re awesome – they bloom big for about two weeks between the end of March and beginning of April and kick off the start of spring.
We have done a lot of work on cherry trees in the Glen Arm, Maryland area. A lot of local people in Harford and Baltimore County like to get down to the DC Cherry Tree festival to enjoy the stunning blooms. But did you know this? There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to cherries, such as:
The DC Cherry Trees Aren’t Native. The Japanese Gave DC their Cherry Trees. In 1912, Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City gave a gift of an allotment of cherry trees to Washington DC. It was a gesture of good will meant to continue the strengthening relationship between the Japanese and the US. Although the US does have native cherry trees, most ornamental cherry trees are from Japan.
The Japanese Also Love These Cherry Trees.They are the national tree of Japan, and you’ll see the blossoms used in a lot of Japanese art. In fact, the Japanese love their cherry trees so much they make a special event out of cherry tree picnics. They even use cherry blossoms to make tea and ice cream.
They Are Part of the Rose Family. The rose family is huge, and the cherry genus includes similar flowering trees such as peaches, plums, apricots and almonds. (Now you’ll start noticing the similarities in these flowers.) The most striking cherry cultivars are the ones with the double flowers.
Caring for Cherry Trees on Your Property
Cherry trees are relatively hardy. They do not need a ton of maintenance to continue growing and blooming in a healthy way. However, here are a few tips for maintenance:
- Cherry trees don’t need an excessive amount of water. However, in a long span of dry or drought-like weather. It may be good to provide some irrigation. if you find that the top 2-3 inches of soil around your cherry tree is super dry, this would be a good time to run a hose to each tree and give it a good, slow watering. A layer of mulch around the base of the tree will help it retain moisture.
- Pruning. This is a case-by-case basis, but generally cherry trees only need to be pruned every 3-4 years during the dormant months. Pruning suckers and dead branches from the trees helps to promote healthy blossoms and controls brown rot. Brown rot is a fungal disease of tree fruit.
- Pests/Disease. Cherry trees and fruit trees in general are susceptible to pests such as fruit flies, fruit worms and mites. Especially after a warm or wet winter. Excessive moisture leaves the trees vulnerable to bacteria and fungal growth that cause blight, leaf curl and brown rot. While spraying is one option, the easiest way to control diseases and pests is to trim the affected branches.
At Manor Tree Service, we will inspect your trees and outline a plan to keep them healthy and aesthetically beautiful to improve your property. We aren’t interested in chopping away at every tree in your yard. Instead, we want to help you retain the valuable and beautiful ones and keep them growing strong.
If we can answer any questions about caring for your current trees, please call us! We will come to your property, provide a free tree assessment, outline recommendations and an action plan (if necessary) and answer tree questions.
