When do I give up on a chlorotic Red Maple??

[CathyAnn]

We have a 20-25+ foot Red Maple (approximately 12 years old) in our backyard that has suffered from chlorosis the past 2-3 years. The canopy is about 6-8 foot wide. So, not a huge tree yet.
The tree starts out good in the spring, with new growth appearing. But, come mid-summer, the leaves on the outer most part of tree start yellowing. The middle veining of the leaves are green with outer edges yellow. If you stand under the tree and look up, the inner and low part is a fairly good green. Seems to want to grow.....but, new growth sickly.

Last fall and this spring I fed the root zone with a Ross iron supplement with no noticeable improvement.

I went to my garden center this week and they recommended Lutz's maganese spikes, sulfur and a foliar spray by Ross. I also pulled back the shredded bark mulch and applied two large bags of cow manure.

They suggested I apply the Ross iron root feeding again in September and more of the Lutz spikes.

My arborist (recommended by Morton Arboretum) wants big $$ to treat with Cambistat and either soil wash or injections. (I prefer passing the soil wash as it will kill the surrounding grass).

It has become a dilemma, as it would cost alot to remove and replace, as well. We just had storms last week and tree ppl are charging 250+ to remove downed trees and stump/root system.

Any comments and suggestions welcome.

Cathy

P.S. Hi Treeseer

 

[treeseer]

Hi Cathy,

Cutting to the chase, see attached.

 

[S Mc]

Cathy, I am surprised, and disappointed, that the arborist that came out didn't recommend a root crown excavation (as Treeseer did) as well as a soil/foliar test. Nutrient supplementation can be an expensive and pointless cycle without this information. A soil sample can also be tested to determine presence of parasitic diseases/nematodes that might be taking advantage of a weakened specimen.

Another thing we see here in the country is trees getting into septic lines/systems and not necessarily liking what they find.

Sylvia

 

[appalachianarbo]

Nutrient supplementation can be an expensive and pointless cycle without this information.

Excatly. Why spend money on soil inputs unless you know they are needed? Your cooperative extension office should provide free or low cost soil tests.

Get your arborist to do the root crown excavation to see what you have, and go from there.

 

[Woodie]

A few things CathyAnn:

First off, red maples do not get iron chlorosis...they get manganese chlorosis. So by using the Ross product, you are not only not helping the tree, but may actually be hurting it. Manganese and iron ions in the soil are natural antagonists, so an overabundance of one prevents the uptake of the other. Absolutely no more iron-only products for that tree!!

Now, that having been said, there's the issue of the soil's pH. Red maples will not do well if their soil is above 7.0. They thrive around 5.5 to 6.5. If your soil is above that, neither manganese nor iron are available in the quanities a red maple needs. There's a lot of debate from a lot of knowledgable people as to whether or not it's possible to raise/lower the pH of the soil encompassing an entire tree's root system for the long term, so I won't get deep into that here. My own opinion is that, since you need only treat the top 12" of soil, you can effect the pH to a certain extent, but any treatment will have to be applied on a long-term basis.

Lastly, there's the issue of soil compaction and water. Another name for a red maple is a swamp maple. That's important because it is near to impossible to overwater one. The downside is that they need a metric butt ton of water. If your soil is compacted, and particularly if it's clay, there's the chance it's just not getting enough water, and that can add to the chlorosis problem in a big way. Furthermore, if you have heavy clay, the Lutz spikes may be ineffective as they won't effectively "dissolve."

Bottom line: Let us know what kind of soil you have, and the pH of it, and we can hopefully steer you toward some relatively inexpensive fixes.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[CathyAnn]

Thanks to all for your replies.

Hopefully, my arborist will come this week, as promised.

I may even print out some of these replies for him.