Australian Brush Cherry

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Mame
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Location
Euclid Ohio
USDA Zone
5b
I picked up a Brush Cherry recently. My plan is to keep it alive till spring. Then repot and let it do its thing this summer,hopefully flower. Then this winter see where I’m at. Any wiring will be done at that time. Is defoliating an option,to check out branch structure. Thanks for your time.
 

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Nice tree.

Based on my experience (hot summer with occasional rainfall, mild and dry winter), give it a nice hair cut. And water daily (natural habitat is rainforest-y). It will back bud from everywhere.

Once the budding starts, let a few of the lower shoots grow out to thicken the base (I see a little sucker growing out near your soil line, that one is perfect).

Keep the lower shoots long and keep trimming the upper branches. Dont worry. It wont die. This will promote ramification, decrease leaf size, and thicken the base at the same time. If you dont trim the top, you'll quickly end up with long, thin, ugly branches with dead twigs and leaves everywhere.

Wire branches when they start hardening, else you'll have branches that reach upwards, and look awkwardly semi-circular when you try to bring them down. Wire carefully, even a bit loosely, bark can basically rub off on these. Check for wire bite every 2 months, though in optimal conditions, scarring will basically disappear in a year due to it's ridiculous fast growing habit.

It's not eally cold hardy. Indoors in winter if temps drop close to or below freezing. Outdoors in full sun in summer. Water every 2-4 days in winter.
 
Thank you for your advice. Is re-pot in spring still a viable option.
 
I'd wait until summer, when it's outside growing strongly.
 
Thank you for your advice. New at this and gathering as much info as I can.
 
Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce
 
Summer is definitely better for interfering with roots of many Australian plants and many tropicals. Root pruning when the weather is cool will set them back a lot and can even kill these trees.
You can cut back our brush cherry as hard as you like and it will sprout all over the bare branches and trunk. i have not actually tried traditional defoliation but given the way these back bud I'd say defoliation should be no problem. Maybe wait a while until weather is a bit warmer for quicker response to defoliation.
 
It’s cute.
I have 2 that started as fairy garden plants.
They are doing well under grow lights.
 
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