I had a beautiful lace leaf Japanese maple until two years ago during a heavy snow one of the main branches split at the TRUNK. Local nursery recommended a repair. A day or two after the damage it got very warm and sap was running down the tree I propped the branch back into position and bolted it into place wrapped it with tape. Its been two years now and I think the branch is dead the shoots are dry and brittle. Should I have the branch removed??? The nursery say if the branch didn't break it was worth $2500.00 I love my tree and just want it to be healthy.
If it is dry and brittle the branch is surely dead; better to remove it. If the repair had been successful the branch would have leafed out last year. These type of repair attempts sometimes work, but it seems the older the wood the less chance of success, and also the longer the time between split and repair the less chance of success. I hope your maple still looks good without the branch in question.
