Looking for insight... I purchased a beni maiko two seasons ago; it was planted in the fall of 2010 - I live in Michigan. In 2011, she came in beautifully, but noticed some dead branches. This year, she looks to be in bad shape - a few sparse leaves, some sprouting randomly on branches and from the trunk, and a good deal of bare gray bark. We had an odd winter/spring transition this year with temps in the 80s in March followed by a few nights of frost - so a number of acers in our area are not performing as they should at the moment. Aside from the weather conditions the dead branches indicate a worsen condition. I scratched the bark in various areas and noticed some branches had green undertones and were pliable - but the majority of the tree appears to be dead. I read folks have pruned these trees so I gave it a go, and was also advised to remove the leaf sprouts from the trunk. I am not sure what is happening to it and I want to save it. I've read sites that talk about exposing root flare, and ensuring proper drainage. The soil in our area is rich with clay, so this might be a contributing factor. I'm worried if I dig it up and attempt to condition the soil it will cause more stress to the tree. Has anyone had a similar experience and been able to save their tree? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
I took a few pics of my tree - see attached. Read a thread a few minutes ago about "tight bark" - wondering if my tree has it. I'm not sure if it is a bacteria, a fungus or soggy roots. I stripped some bark back from the dead branches I trimmed yesterday and didn't see any brown or green rings, but I'm not sure if that is the only indicator either.
Hi Kujo22, I am sorry for your tree. Each garden is different and local conditions cannot easily be extrapolated. I have many maples in my garden and, yearly, I lose between 10 and 20 to multiple causes. All I can say in this case is that when one of my maples shows the symptoms of yours, it never recovers. You may, of course, wait another month or two to see whether the few leaves remaining stay alive or if new leaves come out. Gomero
Gomero, Thanks so much responding. Based on the symptoms do you have an idea of what the tree may have? Although I'm heart broken by this experience I want to learn from it, whether it be identifying patterns/symptoms in the next tree, or preparing the soil more thoroughly. I'm concerned if it is a fungus, and I replace the tree at some point, do I need to "cleanse" soil? I'd like to place a new tree in the same vicinity as the Maiko, but if the soil can become contaminated, as I've read in other threads, I'll need to consider treating, avoiding it, or planting a different species there. Any ideas? And, thanks again!
Let's agree on the symptoms we are talking about: The tree does not show a lot of die-back and the twigs are not throughout blackened. The buds look healthy and start to swell but none or only a few leaves form and those that form are smaller than normal. To me this indicates a problem with the roots, they are not capable of feeding the tree to go on leafing. The leaves that form use the reserves that are stored in the trunk. The roots could be dead for many reasons: water rot, cold, bugs eating them, verticillium clogging from last season,..... Sometimes several factors are acting together. For instance you may have had a very wet Fall with water logging that killed most of the roots then, followed by a very cold winter which finished the job and you noticed the results only in the Spring. It is true that, in some cases and depending upon the cause at play, some trees are capable of forming new feeder roots from old woody parts not affected, and go on for a fresh start (albeit losing a significant amount of branches, those new tiny roots cannot feed all the old growth!) Gomero
Gomero, Thanks again for the great insight!! This brings me a little bit of hope perhaps prematurely, but do you think it is worth digging up the tree, examining the roots to see if it can be salvaged then attempt to replant? What might I look for in the root system to identify verticillium?
It is hard for me to give advice at a distance. If it is sitting in a pool of water then, yes, dig it up. Otherwise you are taking risks digging it in case the tree is struggling to grow new roots. If I were in your situation I would tend not do it (except if sitting in water). Gomero
