Japanese Maple - Should I be concerned

Falthyron

Hi all,

I have a Japanese Maple in my garden two years now. It looks stunning in summer, very vibrant and a great shape but I have noticed something recently and I don't know if I should be concerned. I have attached two images and if someone can alleviate my concerns or offer advice/guidance I would greatly appreciate it.

I am referring to the grey and black texture on the branches of the tree.

Thanks

20220317_150711.jpg

20220317_150706.jpg

Jim_Hodge

That's how dieback appears on small branches of mine - which I cut off. Yours seems to be main trunk though.

Falthyron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118798366#Comment_118798366

What can I do to help it? Specifically the main trunk. Do you just remove the branches on yours?

Reckless Abandonment

It looks in trouble alright. One stem (bottom left) looks to be ok for now. The other two are toast and should be cut back to about an inch from where they start. You should seal the cuts with paste garden centres have stuff for the job. You might get lucky but it dose look serious.

Falthyron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118798634#Comment_118798634

When you say cut back are you suggesting affected branches only or the trunk itself as well?

What caused this and how can it be prevented?

Reckless Abandonment

The main trunk splits in 3. Two of them 3 need to be cut back to about an inch and add cut paste to help heal the wounds. Other wise the whole plant will die. As to causes honestly I've always struggled to nail down how some of my maples die. Disease, poor pruning . They can be fickle.

Falthyron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118798892#Comment_118798892

That is disappointing, borderline heartbreaking. Basically, I need to remove two thirds of the tree with the main trunk being one part. Am I likely to see a return of growth of the main trunk if it survives?

Thanks for your advice so far.

emo72

well something made it go bad in the first place. maybe the soil its in is too wet. bad drainage. or, maybe its very windy, not in a sheltered enough area. thats the first 2 things id check.

it looks very close to the fence. it wont like its branches rubbing against anything. and being that close to the concrete base the soil may be dodgy there. its the wrong time to be cutting back because the sap is pushing now. let it grow this season and see how it pans out?

Reckless Abandonment

I agree cutting now isn't ideal. But it won't survive otherwise.

Falthyron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118799001#Comment_118799001

By removing the two parts, is there any chance it will regrow?

Reckless Abandonment

Don't be to disappointed I've about 30 maples going in pots and the ground and some just don't survive the first few years. There is a chance it will survive. As long as one branch stayes alive it will become the new trunk.

looksee

What are posters saying is the specific problem? If it is die back then it would be too far gone if it has got well down the trunk, I would have thought. OP is there any kind of residue on the bark or is the bark itself black? Is that first pic a branch or trunk?

Falthyron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118799982#Comment_118799982

No residue on the bark. When I cut into it, it's a dull yellow/grey colour. The first pic is the trunk with one branch also affected.

Update: I cut back the main trunk and the affected branch. I put some pruning sealant on both wounds as well. I am going to stake up the other branch to have it rise up rather than out as best as possible. I'll keep an eye on it for the next few weeks and see what happens. If it's also affected then I'll have to remove the entire thing 😔

Thanks for all of the help and advice.

Paulownia

Acers are suceptible to dieback at the best of times, I tend to wait until the plant is in full growth before cutting anything back. I have one large one that split low down years ago and I tied it up with a pair of tights and it healed completely