Diagnosis Help: The Dreaded V. Wilt?

Discussion in 'Maples' started by tjcher, Aug 9, 2008.

  1. tjcher

    tjcher Active Member

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    Hi-- I'm hoping this is not what I think it may be, but could really use some expert help in diagnosis. First the facts:
    -- I live in Fort Collins, CO, and there are not many people adventurous enough to plant Japanese Maples here, so everything I'm doing is a little bit of an experiment.
    -- I purchased a beautiful Seiryu a few weeks ago from a reputable nursery for a good price. I do not believe they would sell me a diseased tree, but considering point 1 above... My guess is that it is approximately 4 years old.
    -- It seems a good bet that the tree was not babied at the nursery like most of us will baby our trees, as there were lots of dead twigs, etc.. that I pruned out when I got it home, but nothing out of the ordinary
    -- I have noticed the occasional dead leaf, but it seems to generally, overall be doing very well. It is very lush, lots of green, etc..
    -- Upon closer inspection I've notice the things in the photos linked here:
    http://gallery.me.com/tjchermack#100071

    -- The tree has now been in the ground about two weeks. I also need to tell you that some branches were cut off at the nursery and they told me it was dieback from last winter.
    -- Finally, I watered it heavily when I planted it (we have clay soil, so I followed all of the proper soil amending instructions, etc.., and I have a few other Japanese Maples that do not show these things I am worried about) and we have oddly got a lot of rain recently.

    I know the symptoms of overwatering can look like V. Wilt, and I know the tree is newly planted, but I'd really appreciate the perspective of a trained eye on this. Better to catch it early, if possible, right?
    Thanks so much
    Tom
     
  2. kaspian

    kaspian Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Maine coast, USA, zone 5
    tjcher -- I'm the farthest thing from an expert, but to me this doesn't look so bad. Simple overwatering, as you suggest, coupled with the stress of summer planting in the Southwest, could explain what you're seeing, I should think. Probably the only thing to do is wait and see what happens. (As I understand it, there is no effective treatment for V wilt.) Does the nursery provide any kind of guarantee?

    BTW, I love the interface of your MobileMe gallery. This is the first time I've seen one. Apple is so good at this kind of thing. Did you upload the pics from your iPhone?
     
  3. tjcher

    tjcher Active Member

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    Hi Kaspian--- Thanks for your advice. I seem to have resolved the issue by giving the tree a good soaking. Funny. Turns out, that even with all the rain we've had lately, the root ball was not moist enough. This seems to have made the tree happier, although I did take some leaf and twig samples to the extension service here for testing. I will post results here as soon as I hear anything..
    Tom
     
  4. tjcher

    tjcher Active Member

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    Also, yes, the MobleMe (new version of .mac) is very sweet when it works. There have been numerous bugs, but in this instance, I was able to upload photos directly from my iPhone. I hope they get everything fixed soon....
    Tom
     

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