That's the way it looks now?? How about a 3/4's dead Japanese maple? Truly, this tree is on its way out - save your money. Even at only $20, it's a lost cause.

btw, identifying specific cultivars of Japanese maples is very much an art form and a skill acquired after many, many years and is best left to a handful of JM authorities. And even they often have difficulties correctly ID'ing any but the most obvious cultivars. Most are too alike for anyone to do more than speculate.

And FWIW, most reputable nurseries will have their trees properly labeled as to correct cultivar to the best of their ability or identified as a seedling - just the species Acer palmatum. Selling unknown JM's or those in the above condition is not the sign of a nursery I would care to patronize. Just saying ......:-)

Has it been left in that bag all summer? Crikey!

Yes agreed. It's worth a try at $20. A healthy tree that size, usually would be well in excess of $200 wouldn't it?

The decay on the burlap, the weeds, all say its been there longer than just this year. The only viable roots may be growing through the bottom of the ball. I fear that when moved it may lose the only viable roots it has.

tj

I found out that they are Emperor I Japanese Maples.

For $20 I would plant it and see how it does next year.

There is an awful lot of deadwood in there........removing it would reduce the tree by about half. And very little foliage remaining. So nothing really to supply whatever root system is constricted by the burlap, if many viable roots remain. I agree with tj that it has been sitting around the nursery like that for much longer than a single season. Sure, you can blow the $20 on the tree but I seriously doubt what chance it has for survival. btw, Emperor I is a pretty commonplace selection of JM, sold even by the box stores. You can get a very decent one here for well under $150.00 and small but very healthy ones at better area nurseries for not much more than you are prepared to pay for one that is more dead than alive!

I'd think the nursery would pay you $20 to get rid of it.

Those prices seem unnaturally high. Even on the west coast with our overall higher prices on nursery stock, you would never find a 4' JM priced that high........unless it was a weeping laceleaf with a good number of years on it. I know of 3G Emps (3-4' tall) going for $60 bucks not far from you........I think you need to do more looking :-))

btw, you are not saving a "beautiful tree" but one that is nearly dead and needs a great deal of its current structure removed. It is not going to be very beautiful after that happens and even then, may still (probably) not survive. But your choice on how you spend your money.

A good part of a Japanese maple's beauty is the branching structure. After everything is sorted out on yours, that structure will be ruined. You may be able to save it, but it will be a shadow of it's formal self and what it could have become.

At twenty bucks it's a good learning example.

with that size and price, keep it well watered, not wet for 2 years at least. See what happens. If it lives, you get a full sized tree, even with die off.

Judging from the photos the branches to me look alive. Keep us posted next year on the tree's progress.

Anything that is a gray color or slivery gray is dead. And there is a lot of that showing - about half of what I can see from the photos. And I would want to see any bud formation on the darker wood - if buds not present now, then no possibility of leaf formation in spring :-( And with little leaf development, it will be very difficult for the tree to push out new roots and establish properly. One supplies the energy for the other.

Just want you to be aware of what you are in for.........

The red branches look alive. If you want to be positive that the branch is alive or dead then scratch away part of the surface of the branch either with your finger nail or a knife. If there is green underneath then it is alive. If there's no green then it is dead.

So here are updated pictures. New leaf buds are growing. I scratch the bark and it is green under. I just need it to survive winter in zone 7 and I believe the tree will be okay. Again thanks for all the wonderful

Cool tree. As a layer of protection I would add either mulch or leaves over the root ball to protect it during the winter.

Good pickup. I think it'll survive the winter....if not, well it was only 20 bucks right? Worth the gamble IMO..good luck.

It should not be budding this time of year, and is probably doing so in response to severe stress. All of those dead branches indicate that it probably has Verticillium Wilt, a fungal disease which is often fatal.

I don't think it has Verticillium Wilt. I believe it just partially dried out sitting above ground in the nursery yard. The only thing that kept it alive it was that it received an occasional sprinkling of water and it managed to send a few roots down into the gravel and soil. The top drew water faster than the small rootball could supply it even though for the most part the rootball was moist. Look at the large green weeds growing out of the burlap. They have been there for quite some time. The tree is salvageable, but it will be a long time before it will look presentable.......if ever. Being alive and looking good can be two different things. Japanese maples are tougher than most people realize.