QuestionWe are in a severe drought here in Central North Carolina. My garden is approximately 6 years old. My trees range in age from new to 6. My 6 year old maple and a 2 year old cherry dropped all their leaves. The cherry was definitely dead (cracked completely in two at the bottom when I leaned on it!). The maple is horrible. Looks like winter. All the branches snap. I guess I can assume its dead. Right or wrong. My other 7 cherry trees, maples and plums are fine. Does it sound like just a heat thing? Thanks.
AnswerIt sounds like a drought problem. I would check the tree and see if it is still alive--start at the top and scrape a small bit of bark off the branch end--if the color under the bark is green the branch is still alive at this point on the branch. If the color is brown not green then the branch is dead at this point on the branch. If nit green continue down the branch scraping the bark at intervals until you find green. If no green check other branches the same way. Maples will drop their leaves during droughts but still are alive. If you find green prune the dead branches off and the tree should leaf out next spring.
