Some branches have not been leaving for 2 years [ and getting worse]. There is some "sprouts " at the bottom of the trunk. There also seems to be some "sores" on the trunk.
please send more information's (and pics if possible)like :name of cultivar or description,exposition.,maple is in pot or in soil?,watering method etc.etc.
It is in the ground. Have not watered ever as it is well established and gets what has appeared to be enough rain [ until something was noticed last year]. Will see if I can get pictures. Thanks.
Hello Barbara, I'm sure you're right not to water this well established tree. I think what Alex is getting at is that Japanese Maples like well-drained soil with constant humidity. They hate getting their roots water logged. If the area is not draining freely or water has built up because of too much rain, that could cause the effect you're seeing (including the "sores" on the trunk.) The "sprouts" are probably what we call "emergency buds." If the top branches are dead (sounds like it) the tree needs to put out more leaves to nourish the roots. You need to get rid of the dead wood. Check that the branches are dead by scratching: if it's green under the bark they're alive, leave them; but if it's brown cut them back. Get rid of dead wood, make sure the soil drains, let the buds make leaves, and hopefully your tree will be OK. -E
Thanks. I have pictures on my email for alex66 but do not know how to put onto the site here. Would it make sense for me to send them to the 2 of you via regular email.
Barbara, It's better to attach them, that way you can hear lots of conflicting opinions. :) If you don't figure it out, send them to me and I'll try to get them posted. -E
Yikes. These directions are quite confusing to me as I do not do these "fancy" things ont he computer. May you send your email address and I will send that way and you can put onto the site here if you can.
You can ignore all the directions and watch the video -- only difference is using the Post Reply button instead of New Thread
Hi Daniel, Laughing out loud here. You cannot imagine how I cannot tell at all what is happening here on the video. :(
I do not know. I had my husband take the pictures this morning and he took to the office and sent them to me in an email.
Barbara, When you reply to a message here on the board, you will see a button towards the bottom called "Manage Attachments". This is used to put the pictures in your message. So, based on what I know so far... 1.) From the e-mail your husband sent, save the attached pictures to your computer. This will put them in a folder, probably "my documents". 2.) Reply to this thread and then click the "Manage Attachments" button. A new window will appear. At the top, it allows you to search for the picture you want to include. 3.) Click the "Browse" button near the top and you will get a screen that will allow you to look for the file you want. When you find it, just click it and then click the "Open" button. This will take you back to the "Manage Attachments" screen. You should see the file you chose listed. 4.) Now click the "Upload" button. A little progress meter will show at the bottom of the screen, and you will be notified when it is finished. You can repeat these steps if you want to post multiple pictures. 5.) When all is done, close the "Manage Attachments" window and send your message! Hope this helps!
Thanks ! I appreciate all this. Before I received your instructions one of the other people gave me an email address and I send them to him. He says he will post on this tomorrow.
I'm still up looking for some papers. So here are Barbara's pictures. Looking at them now it is clear there is significant dieback. Doesn't look like a water problem at first blush to me... Any sign of root eating critters like vine weevils? Only other thing I can think of is that the evergreens around have grown up and are competing for moisture. But it is true that sometimes, sadly, these trees are fragile and have problems for reasons that will always remain obscure. I'm sorry to be it looks like cutting is required, and it was a lovely shape. Perhaps others will comment. -E
I'm afraid I would have to cut this one down. Or move it to someplace obscure for the umpteen years it will take to recover its shape...
YES! If there are leaves or viable buds, I would leave that branch. You can test the buds by scratching them, starting at the branch tip, then working your way down the branch toward the trunk. When you pop off a bud that is greenish - STOP! Then cut the branch off just above the next set of buds towards the trunk. Simply because the tree is obviously stressed, I would prune only this way - so very little healthy wood is cut. Chopping off huge hunks of the tree, if they are still alive, will only further stress the poor thing. This type of pruning may take a while and may not leave a very attractive plant, but it will be the easiest for the tree to endure, should you want to save it and not scrap it and start over. This prune will ensure you saved as much of the living tree as possible. The trunk looks like it has great caliper, so personally, I would try to save it. If you are worried about it being sad in the landscape - then I agree with K4 - you might want to dig it up and put it in a pot for a while. Just MAKE SURE it drains well! :) Good luck!
The die back and dead wood on this tree is painfully obvious Can I suggest that you remove totally ALL of the dead wood and die back and then post another picture of the tree so that we can have an uncluttered view of it at that stage?
Thanks. Will do this asap. [ The guy that will do this for me just went into the hospital last week. ]
