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Japanese maple trunk issues....doomed?

teeka0801(7aNoVa)

5 years ago

here is a JM that has been in the ground for longer than we've been in this house...

I just got rid of a bunch of dead branches and really had never looked up close at the trunk. There used to be a lot of bushy shrubs on (now) the most visible side. Will this JM survive? Should I continue to care for it, or pull it out?

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

5 years ago

That damage has been in place for sometime. If you press your thumb in the depression is it soft and mushy or hard and firm? If firm, the tree has already compartmentalized and sealed off the wound and here is nothing more that needs to be done - it can live for decades like that.

I would wait to see how the tree leafs out in spring before I'd decide to do anything. If it leafs out as normal, then you are good to go and can enjoy your tree. I would NOT recommend pruning off below the damaged portion. All that will do is leave you with an awkward looking stump that may or may not generate some new growth. And depending how the cut relates to the graft, whatever new growth that may appear might not bear any resemblence to your current tree.

If conditions warrant, remove the entire thing....do not just cut it back!

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
interior rot ... it will fail in tree time ... which might be decades from now .... there is nothing to do about it ...

except perhaps cut it just blow the damage ... i cant quite tell where the damage is.... with no insult to the root mass ... you might be surprised how fast this MAPLE will regrow .. and all you need do.. is selectively prune it to one trunk .. or however you want ... the only issue here might be if you cut below the graft.. if there is any ... you dont say if this is some prime specimen ....

its up to you.. if you need the space ... and just dont want to watch the process ... just be done with it ....

ken
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
i have a red flowering chestnut.. that has had a similar.. though larger .. wound for 15 years now .... tree time as i call it ...

the vascular system of the tree is the cambian layer .. which is just under unaffected bark ... so in theory.. the tree can live a long time ... interior wood is ... simply put.. the structure that holds the tree up ....

what i figure is that... especially on my 15 foot tree ... is that as the tree gets bigger every year.. eventually ... probably in some wind storm ... the STRUCTURE of the tree is just going to collapse.. there just wont be the interior structure to hold it up .... especially when the wind blows ... and its leafed out ...

the only reason to cut it down .. is to watch how it might respond ... thats how most of us.. had to learn.. before the WWW ... part of the learning curve.. you might say... but i have 5 acres.. and lots of space for this type of experiments .... most people dont have spare space ...

frankly.. its all down to whether its bugging the beegeebees out of you .. and whether you would be better off putting it out of your misery .... its not like its hanging over your bedroom.. and going to crush you in your sleep some night ...

ken
Embothrium
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Actually the heartwood of trees is also living and carrying out functions until and unless something happens to kill it.
teeka0801(7aNoVa)
Original Author
5 years ago
here is a better picture to see how far from the ground it is. I did touch it and it is hard as a rock, not soft at all. Is that dark/black/brown spot on trunk at the top of the picture indicative of anything?
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
If hard as a rock, the tree is fine and will be so for many years to come. Just leave it be!!!

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