Autumn Blaze Maple

[wysiwyg]

I have a 6' tall AB maple that was planted last year. Last year it was a single stem covered with leaves. All of the branches are new this year:

In the middle of May of this year, when the tree had put on 3 or 4" of growth, the tips of some of the branches (including the leader) wilted and died. Upon closer inspection, maggots had burrowed into the tips and hollowed them out. I squished them, problem solved.

However, since the tips had died, the affected branches began to grow two new tips:

I reduced the leader to one tip. Should I do the same for the other branches?

Also, the area around where the tip of the tree was last year (shown below) has become very "busy" with a lot of branches. Is this normal? If not, should I do any reduction at this time?

 

[Nickrosis]

What? No replies??? I hate biting first.

It's good that you reduced the central leader down to one shoot. You dont' have to worry about the other branches because they are likely only temporary. As the tree grows, it'll probably shade out the lower branches quite effectively, and they'll die back. Unless it is in a fully open space (looked like it) where you won't be near it with a mower or anything and don't need clearance. In which case, ignore what I'm about to say.

You want to train the tree early on. Locate well-attached branches that are likely to be at the lowest point on the crown in the future. On street trees, that's about 6-8 feet. In your yard, you decide. The branches below that should be removed gradually, always keeping two-thirds of the tree a green canopy.

If removing the lower branches would take a lot out of the tree, like more than one-third of the whole tree, take large pieces out of the on-their-way-out limbs so the tree begins to shut down those limbs.

Shoot, I have to be up early, and I'm still at work. That's the basic start of training.....grab the ANSI A300 standard for more techy info, or check out www.treesaregood.com for consumer pruning info.

P.S: It's not bad that the branches are clustered on the stem, but you should plan to remove all but one of them over time. Your structural branches should be well-spaced when the tree is 60 years old.

 

[DadF]

The only thing I would add is to prune out any narrow or weak crotches immediately. Don't let them even get started so that the tree can build on good structure.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I wouldn't get worked up about structural pruning just yet. The height all the existing limbs are at, are just temporary. Look at a mature tree, there aren't branches on the bottom few feet because in time they are shaded out by upper limbs abd slowly die off, naturally.
The one limb on the right should be cut back slightly so it doesn't compete with the main leader for apical dominance. The attached picture shows what it should look like after pruning.
This lite prunning will have to done about once a year, because the tree's response to trimming will be to send out new growth where the cut was made. Just try to make cuts that remove as little foliage as possible while retaining a central leader.
By leaving as much foliage as possible the tree will grow it's best. Each leave is a little food factory for the tree. By removing as few leaves as possible, your tree will have the most food income.
The picture also shows in blue where the chip bed should be. Don't put chips against the trunk or have them deeper than about 3".

 

[wysiwyg]

Thank you for the replies. I guess I will leave the tree as it is for the time being. I've never been fussy about branch structure for a tree at this age, but for some reason the form of this tree struck me as odd.

Mike, that is a lot of mulch. For a situation like this I hardly ever give more than 1' diameter. The only time I mulch that much is for a mature pine that becomes impracticle to mow under. Probably not the answer an arborist wants to hear, but I've had a good success rate establishing trees without killing off a lot of the lawn.

 

[wysiwyg]

I happened to walk past this tree just before dark and noticed that a deer did "its thing" to it and shaved about 12-18 continuous inches of bark completely off the south half of the trunk (along the length of the trunk), midway between the ground and the beginning of the branches. UGH. It didn't seem to be completely girdled anywhere; if you look at it from the north it looks fine, looking from the south its a real mess. This had to have happened in the past 2 or 3 days. Is there any first aid I can give it to maybe save it? I'll try to get a picture tomorrow...

 

[wysiwyg]

Here are some pictures...its pretty ugly. It doesn't look like it is totally girdled in any one area, but a lot of bark is missing. The trunk is about 1/2" in Diameter.

Is there anything I can do to increase its chances of survival?

