Can my Japanese Maple be saved
nhwhazup12
11 years ago
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nhwhazup12
11 years agonhwhazup12
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Help Save my Japanese Maple! *Pics*
Comments (18)The sunken area at the base appears to be to be canker. Had to remove a Ukigumo JM earlier in the season for this very reason. I have seen allot of this over the last few years. Have seen allot of it on crabapples, Japanese Maples, and other maples. Plants sometimes beat the pathogen, sometimes not. If they are going to beat it, then expect to see callus to form around the edges of the sunken area. Even if the callus forms, it is far from certain. Once the tree goes dormant for the winter, the canker will often gain the upper hand again. However if the callus does not form by end of summer, then from what I have seen, it's almost certainly a matter of time before the tree is killed. As for how your plant became infected, I suspect that a number of low cost and/or large scale producers have gotten very careless over the last 5-10 years. There has been allot of apparent disease increase in allot of other plant groups as well over the same period (Aster Yellows seems to be everywhere anymore, to the point it's getting rather difficult to get disease free coneflowers, saw this Saturday at the largest local nursery). I'm sure part of it is due to producers having a difficult time the last several years, therefore cutting corners, poor training, poor enforcement, less responsible labor, etc. But also Big Box Store has little incentive, as they know Q Public is unlikely to know anything about disease and will be back again next year to buy another one. Arktrees...See MoreSave my Japanese maple tree
Comments (1)Not sure there is a lot you can do for it at this point. JM's are prone to a variety of soil pathogens that can severely damage or even kill the tree. This one looks like it might be dying a slow death :-(( What I would suggest is getting rid of all the rocks - they are not helping and could be hurting the tree. And carefully prune out all the dead wood you see. It will be a pale color, often gray, compared to the dark color of healthy tissue. Dead wood tends to harbor insects and allows an inroad for other disease issues. Then just keep the tree adequately watered - not too much, not too little. Just don't allow the soil to dry completely. And no fertilizer!! If the tree does not respond or seems to get worse, then it's time to contemplate removal. But I would be cautious about replanting with another JM until you can confirm what caused the problem (and that may involve a path lab analysis), as some of these soil pathogens will infect any other susceptible species planted that space. Going forward, you might want to post any other questions you have about Japanese maples on the Maples forum. This one is pretty much inactive and most JM enthusiasts post there....See MoreCan this Japanese Maple be saved?
Comments (2)Thanks Gardengal! I just got similar feedback from the University of Maryland extension folks. They had a plant pathologist look at the photos. Said the black spots and discoloration were just stress cankers on the branches. They are caused by minor damage to the bark that enables a secondary pathogen to get into that area of the tree. No fungicide treatment was recommended. Advised to wait until its warmer when the buds open up and develop, then to prune out any dead stems....See MoreSave Japanese Maple from garden fertilizer
Comments (5)what she said.. but it would be helpful to know the product ... and how you used it ... properly diluted.. etc.... btw ... if you fert your lawn... your tree will NEVER need any further fert ... regardless ... i SUSPECT.. unless you dumped a bag of nitro right next to the tree trunk... there isnt any real problem ... so lets not try to fix something that probably isnt broken .... and if this is one of those snake oil things.... its probably not very strong.. properly diluted ... just dont try to love it to death ... trees simply usually need nothing.. ever ... [beyond proper watering the year or two after planting]... they are not children.. they dont need to be fed.. pampered.. educated.. etc ... ken ps: and if you maple loses its leaves in a month or so.. dont freak out.. lol.. thats what they do in fall ......See Moredefrost49
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