Yoshino Cherry Tree Care Guide

Yoshino Cherry Tree is a wonderful plant with white-pink flowers that appear in early spring. It also has a wide crown and can provide a good canopy for shade.

Yoshino Cherry Tree Care Tips

• Plant Yoshino in a place with well-drained and slightly acidic soil (pH 6.0-6.5).
• Water it when the soil is 2 inches dry in the first 2-3 years after planting.
• Provide it with 4 hours or more of direct sunlight per day.
• Cut back dead branches in late fall.
• Place Yoshino 20 feet apart from other trees.
• Feed it with a balanced fertilizer in early spring.
• Mulch the surface with 1-2 inches of organic mulch.
• Spray the leaves with horticultural oil to get rid of insects.

Plant profile

Planting

The best time of year to plant or transplant Yoshino Cherry Tree is early spring or fall. This is when the sun is not shining at full strength and it is much easier for the plants to tolerate transplanting. Also, choose a cloudy day and preferably one with rain the day before.

The best place to plant Yoshino is where there is no stagnant moisture and at least a few hours of direct sunlight. Also, make sure that no surface water flows near the tree and that the soil is loose enough.

Plant Yoshino trees at least 20 to 25 feet apart from other trees. The distance to buildings should be even greater (30-35 feet).

Dig a hole twice the size of the tree’s roots and place it there. The place where the roots and trunk meet should be half an inch above ground level. Fill all the space around the roots with soil, but do not fill in the trunk of the tree.

Light requirements

Yoshino Cherry Tree needs at least 4 hours of direct sunlight per day. But it will be better if it receives 6-8 hours of direct sun, in which case you can count on abundant flowering and a dense canopy.

Yoshino can grow in full sun all day regardless of the climate. Nothing bad can happen to it. With the exception of newly planted trees, you might want to shade them for a few weeks or months. In the full sun, you might need to water a bit more often than usual.

Yoshino will not grow in full shade. In the absence of direct sunlight, the tree will stop flowering and have a looser crown. If you don’t give it access to the sun, it will die in two to three years.

Soil

Yoshino likes loose and light soil, this is especially important for newly planted plants as they can take root faster. Also, make sure that the soil is well-drained otherwise stagnant water can kill the plant.

Another important aspect is the soil pH. Yoshino likes slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0-6.5. Alkaline soil is not good for growing this tree. To find out what kind of soil you have, buy a soil ph test kit. You can acidify the soil with sulfates, which are also available for purchase.

If you have clay or sandy soil in your yard, add a few bags of good quality compost to the planting hole before planting. This will make the clay soil friable and more drained. Sandy soil, on the other hand, will not dry out too quickly after adding compost. Also, compost can acidify the soil a little.

Watering

Yoshino Cherry Tree should be watered as soon as the soil has dried 2 inches from the top. Do this in the first 1-2 years after planting. The amount of water should be at least 1 gallon or more, depending on the size of the tree.

After the Yoshino takes root, no watering is necessary. The exception is during periods of extreme drought. A good indicator that the tree is taking root is the abundant flowering and vigorous growth of new branches.

If you water Yoshino too often, you may over-water it. As a result, the roots will become soft and can be affected by root rot. It is difficult to treat this disease in trees, in most cases, the tree either overcomes the root rot on its own or dies.

Pruning

You don’t have to prune the Yoshino, but if you want to, you can prune it. You can control the size of the tree by pruning. If you want a dwarf Cherry blossom tree, you might want to look at more compact varieties, since Yoshino is a large tree.

The best time to prune Yoshino is in the autumn. Do it a few weeks before the first frost so that the plant has time to get ready for winter. Avoid pruning in spring because the tree doesn’t need the extra stress during growth.

Avoid cutting mature branches but rather remove 1-2-year-old branches every year. Do not cut more than a third of the tree in one year, otherwise, it can die. Always use a sharp and sterile tool.

Problems

The reason why Yoshino dies can be either diseases or pests. Among the diseases, root rot is the most dangerous, as I mentioned earlier. The symptoms of root rot are yellowing of the leaves from the bottom. To avoid root rot, use well-drained soil and do not overwater the plant.

The second type of disease is fungal leaf disease. Symptoms are brown spots on the leaves. To avoid this, do not plant Yoshino too close to buildings and other trees, the air must move freely around the tree. If spots appear, spray the leaves with an aqueous fungicide solution.

Pests are also a serious problem for cherry blossoms. Their activities can cause the leaves to curl or turn yellow. To get rid of most of the insects you need to spray the tree with an aqueous solution of neem oil.

Fertilizer

The best fertilizer for Yoshino is a balanced fertilizer, for example with the formula 10-10-10. This means that the product should contain equal amounts of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. The presence of iron and magnesium in the fertilizer will also be an advantage.

The best time to fertilize is spring. If you use a slow-release fertilizer, a single application in early spring will provide the tree with nutrients for the whole season. Avoid fertilizing over the winter as this can cause the tree to grow young branches that will not survive the frost.

Yoshino Cherry Tree Pros And Cons

Yoshino Cherry Tree vs Okame Cherry Tree

The most noticeable difference between the Yoshino Cherry Tree and the Okame Cherry Tree is the flowering. Okame has deep pink flowers with an almost red center of the flower. Yoshino on the other hand has light pink flowers that can sometimes be white. In terms of appearance, Okame is more decorative because it has a more interesting color.

Okame also grows a little slower than Yoshino, its annual growth is about 1 foot. Whereas Yoshino can grow up to 2 feet a year.

Otherwise, they are similar, both need at least 4 hours of direct sunlight to bloom beautifully. They tolerate the U.S. climate well and require little or no care once established.

Yoshino Cherry Tree vs Dogwood

The main difference between the Yoshino Cherry Tree and the Dogwood is the flowers. Dogwood has larger flowers with 4 petals which can be white, pink, or even red depending on the variety. Yoshino on the other hand has a whitish pink color and the flower has 5 petals. Some Dogwood varieties are much more decorative than Yoshino.

Dogwood is also a more compact tree, usually not exceeding 25 feet in height and width. At the same time, Yoshino can easily exceed 25 feet in height or more after many years of cultivation.

These plants also differ in their foliage. Dogwood has larger, rounded leaves. Yoshino leaves are narrower and not as big.

Yoshino Cherry Tree vs Autumn Cherry Tree

Yoshino Cherry Tree differs from Autumn Cherry Tree in the number of petals in the flower. The Yoshino flower has five petals that are white or pinkish-white. The Autumn Cherry Tree has 10 petals per flower, resulting in a much prettier looking tree than its competitor and this despite the fact that the petal color is almost the same.

In other aspects, these trees are very similar. They have excellent hardiness and can reach 25 feet in both height and width. They can also tolerate full sun all day and do not need additional maintenance.

Akebono Cherry Tree vs Yoshino Cherry Tree

Akebono Cherry Tree and Yoshino Cherry Tree differ in color. Akebono Cherry Tree has a rich pink color of flowers sometimes even with a crimson hue. At the same time, Yoshino has light pink flowers, in some cases, the flowers may even be white. As a consequence, Akebono has a more spectacular appearance in early spring.

Akebono is also a bit more resistant to diseases and pests. Whereas Yoshino can sometimes be prone to leaf spot.

The size and growth rate of both varieties are about the same. They also grow well in almost all of the United States.