Autumn Blaze maple rescued from WalMart

9 years ago

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In May of 2005 I rescued an Autumn Blaze maple from the local WalMart.

It was a small (6') containerized tree, and was badly neglected, lying on its side in the parking lot, drying out in the hot sun.

I think I paid $6 for it.

When I got home, I remembered we were leaving for vacation in 2 days, and would be gone for 10 days.

I knew next to nothing about how to plant a tree properly, having never previously done so.

Looking back, I did nearly everything wrong.

I dug a deep hole (about 3 feet) through a surface layer of hardpan clay into the sandy/rocky soil below, and backfilled it part way with rich black soil and organic matter taken from a fenceline populated by old-growth trees and brush. I removed the tree from the container, did not free up the roots, placed it into the hole on top of the backfill soil, backfilled around it to the top of the container soil level (which was about 8" below ground level), supported it with 3 stakes and guy wire, watered it heavily, and left on vacation.

So bottom line:

- the root flare was not exposed (it was below soil level in the container)

- the roots were probably somewhat pot-bound (I don't remember for sure... I didn't know enough to even notice)

- when all was completed, the tree was at the bottom of an 8" deep hole about 2 feet in diameter

For the first 5 or so years, the tree struggled mightily. It developed a bad case a anthracnose, and every year it had a very short growing season before it gave up and just clung to life until the hot summer was over.

Then it finally got over the anthracnose, and for the past 4 years has been growing like a weed. This year, it's still putting out new growth in the middle of July.

It's now about 20 to 25 feet tall, and it puts on quite a display in the fall.

My question is: in view of the improper planting, what are the long-term prospects for this tree, and is there any intervention I should be considering to mitigate the effects of the mistakes I made?

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Comments (7)

tenacre
Original Author
9 years ago
This pic shows the hole where the tree is planted:
j0nd03
9 years ago
I would investigate directly around the trunk to see if adventitious roots have formed. If they have, they may sustain your tree when the potbound mess below fails (and it will eventually). Nothing to do otherwise. If it fails, it was only $6 and can be replaced with a similarly cheap substitute and then planted correctly. A properly planted AB maple will grow at least 2.5-3' per year after a fairly quick establishment period so it will get back up to 20' in only a few years.
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hey dude ... hard name to forget ... "didn't I try to talk you out of that tree a few years back ... lol ..." Yes probably so. Everyone said it was to big for that spot. And I said all the trees in my neighborhood are this big and bigger. "a quick check of the zone info indicates its a 3 to 7 .. and you seem to be zone 9 .... its no wonder you are having problems ..." This is California everything grows here!:) There are thousands of maple tree trees all around and they look great. As mine did just a few weeks ago. I either got behind on the watering or over fertilized around the tree. "how big was the tree when planted [rootball size]... how deep do you figure the roots are ... how much water do you think is actually getting down to the tree roots, before the ambient air and the grass.. suck it all away .... dig a small hole.. and actually see what if any water is 6 inched down ...." 15 Ft. Tall. It came in a very large plastic container. Iv' e been soaking it good yesterday and today. I'm going to clear the grass away around the tree and mulch it. I should have done that a long time ago. "IMHO .. no science here .. all leaves that turn color in late fall .. and even those that dont ... are dead.. and diseased ... that is kinda the whole point of falling off ... its just part of nature .... i would NOT consider any treatment .. organic or not ..." I have seen these Autumn Blaze trees around here and they are a beautiful Red at the end of the year when everything is done right. "is there any impact from the blacktop on the tree ... like the road being on the south or west side.. and cooking it from below... while the sun cooks it from above... maybe that is why only highly hidden leaves perform properly ..." No this is happening all the way around from top to bottom. Just the leaves right on the trunk are perfect. "how long has it been there... is it fully 'established' ... it might be a maturity issue ... i think of trees in terms of hundreds of years.. not along the lines of.. i planted it 2 or 3 years ago ... and it is failing me .... perhaps color will come.. with patience and proper water ....." about 5 years ago I planted it. and mulch and a water meter I should be ok. "every post you have ever done.. is of that little patch of grass ... how about a pic of the rose garden ???" See below. And you can find many of my post over at the Rose Gallery and the GW Fruit and Orchard Forums. "good luck" Thanks to you all for your help! I believe you guys are right. This is not fungus. The ground has felt hard there for a while. I should have known. I think it is a combination of not enough deep watering. The root zone got too dry and than the miracle grow Burt it. I will have to wait till next year for the tree to all turn the Autumn Blaze color. At least you guys help me figure out why this keeps happening around this time every Summer! You would not believe how healthy and Dark Green it looked just a few weeks ago. But we have had a long hot dry Summer here. And we got very little rain in the Spring. And here I thought the tree pretty much found water down there somewhere. I did not realize it would totally dry out down there. Thanks Again All! Dave Here are the roses pics requested. Here is a link to a couple of Thousand more pics if your interested. http://www.fototime.com/inv/F0A2F4D624CDA2A Here is a link that might be useful: My Fototime Album
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Considering you have so many sprouts from below the the first branch set, you can select ANY of the sprouts from the trunk and make that into your new tree. I have had two instances with the same tree of a similar but different situation: I have a red/silver cross (Acer x freemanii) that I dug as a 6" seedling from my grandmother's garden. Planted it into the ground in late October of 2009 to over-winter it safely. A rabbit came during that winter and ate the stem to 1" from the ground. Determined as I was, I dug it up, potted it up and let it sprout last spring. I nubbed off every sprout but the one closest to the cut end, and let that sprout shoot up for the duration of summer 2010. It grew almost to 3' tall. In December 2010, after the little tree had turned the most amazing shades of hot red, we had a 4 day unprecedented snow fall (snow squalls, lake effect snow) the likes of which snapped the stem to 6" from the ground (in a new pot, in the ground again for the winter). As soon as the ground was thawed in March, I lifted the pot and kept it on the deck/patio. Again, the stem was enthusiastic about leafing out, and all the dormant buds were activated. I nubbed them away, only keeping the highest one on the stem. It has grown nearly 2' in the past 6 weeks. The wound has healed over completely and the stem is growing like a weed. Moral of the story: I'm determined to grow this silly weed of a hybrid. Moral 2 of the story: Even when you lose the top of a tree for an uncontrollable reason (weather, animals, etc) you can still succeed. Pick a vigorous stem and cut away all others. This stem will become the new trunk and will grow a considerable amount this summer. Remove the entire dead top to about half an inch from the shoot you will keep. The removal of all others will force all the root energy into one stem. It will hopefully prepare for winter and drop its leaves in October. Your one stem will branch profusely in the spring next year. It will look a little funny (well, a lot funny) but you won't have thrown away a perfectly good plant.
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hairmetal4ever
9 years ago
I could be wrong about this, but I believe that since both Red and Silver maples (the parents of Autumn Blaze - it's a hybrid) are "bottomland" trees, they can tolerate a bit better than most having soil dumped too deeply over their crowns/roots - since that can happen in nature when floodwaters deposit silt and soil over the land.

