Hi Peter,I have a unhealthy cherry blossom tree and it has very few leaves on it, branches seem a little frail and it has no flowers. Can it be saved? Just one more thing, it is a very old tree. Thank you for your attention in this matter.
Fruit trees, including ornamental cherry trees have a lifespan and, if yours is 30 or 40 years old, it may be reaching the end of it’s time. Having said that, I’m hearing of similar problems from others. There are some things you can do. The most obvious is to make sure that you haven’t piled mulch up against the bark of the tree. Next make sure to remove any suckers that sprout from the base of the tree. Suckers will rob moisture and nutrients from the upper branches and leaves. Naturally feeding it with some fruit tree spikes pounded into the soil underneath the outermost branch tips will help as well. If the tree hasn’t been pruned in many years there are probably many interior sucker-like branches that should also be cut off to encourage growth on the main stems. If it has been let go then this pruning needs to take place over a few years to avoid shocking the tree. Without seeing the tree or a picture, it is hard for me to be too specific but here’s a website that does a nice job describing the process. http://www.ehow.com/how_7333120_restore-old-fruit-tree.html