I have a japanese maple (green) and this year the leaves fell off early spring--never had leaves this year--they all dried up. And the bark is all peeling from the tree. CAn someone tell me what I may do to help repair tree if possible? thank you
repair? hmm, it's somewhat difficult to assess the condition of your maple but based upon what you wrote about it, you might want to remove any loose bark, sand it with 400grit, apply a thin coat of lacquer and install small hooks to hang earrings on.
I guess Elmore is telling you that your tree is dead. If it has not had leaves all season that seems likely. Looks like you will have to replace the tree. You should consider what might have caused it to die. Take a look at your growing conditions and the requirements of maples before replanting to ensure success with your next tree.
Well, I guess, yeah -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is a distinct possibility that the plant is dead. It may be planted too deep and may have compartmentalized, the top may be dead but the lower portion of the plant may still have some life in it. If so, I recommend, before turning your tree into a handy and attractive method of displaying your fashion accessories, digging it up, observing the root condition and replanting at a higher depth. Here is what I have previously posted in regard to planting a Japanese Maple: I think the number one reason that recently planted Japanese Maples go into decline is because they were planted too deeply or the grade has changed and the roots are therefore too deep. This may not be the reason for your maple's woes but please consider the following. Check the planting depth All too often people plant their Japanese Maples too deep. Check and be sure that the top most roots, coming off of the trunk (the crown), is not covered with more than about 1/4 inch of soil. If it is too deep replant it higher. If drainage is not good in this location replant it higher. Planting Maple Dig a wide, shallow planting hole. Do not amend the soil, use indigenous soil. Gently remove tree from container and lightly disrupt the roots that were in contact with the pot, comb them with your fingers. Make sure that there are no roots circling, if so rearrange them so that they do not continue circling. Firm soil in center of planting hole and place tree on top. Plant at same level or even a little high. Fill hole with indigenous soil. Do not cover the uppermost roots with more than about a quarter inch of soil. Form a watering basin a foot or so around tree. Gently water, thoroughly, until water pools up and almost goes over your watering basin. Let water soak in. Repeat the watering step, over and over again. When you think that it has been thoroughly watered, re-adjust your soil surface around your tree, smooth it out and add more if needed. Repeat this a few times. When you and your tree are satisfied, mulch entire planting area with about 3" of mulch (I prefer pine straw) keeping the mulch about 3" from trunk of tree. Water again thoroughly. As far as fertilizer goes, hold off the first year but if you feel you must I would suggest something mild and organic like Espoma. You will never make much money planting this way commercially but you will have a well planted tree.
My experience with planting depth A few years back I started a couple of hundred Acer palmatum f. atropupureum. I planted one that showed a deep purple/red color. I moved it twice before deciding on a permanent site. After permanently siting this maple it seemed to grow well the first year. During the second season at this site the tree appeared to be in decline. As spring turned to summer it began to die back. In the second season it recovered some and all looked well. Once again, as spring moved to summer the tree looked like it was going to fold it's hand so I took a closer look and discovered that the root crown was 2-3 inches too deep. I got my spade and popped it out of the ground, reconfigured the planting hole and re-set the tree about 4-5 inches higher. It has since been doing well, aside from Japanese Beetle damage. Here are a couple of pictures of this tree a couple of years after this re-setting. Notice the close-up of the trunk. It shows the extent of the compartmentalization of this tree. Due to being planted too deep, about 3.5' of the original growth died back to this stump. Also included is a close-up of this tree's leaves and a small 1 gallon plant, grafted from this purple/red Japanese Maple.
