Crimson red maple + dormant tree oil = ?

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81Bronk36

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Valdosta GA
Doesnt it equal death pretty much?? My parents had a guy spray there weaping cherry and a few others they say he hit that one too. Now its got no leaves and mold growing on it. This is about a 25' tree now that I planted about 10 years ago and I don't want it to die! The guy wants to charge them to fertilize it, saying that it was the original problem with the tree. I don't think there was a "problem with the tree" at all, he just killed it.:help:
 
I'm curious too. Pictures would be really helpful here (as always). Were there leaves on the red maple prior to spraying? Signs of insects? etc.

Whereas I can't imagine fertilizing being helpful at this point, I would sure like to see pictures prior to giving any advice.

Sylvia
 
I'm curious too. Pictures would be really helpful here (as always). Were there leaves on the red maple prior to spraying? Signs of insects? etc.

Whereas I can't imagine fertilizing being helpful at this point, I would sure like to see pictures prior to giving any advice.

Sylvia

The guy sprayed it in march IIRC, so I don't believe there was any leaves. I tried to ask my mom again just now but she couldnt come to the phone. I'll get you a little more info when she calls me back. I probably wont have pics till later today:(
 
It was sprayed with an oil, or an antidessicant? So the tree came out in full leaf this spring/early summer, and now just recently its begun dropping all its leaves? Or did it just not put on any leaves at all?
 
my mom says that at the time they sprayed it had buds on it and apparently some catapillers from some kinda moths, and then in June is when she noticed that it still hadnt leaved out (she was down here with us) Called them up and they came by and looked at it said oh there is still catapillers on it we better spray it again so it got hit 2x with tree oil. It never got leaves on it this year.
 
I still am having troubles getting things to add up here. If there were no leaves, the dormant oil shouldn't have hurt the tree. HOWEVER, I don't know what caterpillars would have been doing on a tree with no leaves (unless there was a tree over/around it in leaf?). And if there were trees in leaves, why were they using dormant oil???

ALSO, what is the mold you mentioned in your first post? Is it a saprophytic growth on dead tissue? A lichen that might be totally innocuous? Could there be another tree around that has an aphid problem with heavy honeydew that created a sooty mold problem...which may be unrelated to the maple problem.

Pictures would be really helpful.

From your posts, I am thinking the tree STILL doesn't have any leaves? Have your parents check the stem tissue for green cambium to see if there is still life there.

If this tree died, it may have succumbed to something other than the spraying. So for the time being, try to keep an open mind.

Sylvia
 
The tech was most likely trying to control scale. Oil combined with can be very effective against the crawlers in early spring. White peach scale, on Acer sp, is very prevelant in the area. Control begins by Ensuring optimum cultural conditions. Make sure that root flare is exposed.

But who knows... there is lots of malpractice out there.

No fertilizer!
 
Here are the photos, they are extremely crappy pics though.
tree3.jpg


tree-1.jpg


tree-2.jpg


The tree is in Massachusetts guys
I will ask if they put down mulch this year, maybe they put it on too deep.
 
Your tree's dead.

What killed it isn't clear from your story or the pictures.

Fertilizing a dead tree is a waste of time as would spraying it.

Reporting the story to the local BBB and or telling everyone your mother knows about the fraud who took her money would be a good place to start.

Dormant oils are only for when the tree is dormant - preferably fall early winter.

Light weight oils can be used sometimes when applied properly for the insect on the label, but I would also be interested to know if the person who sprayed the tree was licensed to do so.

Spraying for a non-existent problem (spraying off label) or spraying without a license could have some repercussions with the state authorities.

I recently ran across someone spraying diesel instead of dormant oil to kill caterpillars.
 
There are lists out about some trees being intolerant of dormant oil. Red maple and sugar maple are on that list. When I see two well used trees on a short list, I would hesitate to use it on any of the genus unless I had specific info that it was ok.
 

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