Dying Red Dragon Japanese Maple
zkathy z7a NC
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
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zkathy z7a NC
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Dying Japanese Maple?
Comments (1)Doubt if they're scale insects. For one thing, they wouldn't be on the inside of dead bark. And even if they are scale, they didn't come from the mulch. The bark is likely coming off because the underlying wood died a long time ago. Suggest you have a certified arborist or two come for an on-site evaluation....See MoreJapanese (red dragon) maple turning fall color in June
Comments (1)A picture is needed. It could be new growth. Some varieties have very colorful new leaves. Mike...See MoreEmperor Japanese Maple Dying w/Photos
Comments (11)I definitely agree that it needs water, and a few things to consider: 1) I planted a bloodgood that got hit by high winds -- a random event, but all the leaves looked like yours. This was back in June. The tree has replaced almost all of these with new leaves, so your tree will come back if it gets some water. 2) If your tree is in a windy spot, and it was wind that caused this, you may have to plant / create some kind of windblock 3) I have read that Japanese Maples can struggle with heat reflection, so if your tree is in full sun, all of those rocks under it are reflecting heat. So, if it is in full sun, it may be "cooking" from both sides. 4) In my experience, the best thing to do is leave the leaves as they are. The tree will take care of itself likely next spring and put on fresh leaves. 5) If you scratch the branches lightly with your fingernail, you will probably find that they are green where you scratch. This means your tree is not dead. If you scratch a branch and it is brown, that branch is dead / dying. 6) Finally, you want the original root ball to be consistently moist, but not wet. Don't arbitrarily water it everyday. Stick your finger in the root ball and see if it is at all dry -- if it is at all dry, then water. Overwatering is not good either and while it can be difficult to tell sometimes, you'll get the hang of it. Good luck...See Moreneed help with Japanese Maple Red Dragon
Comments (6)I agree - there's really no good reason to bare root deciduous material while it's in leaf unless you plan on a hard pruning and some aftercare that includes an environment where you can keep humidity high, and are going to repot into a highly aerated soil that optimizes root function. It's not worth the risk ...... and, if you do bare root and don't prune the tree hard, and the roots can't keep up with the water demands of the top, the tree will use it's own chemical messenger system to determine which branches it wants to shed - you'll have no say in the matter and there's a good chance you'll lose branches that detract from the eye appeal of your tree. I overwinter lots of maples and other deciduous material hardy to zones as high as 8 in my attached/unheated garage. I toss a little snow on the soil every month or so to keep the soil from drying completely and all is well. One problem with the garage over-wintering is a flush of growth that's ahead of the tree's counterparts in the landscape by several weeks. I would plant it in spring while it is still fully quiescent, AFTER removing enough soil to allow you to correct all root problems. Make sure you eliminate encircling, girdling, j-hooked roots as well as any roots growing upward or back toward the center of the root mass when you plant. Once a tree becomes root bound to the point that the root/soil mass can be lifted from the container intact, there is virtually a 100% chance that the tree will always be limited by those root issues unless you correct them. If done while dormant, your tree will tolerate removal of up to 75% of it's roots with no complications. Here's a maple repot of a tree I acquired by layering the top off another tree: You can see I removed at least 90% of the roots at the first hint of spring budswell, and you can see the wire tourniquet I used in the layering. The tree is eventually going to be a bonsai, so I drilled through the cambium in 7 places and filled the holes with rooting gel so I would get horizontal and perfectly spaced roots, which is an extremely important characteristic of quality (bonsai) trees. Same tree this spring immediately after a trunk chop to build taper, and a few days ago. The foil is holding sphagnum moss over the wound so it heals much faster. I offered the pics and added conversation so you could see I have a pretty good working knowledge of how trees behave and wouldn't be quite so hesitant to follow the advice. Grove/clump style Mother/daughter style Best luck! ~ Al...See Morezkathy z7a NC
7 years agozkathy z7a NC
7 years agostuartlawrence (7b L.I. NY)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agozkathy z7a NC thanked stuartlawrence (7b L.I. NY)zkathy z7a NC
7 years ago
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