Autumn Blaze Maple

[Guy Meilleur]

Yeah, they don't top much in 'Bama, do they?

 

[Elmore]

Way too much topping

Out in rural areas it looks like a band of Gypsys come through in mass, selling people on topping jobs but in these pictures it is in the city of Arab so blame has to be laid on the city and the electrical company. Someone in power probably has a brother in-law who operates a tree care (hah) company.

 

[Ax-man]

Jap Maple has always been one of my favorite trees. I have a one planted off the S.W.corner of our house, the neighbors large Sugar Maple keeps it protected from the summer sun. I keep it pruned back to look have a kind of bonsai look. Our winters can be a little rough on Jap Maple ( zone 5). If ever the tempertures in winter get down to past -20 and the extreme of - 30 degrees F , lot of winter kill on trees that aren't native to our climate. One rarely sees a red leaf variety in our area unless it is in a very protected setting, then they are barely four to six foot tall and are old trees some maybe forty to fifty years old. Every spring the discount chains sell these red leaf Jap Maples that are shipped up from the southern states. They pop up here and there in the landscape, by mid summer most are gone, the ones that make through the summer, don't make it through the winter.

Amur Mple does real good in our area, should be used a little more. Trident and Paperbark Maples do good,but they aren't planted extensively.

I still am not convinced that a Maple that has been injured, can heal itself to not show some kind of sign of the injury. Individual trees in very good health in ideal gowing conditions might be an exception. The majority of Maples don't fit into this catagory, Most will carry the scars into maturity or at least some kind of sign of an injury.

Larry

 

[Ax-man]

I hope this works.

Elmore's picture of the surface roots on the Jap Maple has what looks like an old mower injury. Does that look the same as the rest of the stem? It is more than ten years old.

 

[wysiwyg]

In regards to the tree pictured at the beginning of this topic, the old growth did not make it throught the winter. It has a few buds extending from the trunk to about 8 inches above the ground, as well as 3 or 4 buds coming out just above the root flair. Should I cut it flush with the highest bud or all the way down to the lowest buds near the root flair? Thanks.

 

[Ax-man]

Cut it flush, after the new sprouts have had some time to develop, select the best dominant one and train it to become a new tree.
Larry

 

[wysiwyg]

Thanks. Now I just have to keep the rabbits from eating the sprouts...

 

[wysiwyg]

It's amazing how fast a tree can grow in 3 months. The new shoot is nearing 6 feet tall (almost a foot taller than the original trunk) and I had to stake it to keep it standing upright. I am wondering now if all this growth is going to be able to stand on its own one day or if it's going to become dependant on the stake unless I reduce its height. Any suggestions?

P.S. As you can see I finally mulched around the tree!

 

[Ax-man]

Leave it alone for a while, give us an update in early fall or next spring to see how things progress. Your on the right track, your just jumping the gun except for that reduce the height bit. If you want to cut on something how about that snag in the background, that don't look too good.

Larry

 

[wysiwyg]

Thanks for the help, the thing is growing like crazy and will probably extend beyond the top of the stake. I gave it some milorganite early in spring but nothing since beside watering during the drought. BTW, the dead thing in the background is a "former" silver maple that has been converted into a bird feeder holder. I decided a few years ago to get rid of all the young silver maples i grew from seed (from the days I thought any tree was a good tree) and introduce some diversity into the yard.

 

[wysiwyg]

I kept the tree staked all winter and put on a spiral wrap to protect the trunk from deer damage. Sometime during the winter, the tie holding the tree to the stake must have slipped, causing the trunk to slump and take on more of an S shape. It seemed to recover a bit during the early spring and I even took off the support for a while. Unfortunately, during the first wind storm a few weeks ago, it flopped over. So now it is staked again, but it is putting on growth at an extreme rate. I think it is outgrowing the stake. More importantly, does it look like the tree will ever be able to straighten itself out, let along support itself with this rapid amount of vertical growth? Keep in mind that this thing was cut to the ground a little over a year ago and is now approaching 10 feet tall.

 

[wysiwyg]

The tree top is now so heavy that it broke the twine I used to hold it to the stake, without any wind. I snapped a picture of it in its "natural" state without being tied up and no wind. Should I prune off some of the height yet?

 

[treeseer]

When you stake it, use 2 stakes so it can MOVE!

 

[wysiwyg]

Thanks, I'll give it a try. I'm starting to think that I should not have removed the lateral branches that accompanied the vertical growth last year. At least those branches would have taken away some of the energy it instead used to grow so high so fast.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Thanks, I'll give it a try. I'm starting to think that I should not have removed the lateral branches that accompanied the vertical growth last year. At least those branches would have taken away some of the energy it instead used to grow so high so fast.

Not to pick a nit, but branches are not parasitic. It does not take away energy, it gives it.
Leaves make food, sugar, starch, photosynthates, energy for the tree, or whatever you want to call it. Removing a leaf, or leaves, or a branch, stunts the tree by removing that energy source.
Lower branches should be left on because they do help develop trunk taper and many other reasons.
You are way ahead to leave lower branches, and just manage them to keep them from interfering with upper branches. Especially with a newer transplant, because it's working hard to replace the lost root system. Some studies put lost roots as high as 90% on a new transplant. To grow new roots, the tree needs the food the leaves makes.
Every single leaf is important.
Once the tree gets established, in a couple years, then you can start trimming it into the unnatural, lollipop shape that is so popular. After all, you don't want to get poked in the eye by a lower branch while you're ramming the trunk with your lawn mower.

 

[wysiwyg]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking that the extra energy provided by the extra (lower) branches (which were sprouting the entire length of the new trunk - all the way to the ground) might be offset by the energy needed to put growth onto those branches, at least enough to slow the overall vertical growth of the tree. The roots should not be much of an issue because the tree has been in the ground for 3 years now, and just had to be cut back to the ground last spring due to deer damage.

 

[treeseer]

Not to pick a nit, but branches are not parasitic. It does not take away energy, it gives it.

Mike, let me unpick part of your nit. branches do take energy to support. Water has to be pulled out to their tips to keep them alive.

But you are very right in pointing out that removing lower branches--"Raising Cain"-- is often overdone. See Pruning Young Trees in the link below.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

The limb pulls its own water up, the tree doesn't pull it up and then give it to the branch.
The branch pulls its own weight, so to speak, through a process called tranpirational pull, developed by its leaves.
Then the branch shares its extra photosynthates with the rest of the tree through the phloem.
Branches are givers, not takers.

 

[wysiwyg]

Tree from Hell

Just when I thought this tree was almost back to normal, I look out the window this morning and see that the top 4 feet or so has snapped off!

But maybe it will turn out to be a blessing in disguise. I no longer need to stake it, but now I have to train a new leader. There was one branch right below the break that looks promising, what do you think?