Help with Neighbors Maple Tree

[unclecrash]

Im posting this for my Neighbor. I don't know what type of Maple but seems to be loosing leaves. We had a hard Winter but this is the first time I have seen it this bad. I have mowed the yard for her for 4 years or so and never seen it like this. She planted it almost 50 years ago. I was wondering if it is choking it self the way the base is high and the roots on the one side appear to be all balled up. Here are a couple pics but I dont know if you can see it good enough, but will post more if needed.

 

[Raintree]

When you have a mature Red Maple in slow decline the first thing I suspect is soil. I would guess depleted, compacted & acidic soil has weaken the tree defenses. This opens the door for opportunistic pathogens such as Verticillium as shown manifesting in your pics.

 

[unclecrash]

Do you think it would be too late to try and save it? I wonder if all the fertile she has a company put on it for her lawn is doing it more harm than good. I think they put seven applications a year

 

[Raintree]

I would be willing to try I save this tree, need to get an Arborist on site that knows what he/she is doing.

 

[ATH]

5th picture looks like there may be some stem girdling roots at play.

Here are some resources:
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody//remove-girdling-roots.shtml
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden...s/practitioners-guide-to-stem-girdling-roots/ (see table of contents at right)

 

[sac-climber]

Do you think it would be too late to try and save it? I wonder if all the fertile she has a company put on it for her lawn is doing it more harm than good. I think they put seven applications a year

Off topic but 7 applications of fertilizer is ridiculous. Tell her to fire them and open a savings account.

 

[Youngbuck20]

The roots do look like they could be causing an issue. Is their a flat side on the tree anywhere? That should show you that the roots are really girdling the tree.


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[unclecrash]

Thanks for the replies guys, I thought it was a bit much on the fertilizer, I know one of them is for grubs or maybe two but would have to ask her what the other five are. As for the flat side I would have to take a better look and I will shoot a few more pics of the right side. It is the worse area. It is raised up on that side and not as bad on the left. It seems this year a lot of the roots are showing on the surface of the lawn, I dont know if that means any thing. I will also tell her if she want s to save it to get an arborist or two out to have a look at it. She had me trim a few of the dead area's which I told her might not be a good idea the way the tree is stressing.

 

[sac-climber]

Thanks for the replies guys, I thought it was a bit much on the fertilizer, I know one of them is for grubs or maybe two but would have to ask her what the other five are. As for the flat side I would have to take a better look and I will shoot a few more pics of the right side. It is the worse area. It is raised up on that side and not as bad on the left. It seems this year a lot of the roots are showing on the surface of the lawn, I dont know if that means any thing. I will also tell her if she want s to save it to get an arborist or two out to have a look at it. She had me trim a few of the dead area's which I told her might not be a good idea the way the tree is stressing.

Just a little FYI, the reason grubs are a problem is because of over fertilization and improper irrigation. With proper cultural practices there is really no reason for pesticide use in lawns. They probably use bifenthrin or triclofon, one of which is restricted use and the other is a know persistent organophosphate. No need for it. Sorry for the rant, I'm opposed to broad use of insecticides on so many levels.

Don't worry about removing dead wood...it's dead. You won't hurt or stress the tree.

 

[ATH]

One or two applications for grubs and another 2 or 3 for weeds is drastically different than 7 fertilizations. Fertilizer is application of nutrients. The others are pesticides. The lawn treatment making 7 applications with various purposes is not equal to fertilizing 7 times...

 

[sac-climber]

One or two applications for grubs and another 2 or 3 for weeds is drastically different than 7 fertilizations. Fertilizer is application of nutrients. The others are pesticides. The lawn treatment making 7 applications with various purposes is not equal to fertilizing 7 times...

If its Scott's or TruGreen there is fert going down with pest and weed applications. I totally agree with you though if that's not the case.

 

[ATH]

Yeah...good point. Not because that is what is needed, but because that is what the calendar says, and that is what is on the truck!

