So we planted these cherry bushes (yes they are bushes not trees) and even though the cerries are starting to come in the leaves are dying.
We are watering every other day for 30 minutes. our soil is pretty poor around here so we added a few shovels full of organic dirt from home depot and a shovel full of rabbit poo.
Any ideas what is going on with our plants? and more importantly how do we fix it?
These are suffering from drought, same as your lilac bushes. At minimum, one inch of water per week, all at once, is what your shrubs need. You can use the trickle method or a sprinkler to deliver the water - if you use a sprinkler, then that's typically one-half to one hour of water once per week (depends on sprinkler type), but this is also dependent on your drainage. If you have sandy soil, then do this at least twice per week. You should also add an organic mulch to the soil around the shrubs to help retain water and to increase your soil's health.
If you're unsure how much water your sprinkler is putting out, a good test is to find a layer cake pan or pie plate (available from thrift stores, if they're open in your area) and place the pan/plate near the shrubs. Run the sprinkler for half an hour, then measure the water in the pan/plate. When it gets to an inch deep, you'll have your answer as to how long to water. :)
Also - what is your soil's pH? Cherries are pretty forgiving of pH, requiring anything in the 6.5 - 8.0 range, but I know that some parts of Utah can have a pretty high pH (up to 9+), but am not sure what a normal pH in Salt Lake City should be.
