Maple Empty In The Middle

[under_the_hill]

A customer called me out to evaluate his maple tree and I don't recall reading anything in the past that would give a good explanation for how his tree looks. It was planted about 8 years ago and the customer said it's done well up until this year and had a full canopy last year. The new growth looks excellent, but there are no leaves in the interior of the tree, except a few twigs (1/8" diameter) that have managed to put one or two leaves right on the tips. From several position around the tree you can see right through the tree.

Customer applied fertilizer last winter. The maple has a mild-medium case of gloomy scale. Lots of bark expansion fissures that look like a healthy transition from the young smooth bark to the eventual older rough bark. A good amount of lichen on the interior. There is perhaps one minor girdling root that is affecting up to 10% of the circumference of the trunk.

Is this just one of those things?

 

[ATH]

If there is that much lichen on the interior sunlight was getting in there last year too...

 

[under_the_hill]

Here is a closeup, higher resolution photo showing one of the few interior branches with a couple leaves. There is a good amount of gloomy scale on the twig ends. Enough to cause the problem, I don't know.

 

[ATH]

Have you treated the scale? I'm sure they appreciated the fertilizer...

That is certainly thick enough to be killing off the branches. I'd expect that tree to make a strong recovery assuming those pictures tell the whole story.

 

[under_the_hill]

No, I was debating whether to apply a horticultural oil to the maple now that it's getting hot as the label says some Maples are sensitive. This is not a Japanese Red Maple or Amur Maple, however. It looks like the other option is an insecticide in June-July, whenever the crawlers are on the move. What do you think?

 

[ATH]

Dinotefuran bark spray now.

 

[Jason Douglas]

Or a root soak with the same. Watch the oil with maples.

 

[under_the_hill]

Is Dinotefuran labeled for this use? I couldn't find a product that was. I'm going to apply horticultural oil before leaf out next year before going on to something stronger such as Dinotefuran. Agree on the oil with the maples.

 

[ATH]

Page 8. Ornamental trees and scale: https://www.valent.com/Data/Labels/2015-SAF-0001-form-1510-G.pdf

 

[under_the_hill]

Thank you, ATH