Hi all, I was originally worried this Hogyoku had suffered sunburn damage after I moved it from it's spot of one-year with relative shade on its branches (large delphiniums) to an open, exposed southern site that is pretty wet in the winter time. In fact, you can even see the puddle that stands for half-a-day after it has rained hard right behind it. It's gonna die, isn't it? =( I thought it was sunburn, now I'm worried it's sometehing more sinister. Is there anything I can do? It does look like it's gonna leaf out as the bud's are swelling, but I don't know about the long term. Toby
I'm afraid I agree with that sentiment The good news is that you get to go out and buy a new tree which you will then plant in a much more suitable position with proper drainage :)
It sure looks pretty bad.......but I wouldn't give up all hope of a ressurection just yet, it depends how far around the trunk the bark damage has spread, and whether the damage has stopped expanding and starts to consolidate. It is difficult to tell how bad the damage is from a single picture. It might be a slim chance, but I believe your maple still has a chance, assuming the bark is sound at least 60% of the way around the trunk. Swelling buds are good news obviously. I would suggest digging up the tree (it sounds like it has only been there a year or so and will therefore be easy to move) and moving it to an area that is well drained and where strong sunlight does not shine on the trunk. At this moment all you have to lose is the time you spend moving it. If you leave the maple there, it will definitely die due to the waterlogged ground in winter, and if it dies, you are going to have to remove it anyway, so you may as well move it now and put it somewhere out of the way where it will have a chance of recovery, however slim. Here are a couple of photographs of Japanese maples that suffered similar, if less extensive bark damage several years ago, but seem to be growing perfectly healthily at present, some 4 or 5 years later: I never found out what the original cause of the damage was.
Ah Maf ... live in hope and die in dispair :) You are going to spoil poor Tobin's chance to get him/herself a lovely new healthy tree :) Fancy a little wager on whether or not that tree survives?
Hope springs eternal! I'd need to take a look at the roots first before engaging in any wager ;) If the woody roots are dead and rotting the tree has no chance, if they are (mostly) healthy then there is a chance.
Well I won't bet either, but there does appear to be some lipping of clean wood on the left hand side of the wound, always a positive sign. If the cambium is clean around where we can't see, it's certainly in with a chance. I would also move it, maybe into a pot so I could really monitor drainage. Indeed, if it dies it will need to come out anyway, so there's no loss.
Alright fella's, we'll give this a shot. I've just entered my 30's so if there's one thing I can do it's dig a tree out. I'll take a few snaps of the root ball if there's anything worth photographing. Maf, I'll also take a few shots of the other side of the trunk, which is quite a bit healthier looking than my first photo. I would say about 60-70% of the bark is intact still. I have several very large black-plastic containers and some high quality potting soil for the job, too. I've got a wood fence with an unobstructed East-facing view for placement, how's that sound?
Sounds good. Mix some grit/bark/perlite/whatever into the potting soil to increase drainage further. Let us know how you get on.