It may well pull through - IF - as j0nd03 has suggested - adventious roots have formed on the trunk where it was buried.
tenacre
Original Author
9 years ago
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A couple of questions, and a comment.

I'm not exactly sure what "adventitious roots" are. What do they look like and where would they be located?

This tree is located in a high-wind area. This spring and summer especially have had heavy rains and very high winds. This tree takes a licking and keeps on ticking, as straight as ever. There's no evidence at all that it is pulling out of the ground. Would this be evidence that there are indeed "adventitious roots"? Or would the container roots be capable of supporting the tree this well, at its present height and trunk size? Trunk girth is a little over 14 inches (approx 4.5" diameter). Soil is as described in original post.

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
as far as i am concerned.. its a maple...

hit it with the truck ... it wont die ..

adventitious roots sprout to teh advantage of the tree.. in places they arent supposed to ... like above the root flare ...

personally.. i would prune it up.. but that would be to facilitate lawn mowing under... whatever pleases you.. is fine ...

ken
tenacre
Original Author
9 years ago
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I did no pruning for the first 5 years because the tree was struggling and I figured it needed all the leaves it had (since the anthracnose killed many of them off by the end of June).

Then later I discovered that living in a hole with lower branches left intact has certain advantages for a tree out here in the country: The deer and rabbits leave the trunk alone. The deer don't scrape it (perhaps because of the lower branches) , and the rabbits don't chew on it (I'm thinking they don't feel safe down in that hole with limited visibility). Also, sunscald has not been a problem.

I don't mow around it much. It's located in one of my designated "natural" areas where wildflowers grow. I do occasionally mow a path up to it so I can get a closer look to see what's going on now and then.

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
the tree was struggling and I figured it needed all the leaves it had

==>> pure genius.. if i say so myself ... i have quoted you a hundred times .. in the last few years ..... lol ...

at this size ... age ... etc... i think you ought to go find something else to worry about ... this thing is bulletproof ...

i see the clay cracking in the hole... but some peeps say a root mass can be twice as big as the tree ... though in a different form ... so even if the disturbed soil at the trunk is dry ... who cares... its roots are 20 feet in every direction by now.. and it is not suffering for water ... and the pic shows that ... and i think i see some fine lawn out there.. if you fert the lawn.. this will get any and all fert it ever needs.. no need to ever fert this tree again.. in any manner ....

and finally.. nice to see a planting ... with a tree planted far enough from the house.. that it wont crush it ... in the decades to come... its like you really thought this all out.. and acted accordingly ..

in other words .. great job all around ... it so refreshing to see someone who did not plant it 15 inches from the house.. and now wants to know.. if it will effect the foundation .. or on top of the septic field.. etc ... two thumbs up ...

just dont worry about it any more ...

ken

Autumn Blaze maple rescued from WalMart

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Autumn Blaze maple rescued from WalMart

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tenacreOriginal Author

j0nd03

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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