Baby Prunus Mume not entering dormancy, should I be worried?

[moonman1997]

A couple months ago I got a baby Prunus Mume 'Hokkai Bungo' from Brent at EGG, and it still has all its leaves which are still green. The other prunus species I have already dropped their leaves, and I'm getting concerned that I'm not seeing it enter dormancy. I live in SoCal (Ventura County) and we have mild winters, recently temperatures have been dropping into the low 40's F at night. Should I be worried about this tree or is this just a first year thing? Is there a way to encourage/force it into dormancy like defoliation?

 

[Dav4]

I wouldn't worry as there's nothing to do, really. The tree will drop it's leaves when it's ready, and since you live in such a mild climate, it may hang onto the leaves right until it starts to grow again. Dormancy is triggered by shorter days mainly, but cooler temperatures will help as well. I suppose it's possible your climate doesn't offer enough winter chill hours to complete dormancy... again nothing to do but wait. Fwiw, my Umes moved from GA to MI 3 weeks ago, instantly froze solid and stayed that way for a week before being moved into cold storage... 2 of them still have a few green and hydrated leaves.

 

[sorce]

Pics!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sounds normal, especially in that weather, though if it was cut too much this year, that may account for it, which may not be a sustainable habit.

Sorce