Stella Cherry - no leaves/blossom.

[chris]

Not sure if this is dead or not - I can see buds, but they look dry and brown. The branches feel kind of light, i.e. no sap present - scratching them reveals them to be dry. The main stem is green when scratched. It was only a cheapo tree from Lidl, so not bothered if it's lost, but thought I'd check before spending all season watering if (It's in a large pot - all the others I bought, but since lost their labels have leafed up fine).

[ginger ninger]

Are the branches on it big enough to be able to cut back to live wood. If they are leave it until it's leaves are out then snip the dead wood out. I've just potted a new cherry tree on and it's got a few dead bit's that I'm going to cut out later in the season.

[chris]

Thanks. I think it's just us three on this morning (me, you and TS). Unless we're the only saddos to be posting this early

[Jeanied]

Speak for yourself Chris.

[ginger ninger]

Speak for yourself Chris.

O.M.G...what you dong up this early, ya do know it's Sunday

[Bramble_killer]

My Stella from Lidl did absolutely NOTHING last year after it was planted but this year now has more blossoms than leaves. I dug a hole and planted it in (well, OH did) and left it so maybe just repot and see what happens?

[FB.]

Not sure if this is dead or not - I can see buds, but they look dry and brown. The branches feel kind of light, i.e. no sap present - scratching them reveals them to be dry. The main stem is green when scratched. It was only a cheapo tree from Lidl, so not bothered if it's lost, but thought I'd check before spending all season watering if (It's in a large pot - all the others I bought, but since lost their labels have leafed up fine).

The green on the stem suggests that it is still alive.
It has probably spent half of the winter in a refrigeration unit which has seriously confused the tree.
Give it until June before getting too worried.

[chris]

Thank you both - if it does turn out to be ok should I wait for the 'bareroot' season to plant it in the ground?

[FB.]

You can plant it now, or you can keep it in a pot until around September and plant it just as the first of its leaves turn yellow. At that point, it is preparing for all the leaf energy and nutrients to be transferred to the roots for a big burst of autumn root growth because the warm ground and autumn wetness give the best root growth conditions.

[chris]

Great stuff, thanks FB.

[vegnut]

My stella has now finished flowering and the leaves are in full growing mode. Not rubbing your face in it , just giving you some time scales on whats when. Also taking into account that i'm on the south coast.
Hope this of some use to you.

[Plot10]

Don't give up on it yet unless you need the room. I bought a Stella from Morrisons 3 years ago. First 2 years leaves but no flowers. I went up to the plot on Saturday to find it covered in beautiful white blossom. I guess it just needed a couple of years to settle down. My 2 apple trees from Lidl are flowering too despite having been stuck behind the shed still wrapped in polythene for 3 months because I forgot about them.

[starloc]

My stella from aldi has just grown a few leaves, very tiny one started growing yesterday, all the others were growing in the bags when i got them, its been planted over a month, planted the day aldi got the trees in, the prunus nigra from a few weeks ago hasnt done anything either but is still alive

[binley100]

My Stella that I got from Aldi started off great , sprouting new leaves. Then most of them died off but there are some new ones sprouting from the main trunk just above the graft.
Probably hasn't helped by Jake taking it for a run around the garden .......