 

[unclecrash]

LOL any way you look at it, it's way to much in a well head community in my opinion. You know what they say, sell ,sell sell

 

[unclecrash]

STUBBORN PEOPLE

Well I talked to her today and she asked her fertilizer guy who she isn't happy with to begin with what he thought about the tree. He told her to have a company prune it first then if it don't get better get an arborist out,which I think is totally backwards correct me if im wrong. The tree looks stressed all ready I would think you would want to find out what is troubling it first then treat it. I wouldn't think you would want to prune the whole tree first. So she is getting estimates to prune it. I think that is looking for disaster!!! Please correct me if im wrong. She has been fighting me all summer. I tell her I just seeded you need to keep the ground moist but she just dont get it. For the last to weeks I been telling her the grass is stressed and could use watering, She says im not watering it is going to rain. again I tell her the ground is dry the tree and grass could use some water, she says I havn't watered in a couple days I said ya I can tell the grass is really stressed now if you would have listened to me your grass wouldn't be all yellow but hey what do I know I been watering every day and my yard looks great and the big Oak is doing well in my yard. Funny she even said my yard looks really good,you would think she might heed the warning, and maybe put some water on her yard. The leaves on her Maple are falling and the grass is yellow and all she is worried about is when her guy is going to put the next application on. Because he is a few days late well I guess so every thing is late coming in this year and it is in the mid 80's so he might not want to put the fert down yet!!

 

[ATH]

...have a company prune it first then if it don't get better get an arborist out...

Why wouldn't she have an arborist prune the tree?
But, yes, that is backwards. Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice (as they say). So get somebody who knows what they are looking at to diagnose the problem before taking away symptoms via pruning.

 

[sac-climber]

STUBBORN PEOPLE

Well I talked to her today and she asked her fertilizer guy who she isn't happy with to begin with what he thought about the tree. He told her to have a company prune it first then if it don't get better get an arborist out,which I think is totally backwards correct me if im wrong. The tree looks stressed all ready I would think you would want to find out what is troubling it first then treat it. I wouldn't think you would want to prune the whole tree first. So she is getting estimates to prune it. I think that is looking for disaster!!! Please correct me if im wrong. She has been fighting me all summer. I tell her I just seeded you need to keep the ground moist but she just dont get it. For the last to weeks I been telling her the grass is stressed and could use watering, She says im not watering it is going to rain. again I tell her the ground is dry the tree and grass could use some water, she says I havn't watered in a couple days I said ya I can tell the grass is really stressed now if you would have listened to me your grass wouldn't be all yellow but hey what do I know I been watering every day and my yard looks great and the big Oak is doing well in my yard. Funny she even said my yard looks really good,you would think she might heed the warning, and maybe put some water on her yard. The leaves on her Maple are falling and the grass is yellow and all she is worried about is when her guy is going to put the next application on. Because he is a few days late well I guess so every thing is late coming in this year and it is in the mid 80's so he might not want to put the fert down yet!!

Crash I'm gonna give you a tip...get rid of her. There is nothing worse than caring more than the person you are helping, especially if your help is free. She's never going to get it. Seriously, do yourself a favor and cut the tie.

 

[unclecrash]

Why wouldn't she have an arborist prune the tree?
But, yes, that is backwards. Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice (as they say). So get somebody who knows what they are looking at to diagnose the problem before taking away symptoms via pruning.

I don't know she has the money to do it right the first time, I was going to get her some #'s then a bell rung in my head, and I said to my self im not going to worry about it ,it's her tree ,her money she will do what she want's and what she thinks is right.

 

[unclecrash]

Crash I'm gonna give you a tip...get rid of her. There is nothing worse than caring more than the person you are helping, especially if your help is free. She's never going to get it. Seriously, do yourself a favor and cut the tie.

I won't go that far, I will mow her lawn and trim the bush'es and won't have to deal with the headache.

 

[unclecrash]

Hopefully the tree companies she calls have an arborist who does the estimate's.