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Flowering Plum After Hard Freeze: Scratch Test for Life

35-year-old flowering plum in West TX froze at -6°F in Jan. Bloomed April, now leaves fallen, remaining brittle/dry/pitted, branches snap by hand.

Check for Life

Scrape bark on upper outer twigs: green = alive, brown = dead. Work down toward trunk. If any green, prune dead wood or wait for leaf-out. But description suggests tree is dead.

Plant Diseases: Ornamental Plum Chlorosis: Iron Deficiency or Soil Problem?; Flowering Cherry Decline: Scratch Test for Life and Pruning Strategy; Black Knot Disease on Flowering Plum: Pruning and Prevention; Flowering Plum Peachtree Borer: Comprehensive Pest Management Guide; Flowering Plum Sudden Defoliation: Overwatering Root Rot Risk; Flowering Plum Pale Leaves and Trunk Swelling: Fertilizer Response and Wait-and-See; Flowering Plum Black Knot: Identification and Control; Flowering Plum Died After Sucker Pruning: Regrow from Base; Finding a Dwarf Flowering Plum for Oregon; Flowering Plum Tree Guide: Varieties, Care, and Pruning

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