I am in zone 5 and growing palmatums is always a challenge. On top of that we had a severe drought last summer and although I kept my maples watered there is dieback on quite a few this spring, especially those planted last year or the year before. My question is: How do you know when it's a lost cause to wait for a branch to sprout if it's not looking dead? Is there any reason not to just wait it out for the season? Is there a chance the branch might sprout the following year or is it better to cut it back to the first sprouted branch to encourage growth this year? Thanks to much to anyone who can give me some guidance on this. Kay Dye, Edelstein, IL
Are there new buds on the branches? Have you made a little hard scratch on the trunks to see if there's green underneath? And are you sure it has too dry rather than too wet this year - acers prefer somewhat drier conditions, and if the ground's been soggier than usual, that could be the problem.
On some the dieback is clear and I can see buds forming below the dieback. Does it encourage new growth if I go ahead and cut next to the newest growth or is there a chance that as the season wears on , if it doesn't look dry and dead, that they will sprout? I haven't scratched the trunks and actually, I really may have blown it yesterday. I finally decided my A. palm. 'Orangeola' was not going to sprout and after I dug it out (sigh), it still seemed to be green underneath and the branches were still bendable. There did not seem to be any new buds at all and I decided it was just dying slowly. Hope I was right. On others the buds still look like they could sprout. I have a small A. pennsylvaticum 'Erythrocladum' that still looks like it could sprout, but there are some dead buds that are dry, too. We have had a lot of rain this spring. Would that result in death or postponing sprouting? Kay Dye
Yes, maples aren't crazy about tooo much rain, but what was your rush about digging the other one yesterday? Wherever you cut on a tree (at least some types) always cut higher by 1-2" to allow for dieback, so whatever buds you might have seen ... if you cut directly above them might not open, but it's hard to say for any individual tree or branch.
