Make sure you wear a protective glove when working with alcohol. Dry gardening hands will really get dry with the alcohol.
I wouldn't worry too much about your redbud. I think these cold winters can affect plants differently. I have lots of blooms this year on some plants but not on others of the same species. Since I don't fertilize, that's not a factor. I had to prune a lot of dead stuff on shrubs last year and they didn't show any regrowth but after a second cold winter, they've put on tons of new growth.