Taken from oposite sides of the tree:

 

[DadF]

Probably didn't kill it but sure didn't help it any. Prune off all the shredded stuff and try clean up the edges of cuts on the bark. What you're trying to do eliminate any loose areas that might harbor insects that will use it. Then PLEASE mulch around the tree out to the drip line. It's going to need everything it can to help it out now. A large grow tube or similar device might help keep the on hoof venison at bay for a couple more years but I only use them in our nursery during peak deer activity-generally about mid Sept to whenever I can get them in the early spring. They have really made a difference on our young tree quality since we have had some major deer damage in the past. I have also had some luck with a smokepole
Guy-any other suggestions??

 

[Ax-man]

I agree with DadF, the wound being on the south side of the stem isn't going to help the tree at all. If I was called to "fix or help" this tree, I would say this is a case for some type of sealer on the wound, like grafting wax or what I use is this Phytech 50 plant wound paste, cosmetic yes, but it is something to keep the wound from being exposed to a direct south sun, especially with winter coming and the following growing season next spring and summer.

In addition to the mulch, I would fertilize a little on the heavy side in the hopes of getting as much growth out of young tree like this to start forming callus rolls around the wound and hopefully close the wound in time. Unfortunately the damage is done and the tree will never really be the same.

Deer seem to really pick on trees this size, especially those with straight stems and clear of lower limbs, for the first three to four feet,maples seem to be their favorite.

Deer rub trees for two reasons that I have heard of, the obvious is to clean the velvet off the antlers, the other being when they graze in a group they rub trees to impress the females, the more violently a male can shake a tree, the more prowness the buck is suppose to have come mating time . Just a tid bit of info I read, I'm no deer expert.

I have notice that deer pretty much stay away from clump type trees and low branched specimens, or real thick bushy thick trees like buck thorn.

I tried a little experimment on a patch of Swamp and Red Oak I was growing. Instead of pruning off the lower limbs as the trees grew up, I left the lower limbs on and stub pruned the limbs that were for the most part temporary, leaving them about six inches to a foot long with a few leaves on the stubs, trying to mimic a big thorn sticking out from the main stem. I figured I was accomplishing two things, protect them from the deer till they got old enough and to build caliper on the stem to help the trees in the future. It was not pretty looking by no means, especially from a nurseryman' s point of view. The deer got a few but not as many as they could have. As the Oaks got older and bigger I finally pruned the stubs off the main stem and the deer don't bother them now that the trees have some size to them.

Larry

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by Ax-man
Unfortunately the damage is done and the tree will never really be the same.
Huh? In a few years you may not know the difference. Reminds me of a colt I had once. A starving dog broke into the stall and started gnawing on its shoulder. I beat the dog on the head with a 2x4 until he dropped loose and staggered off. The shoulder was a mess; meat was in that dog's belly and a nasty hole wher eit used to be.

At 6 months old, you couldn't see a scar, and the horse ran fine. Trees grow new tissue to seal their wounds too. I'm all for bark tracing and sealant (not cosmetic, but protective!) mulch and light fert as described

deer pretty much stay away from clump type trees and low branched specimens, or real thick bushy thick trees like buck thorn. As the Oaks got older and bigger I finally pruned the stubs off the main stem and the deer don't bother them now

Another good reason for proper use of temporary branches! :angel:

 

[wysiwyg]

Thanks for the advice guys. It's good to know it still might have a chance.

Would bees wax be a suitable bark sealant in this case?

With respect to mulching, would it be best to kill the grass around the tree, dig it out, or just cover it with mulch?

This is the first time a deer has attacked a maple in our yard. Normally they go after a stand of wild poplars we have. Every tree has numerous scars but each is still alive. However they are much larger than this maple.

 

[Ax-man]

Beeswax would probaly be OK , not sure about it because I don't know anything about it's pliablity characteristics when it comes to being applied on trees that are outside. It is organic so that is one plus. Netree is the beewax expert here.

