Japenese Maple Damage

[chase]

Hope you can help me. I just noticed today that the bark at the bottom (above the mulch) of my Japenese Maple appears to have been peeled off, some of which is laying on top of the mulch. It doesnt appear to have been rubbed off by a deer but I would have thought that if a rabbit may have done this it would have eaten the bark??? I'll try to get a picture of the damage later but it has the bark removed in strips just above the mulch up to maybe 8" high I guess and its most of the way around the tree. Wondering if the tree will die now or if there is something that can be done to doctor it?

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Hope you can help me. I just noticed today that the bark at the bottom (above the mulch) of my Japenese Maple appears to have been peeled off, some of which is laying on top of the mulch. It doesnt appear to have been rubbed off by a deer but I would have thought that if a rabbit may have done this it would have eaten the bark??? I'll try to get a picture of the damage later but it has the bark removed in strips just above the mulch up to maybe 8" high I guess and its most of the way around the tree. Wondering if the tree will die now or if there is something that can be done to doctor it?

We will wait to see your photos.

Could be sunburn damage, or other.

www.mdvaden.com/sunscald.shtml

:msp_wink:

 

[TrillPhil]

Use a product like lac balsam, designed to help in the compartmentalization of the wound. Not the tree paint you get at lowes thats like asphalt, that's very bad.

Mulch should be 6 inches from the base of the tree. If you had the tree transplanted it may have been poorly planted (likely too deeply) or any other number of things.

If it's on the southern side of the tree it may be frost crack, but more likely it is something else. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost_crack