Background: On Oct 29 Sunday,a freak record-breaking very early snowstorm dropped over a foot of heavy wet snow here in western Massachusetts. Trees still had their leaves, which caught the snow so the weight the trees bore was incredibly heavy...the forest looks splintered, like a tornado swept through.....as if that wasn't enough, the following night, the temp. dropped to 15 dgrs F, barely rose to 24 dgrs F the next day. Now, Tuesday, it's risen to a normal 52 dgrs F daytime, and the weather report says it should continue for awhile. Thank goodness we mulched the day before the storm, so at least the Jpm had that.....They're young, 4-10 yrs.: Will they be in some kind of erratic-weather-shock? Are there signs to watch for? Any thing to do? Maybe Superthrive? Some still have functional-looking leaves, but others' leaves look withered,dead--will being deprived of these last 2-3-4 weeks of food-making, stress them so much they won't make it through the winter...is there some way to give them nourishment that won't provoke growth? A 5 ft. Ruslyn -in-the-pink is bent, but not broken, over like an arch even though the top of the tree is now free from the ground--should I try to gently straighten it up? 4 of them look totally smashed by fallen timber. Is there any way to 're-start' a tree, maybe cut the smashed one to a bud above the graft ?
Yes, you can do this. As long as the roots are healthy it should come back well next year. In fact some people do it deliberately to grow standards with long straight trunks.
Without being there, it's hard to give you specifics on what to do. So I will give some general advice and hope that you find it useful. Temperature is just one of the many factors that play a role in your maples going dormant. Many times they start to prepare themselves in August as the days start to get shorter. In late July and early August I change over to a 0-10-10 fertilizer. The goal is to harden off tender new growth, so that it can stand up to winter winds. It also promotes root growth when the ground is still warm, even though the air temperature is falling. The lack of chlorophyll and trapped glucose is what brings on your fall colors. Food production was starting to slow as the days were getting shorter a couple of months ago and the loss of leaves in late October in zone 5 will not make or break your maples. Any wilted looking leaves can be pruned off, but be sure to leave the leaf stalk. (use sharp pruners or scissors, we need a sharp clean cut) The stalk helps protect the bud underneath and energy is pulled back into the branch from the leaf stalk. (believe it or not, leaf pruning is used in bonsai with Japanese maples during the growing season to developed smaller leaves and enhance fall colors. It's amazing how resilient maples can be, sometimes we do not give them enough credit) Broken or damaged branches should be pruned off (keep in mind maples are slow growing and their form gives them great beauty, think twice and step back before making any cuts). Seal cuts with Elmer’s school glue or wood glue. Never use black tar commonly sold at garden centers. If you have money to spend, you can use bonsai cut sealer, but Elmer’s is a very cost effective choice. The tree that is bent over can be gently moved upright and secured to a stake. Be sure to secure the tree close to the bottom, midsection, and top. If you only secure it at the top, the bent wood will tend to bend back, causing stress on the apex. Make sure no branches are rubbing on the stake, winter winds will cause damage to a rubbing branches. Choose the placement wisely. My experience with super thrive is limited, but it’s my understanding its good for transplant shock. So, I don’t think it’s necessary in this case. Hope you find the above information useful. Take care and best of luck.
Debviolet, sorry to hear about the damage. I have many friends and colleagues in western MA and so have heard a lot first hand about this damaging storm. Some folks just got power back on Thursday... I don't think you need to worry about established (or even poorly established) trees losing the end of the growing season. I have had Japanese Maples that, under stress, lost leaves in the beginning of August; they came back the following spring. I use little or no fertilizer for landscape maples, so personally I wouldn't fertilize now. Best would be to encourage growth with a light treatment in spring after leaf out. Aside from the propping up and cutting off obviously broken branches that JT1 has described, I don't think you need to do much. I've never heard of Elmer's, I assume this is a bonsai technique, interesting. However for me, it is pretty much never a good idea to seal cuts. A proper cut at the branch collar will be isolated as the tree grows; I can't think how glue would help the process! (Sorry JT). I'm don't line up 100% behind everything Dr. Chalker-Scott says, but I'm certainly with her here, as I think is currently prevailing wisdom. http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/horticultural%20myths_files/Myths/Wound%20sealer.pdf
I certainly do not have Ph.D. after my name and I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I agree with the good doctor regarding use of petroleum based sealers, it’s a terrible idea in my mind. I feel you are exactly right about a proper cut. As the doctor states "Callus develops at the edge of the wound and gradually expands towards the center. This wound wood remains for the life of the tree; bark does not regenerate itself the same way our skin does." Trees have been isolating damage long before I came along with my Elmer’s wood glue. Right, wrong, or indifferent; here is the reason I seal the cut in bonsai and have adapted the technique in the landscape: When a branch is cut, it will leave a scar. In a full sized tree it will heal rapidly and it may never be noticed by someone passing by. Since bonsai and Japanese maples grow slower the Callus develops slower. I feel both bonsai and Japanese maples are grown as specimens to be admired and studied. So my goal is to minimize damage caused by a cut, both short term and long term. I always use a sharp tool and choose to sanitize when making cuts on diseased wood or before moving on to a new tree. Depending on the size of the cut, I use a grafting knife to ensure the cut is clean and even. After making the cut I subscribe to the belief that the cambium layer must be sealed to protect against drying winds, water, and frost. If left exposed I believe it may die back further, increasing the size of the wound and delaying the development of callus at the edge of the wound. Since using the sealing method I have found that wounds close quicker and the size of the wound wood is smaller. I prune for tree aesthetics and branch development, and when necessary, for tree health. Regardless of the reason, my goal is to keep the tree healthy and to minimize scaring. Again, right, wrong, or indifferent, this method works for me and I encourage everyone to stick with what works for them. On a less serious note, Peter Adams says to seal the cut in "Bonsai with Japanese Maples" and Peter has never let me down in his teachings :-) I am not trying to start another debate like the one that was going about pot size in the pot bound acer post. I realize there are a lot of theory’s out there and I am not saying the one I buy into is the right one, it's just what works best for me.
