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Updates: Can Cherry, Persimmon & Plum Trees Survive Texas Hot Summer 2023?

These are some of the ugliest photos I have ever taken! From June through August, Houston has experienced daytime temperatures of 95 to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I watered the trees every other day but have put a pause on gardening during the summer. Surprisingly, Royal Rainier was the only cherry tree that still pushed out young shoots. Except the Hachiya persimmon tree, which had no damage, the rest had many brown leaves that eventually dropped.

I planted or grafted the sweet cherry, persimmon and plum hybrid trees approximately 6 months ago. You can read more about them from my previous posts below:

Sweet Cherry Trees

Compact Stella cherry tree, dying during the heatwave
Compact Stella cherry tree, dying during the heatwave.


Vandalay cherry tree, leaves dropped near the trunk
Vandalay cherry tree, leaves dropped near the trunk.

 

Royal Rainier cherry tree also had brown leaves
Royal Rainier cherry tree also had brown leaves, but did better than other 2 varieties.

Persimmon Trees

Giant Fuyu persimmon tree had leaf damages
Giant Fuyu persimmon tree had leaf damages and was the same size as in the spring.

Hachiya persimmon tree, no leaf damage
Hachiya persimmon tree, no leaf damage, grew slower in the summer.

Pluot & Pluerry Trees

Flavor Grenade pluot tree, leaves dropped the the trunk
Flavor Grenade pluot tree, leaves dropped near the the trunk, no growth during heatwave.

Flavor King pluot tree, leaves dropped near the the trunk
Flavor King pluot tree, leaves dropped near the the trunk, the most compact out of 3 plum varieties.


Flavor Punch pluerry tree
Flavor Punch pluerry tree, least damage, the biggest out of 3 plum varieties.




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