I’ve got a previously very healthy Japanese maple, planted as a seedling about 10 years ago. One of the two main branches began to leaf out, but then the leaves all died. There’s a black mark on that trunk. The trunk is big enough that I worry pruning it all out at once will cause the tree to lean too much. Also the wood is still green, but I’m guessing it’s a goner. Any advice much appreciated!
Here’s a picture:
Anyone? Please?
I don’t really know, but it sounds like that branch may be a goner. I’d give it a little time just to see. The pattern on those black spots makes me think a sapsucker had a go at your tree.
Thank you. I’m not sure if it’s a sapsucker or not, though it does resemble some of the pictures that. However the holes don’t seem to penetrate, so I wonder if it could be a disease of some sort.
Anyway I’m wondering if it’s OK to prune out as much as 1/3 of the tree’s weight in one go, whether that might disturb the tree’s balance, and maybe I should do a little at a time instead, or if it’s better to take it all off at one go.
And, does one season of failure to leaf out mean it’s gone for good? I’m guessing so, but wouldn’t mind confirmation from someone smarter than I.
I had two, and yes indeed they do catch diseases, at least in Michigan. One of them regaled us with a giant polypore mushroom once a year. I did end up cutting that branch well below the mushroom site, the wood staining indicated that the fungus was present in the main trunk as well, but that helped. No more mushrooms over several years.
I’m wondering now if it could be verticillium wilt. And perhaps the marks on the trunk bird damage because the branch is diseased, not causing it. Hmmm. Still unsure what to do. The top part of the trunk did begin to leaf out, but then the little leaves all wilted and died. Does that sound like VW?
Those are cankers. You could have phytophthora or verticillium wilt. When you got verticillium wilt you can cut thru a less diameter stem on that branch that wilted and look for streaks in the wood.
palmatum maples, or other species but especially Asian maples are susceptible to verticillium or phytophthora. Then comes along other hosts of problems such as cankers because the tree is struggling to stay alive. Next come insects.
Dax
Thanks. That makes sense. I planted on a mound but we have heavy soil and it’s been a very wet spring. Also, and I forgot to mention this, a year ago one of the offshoots of this trunk died back and I pruned it off.
So the question is, should I prune it all off now? Here’s a picture of the whole tree. As you can see, the part in question is 1/3 - 1/2 of the entire tree, one of two main trunks. I’d like to try to save the remaining tree, so what is my best course of action? Thanks again.
loading: image.png…