I planted a paperbark maple last May, this spring we had tons of rain !!! but i planted it about 5 inches higher than ground. When my tree leafed out the top 2 feet had buds but turned crispy and never leafed out. Went to the nursery today they said to see if the twigs will easily break off. Which they did, and i ended up cutting off the top 2 feet of my tree. Which was only 9 feet to begin with, but looks healthy now. But will this keep happening when there is a lot of rain ? Is it just because it is a small tree, and it would have done better if it was bigger. Will the tree end up being a lot shorter because i cut the terminal branch. And did i make the right decision cutting the terminal stem, i did not see any green in the terminal branch that i cut off,only brown, so i am guessing it was completely dead. I took measurements today to see how it responds. Do i need to tar the cut on the terminal stem or just leave it ? Zone 6.
Hello, I'll try to give my opinion (FWIW!) on your questions. - Unless your tree is very badly drained, this shouldn't repeat. Maybe it wasn't even due to the rain, cause of die back is awfully hard to identify exactly. - Acer griseum is a very tough tree, so long as it has drainage it should be fine with a lot of rain. We used to get a lot of rain in Normandie, and my drainage is strictly so-so or worse, but my paperbark has never suffered. - That's a pretty big paperbark to plant already, I don't think a larger size would have made any difference. Might have been worse, and then you'd have spent even more for a mediocre result. - The tree will spread but continue to put on height. If you want you could train a new upright shoot as the central leader. - Do not treat the cut with anything, just let it dry naturally. - AFAICT from your post you were right to cut out the dead wood. HTH -E
jeepers Emery has started to talk in initials I don't understand half of what he has said I still speak and understand plain English BUT ... hopefully your tree will be fine :)
Sam :)) HTH!!! hope this help ;)... http://www.mucia.org/vocabolario/A/elenco_completo.htm ....acer griseum is easy to dead,in my garden only after 3 i have one that live..several prune and good luck
LOL Alex Emery had already pointed me in that direction Guess I am just too old to start to learn a new language :)
I planted mine as a twig, and it is about 8' tall now and doing well. Very interesting. I've found it didn't need any care at all. The Triflorum nearby is more vigorous, for sure, but this will hopefully develop well. Great bark and decent fall color. The front yard is mostly interesting bark trees of various kinds. We get to see them close up year round. David
Well Its been 9 years since my post of paperbark maple. I had cut the top 2 feet of the leader branch off my tree because it was dead. Looks great and doing well. Ontario, Canada Zone 6. Getting ready to leaf out for spring. Base is 20 inches around and height about 12 feet or so in full sun. Have had no bug problems or anything. Surprised more people haven't planted it . I also included a photo from last summer with leaves on it.
Hi 54345, I like you love this tree, but this year it is the slowest ever to swell its buds, still waiting beginning of May. It has in the past leafed out end of April. It was an awfully wet and mild winter here, so that maybe the reason. My wife and I have now nicknamed it 'the stick'. Has yours started the swelling of buds yet? A few on the maples forum in France have already started nicely.
In 2018 we saw these 2 fine specimens at the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh. The larger, in the latter 3 pictures, was if I recall correctly planted by Wilson. As they grow older they do seem to get more cinnamon, but perhaps peel a little less also.
Hi@emery, that's what we all hope to achieve, agreed the colouring is just amazing, what a specimen indeed!!!! The younger you are the better it is to plant this tree and see its beauty decades later.
The buds have already broken open and stems have started to grow, yay! I can hardly wait until it reaches at least 20 feet. Every year Im still contemplating cutting a few lower branches off they are a bit low. Not sure if i should leave them they look like they might grow upwards in the future but they get in the way when cutting the grass.
Hi @54345, that's brilliant news, it's a 'lovely' tree you have there. It will look beautiful for many years to come. Do leave any pruning and shaping until dormancy though.