About the grass, definately get rid of it, I would just spade the grass under for organic N and then mulch with some well decomposed chips and then throw some some chemical fert on top of that, preferable a fert with slow release N ( nitrogen ).

Larry

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by Ax-man
About the grass, definately get rid of it, I would just spade the grass under

But using the spade can get tree roots, right? Maybe just cut the gras low, lay newspaper so it doesn't come thru the mulch.

 

[Elmore]

My take on it

Starting at the bottom, eliminate the competing grass. I typically remove the vegetation adjacent to the trunk by hand, grub or pull up by the roots and use Roundup to eliminate the rest. Maintain a vegetation free zone, mulched with a three inch layer of your preferred mulch, keeping the mulch a number of inches away from the trunk. Specifications for this vegetation free zone seems to change as time goes on but current recommended minimum diameter should be eight feet for trees with a trunk diameter less than 3 inches. Man, I need to enlarge the mulched areas under my trees as they are probably only in the 2-6 foot diameter range. I have always told some to keep the mulch 3" away from the trunk but now read that recommended distance is 6-10". Moving upwards, trim off any loose bark and if any damage is into the wood or xylem, employ bark tracing, trim area into a cleanly cut, elliptical shaped wound. Use an exacto knife. Generally I don't use any wound sealant but I have used phytec 50 before, in a situation like this, and the manufacturer suggests applying phytec 50 around the cut edge of the wound after it has been dressed. As well as I can see, the damage doesn't appear to be very deep so I would just remove any loose, hanging tissues. Sunscald on the south and southwest side of the trunk of thin-barked trees has been attributed more to lack of soil moisture following transplanting than to any other cause but I would wrap the trunk up to the lowest branch with a paper wrap designed for this purpose. I would let it remain for one season and remove in spring. I might consider reapplying it before any subsequent winter season if I had any concerns as to whether the tree has become sufficiently established. Red Maples and perhaps even more so Freeman Maples, Acer x freemanii (hybrids of Acer rubrum - red maple and A.saccharinum - silver maple) such as your Autumn Blaze are very susceptible to damage from sunscald. I think Acer x freemanii 'Armstrong' is the worst. A possible method of warding off deer is to hang some Irish Spring soap in a stocking, from one of the branches. Some have said that it works. I haven't tried it yet but my problem is with rabbits. I have been using everything from hair, moth balls, fabric softener and vacuum cleaner contents. Now to the top growth, I would let it go but choose a strong central leader and in mid-summer I would reduce the length of competing, co-dominant branches by as much as about 1/4. The emphasis here is to induce a strong apical dominance in the leader that you have chosen. I would apply a top-dress of good extended release fertilizer with micros, with an NPK ratio of say 12-6-6 or 14-7-7, in spring and again in Mid-summer and if all else fails replace this maple with a good grafted Ginkgo cultivar. I recommend 'Magyar'.

 

[Ax-man]

Originally posted by Guy Meilleur
But using the spade can get tree roots, right?
____________________________________________________

True, This is another classic example of where generalities of saying one thing gets interrperated to mean another without being specific enough, maybe another way of saying this would be to scrape and turn the grass over and then chop up the cllumps.

I don't quite agree with what you are saying that in a few years that you will never notice that the tree was injured, To a trained eye there will always be a sign of the injury, the wound will close up, but there will always be a sign on the stem, usually a slit in the bark, if it closes good. Weather a tree is sunscalded or deer injured the cambium has been violated, healing is not the same as an uninjured virgin stem. I think we have all seen the results of these injuries as trees mature, especially maples, failures at mid stem, reopening of old sunscald wounds on supposedly established trees, decay of the inner wood cylinder as the tree matures.

I used to be a big fan of Maples, with the problems associated with the species they have sunk lower and lower on my list of trees when asked by clients what a good replacement tree would be after a removal of a tree.

Elmore, got any recommendations as to any Maples that aren't so susceptible to scalding. Rabbits used to be a problem around our place too, years ago. Ever since the coyotes made a comeback in our area it is rare to see a rabbit.

