Hello, I had recently had to put my Japanese maple tree down yesterday ( Thursday ) Due to something killed it not sure what did. After I took some pictures of the base of it and everything it looked very weird . The mushroom was so strong i could stand on it! this tree base was bigger than 14" and the part that died at the bottom but good at the top was about 9" when i cut it down it hit the ground in to a million and one pieces. I am trying to find out what killed it and why it died it one side is goodish and the other side i cut down was completely dead .
Your tree has heart rot which is caused by fungi which have entered the tree through open wounds mainly in the roots. Usually, as in your case, a 'conk' or mushroom "fruiting" body is the first sign of infection. A useful rule of thumb might be that a cubic foot of wood has decayed for each conk produced. Once the conk appears the tree is condemned and there is little you can do. Several fungi can be at work but the most common being Armillaria mellea, the so called oak root fungus. But I am a little puzzled since it is widely accepted that Acer palmatum is immune to Armillaria, what Japanese maple have you felled? By the way, do not plant a susceptible shrub or tree in the area where your tree was, the fungus remains in the soil and will likely attack anything nearby. Gomero
I do not know what type of *** maple it was i just new that it was pretty tall. Now as to what you where saying I do not know what you meant by any of this "Several fungi can be at work but the most common being Armillaria mellea, the so called oak root fungus. But I am a little puzzled since it is widely accepted that Acer palmatum is immune to Armillaria, what Japanese maple have you felled?" I am in Connecticut is there a type that usely grows there?
