Through info found on the Oregan State University Extension I've determined that my 3 year old bloodgood j. maple has "bacterial leaf spot & dieback". There are cultural remedies recommended and also copper sprays. Has anyone had success saving such a young tree that has died back by nearly 2/3 now? It's in the ground where it's somewhat sheltered from wind and rain and has good air circulation. Teresa
Hello Teresa, Welcome to this forum. You have made your assessment, based on the information you obtained, and that's fine. Sometimes it is easy to tell what the problem is and sometimes it is very difficult since, for a given problem, symptoms are very variable and only sample analysis from a Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab can give the correct answer. Often several conditions are present simultaneously and symptoms for one may hide another. Even seasoned maple growers often struggle to figure out what the problem is. In my opinion, in 80% of all cases, bacterial (Pseudomonas ssp.) dieback occurs in the spring and mainly starts at the tips of the branches working its way down. That, of course, leaves out 20% of asymptomatic cases. To your question, Has anyone had success saving such a young tree that has died back by nearly 2/3 now?, my answer is yes. I have young trees that have been badly disfigurated by Pseudomonas and have been able to recover and fill the void after 2-3 seasons. Gomero