Larry

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by Ax-man
[QUOTE I used to be a big fan of Maples, with the problems associated with the species they have sunk lower and lower on my list of trees when asked by clients what a good replacement tree would be after a removal of a tree.

Me too. Maples are the majority of our new tree population, most with twisted roots.

Doyou really think the scar will show in 10 years?

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'm freaking!!!!

OK, I'm alright now...

 

[Elmore]

What zone are you in?

Ax-man, What zone are you in? I like Japanese Maples. Those compact little trees. I don't really care for the "soft" maples too much. For a large tree, Acer saccharum, Sugar Maple is a good if not slow one. As long as the soil is loamy and there is not a problem with pollution. 'Commemoration' is a relatively fast oval shaped cultivar that I have seen and like. Now here is where I was heading when I started this reply, Trident Maple, Acer buergeranum, to zone 5. Great tree to about 40' or so, good yellow/orange to red fall color and exfoliating bark. Extremely drought tolerant and no pest or disease problems. Acer truncatum, Shantung or Purpleblow Maple to zone 4. Grows to about 25', nice round crown. Even more drought tolerant than the last and no pest or disease problems. Fall color a buttery yellow to orange. Acer griseum or Paperbark Maple is a good one. Very hardy, no problem to zone 5 and can grow, slowly, to 50' with great age. Usually consider about half that size for landscape cultivation. Good orange/red fall color and a beautiful exfoliating bark. Other Oriental or Japanese Maples worth considering are Acer palmatum, there are plenty of cultivars in the species palmatum, probably around 500 and a few nice cultivars in both the japonicum and shirasawanum species. Shirasawanum will likely do better up in your part of the country than down here in the south. Overall I think that I like the japonicums best as they typically have large, tropical looking leaves and like the species shirasawanum, have fantastic fall color and are very hardy yet can take the southern heat in zone 7 through 8. Acer triflorum is hardy, small tree with good color. Also consider Acer sieboldianum, Siebold Maple and Acer pseudosieboldianum, Korean Maple or Purplebloom Maple, both small, hardy oriental maples that show good fall color.
Here is a friend's Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' trained to a standard.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/Elmore/Acer%20japonicum%20Aconitifolium/SpoustasMaikujaku60.jpg"width=550>
Here is what this hardy cultivar's leaves look like closeup
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/Elmore/Acer%20japonicum%20Aconitifolium/1g_Aconitifolium_grafted_summer_2002_6-9-03.jpg"width=550>
Here is a local Shantung Maple
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/Elmore/Acer%20truncatum%20-%20Shantung%20Maple/Acertruncatum-ShantungMaple10-5-03.jpg"width=550>

 

[Elmore]

Large Acer palmatum f. atropurpureum

Originally posted by netree
Elm,

Japanese maples are attractive. I looked at one recently that was enormous! 30' tall, 40' spread. Obviously, it had been there AWHILE.

Yeah it takes awhile for some of the better species to get of size. Here is a large Acer palmatum f. atropurpureum located in Arab, AL. that is about that size. Photos made 1-30-04. I need to clone this one just to see what it looked like 40 to 50 years ago. It's a good red leaf variety. Check out the surface rooting. Probably due to the clay soil at this site. Had it been a deep sandy loam I bet the surface roots would be minimal. Notice the surrounding trees in the background. It looks like some of those boys, who were jumping all over me in "off topic", came through town sharing their love of trees with the inhabitants. heh heh
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/Elmore/Acer%20palmatum%20f%20atropurpureum/largeArabatropurpureum1-30-0490.jpg"width=550>
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/Elmore/Acer%20palmatum%20f%20atropurpureum/largeArabatropurpureumtrunk1-30-0497.jpg"width=550>

 

[Elmore]

"Doyou really think the scar will show in 10 years?"

No. At the stage that this tree is in, any bark observed is primarily immature periderm. As the tree grows and the stem matures and expands it will produce an abundance of phellem, so much that the damage as seen in the photos will merely be a memory.