JAPANESE MAPLE PROBLEMS

[@ianbentryn8115]

Verticilium, like any other disease, is most likely to express in a weak tree. I always prune to retain the healthiest, most vigorous parts of the tree intact. The reduction cuts that the client is most often asking for or expecting, are often the cause of overall stress that may then lead to the vert manifesting later on. I refuse to do that type of work - I always tell them that they will have no trouble finding someone else that will happily charge them to weaken or mutilate their tree. Another pet peeve is over-mulching. Burying the bases of trees in years' worth of composting mulch suffocates the roots, and yet garden services exploit people's assumptions that "feeding" trees annually in this way is good for them. All it is good for is the garden guy's invoice. Importantly though, each time mulch is added is another chance that vert is being introduced in a batch of under-cooked mulch. Since the vert life-cycle is to re-inoculate the soil through fallen infected leaves, one of the best advices to clients is to keep the fall leaves cleaned up. If I encounter a J-map that has a few vert limbs but also other strong-looking parts of the tree, I tell the client that all we can do is remove the expressing limbs cleanly, apply compost tea (for humic acid and mycorrhizae), water appropriately during the summer, and clean up leaves in the fall. If we are lucky the tree may never loose any more limbs - even though the vert is still in the soil.

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

Appreciate your input. In my area, composting is blown away by the gardeners and the soil is bare in most cases. I am always pushing mulch but not to bury trunk.

[@B30pt87]

@ianbentryn8115 Thank you.

[@williamaitken7533]

This is a fantastic video! I'll share what I know: in bonsai, it's common for Japanese maples to be partially defoliated, especially on the tops. This causes light and air to penetrate more evenly in the tree and can encourage new bud formation and strengthen week internal foliage. So, assuming that the tree from the beginning is able to recover, it might be possible that it's able to get some additional growth to compensate and fill in the bare spots!

[@kirkshar]

Nice to wake up to your video on a Sunday morning! Thanks for the tour and information as usual!☕

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

Good morning Sharon. Sun just came up on the West coast.

[@ryobrown-mcclain805]

Thanks so much for the wonderful content as always, I enjoyed the lesson on verticillium(sp?) wilt. Its always a pleasure to watch you work on those big old trees.

[@asimplierlife3104]

@ BG; You were right, that limb on the Chinese elm was insane. The stresses on the wood fibers must be intense.

[@trashcatlinol]

I'm not really a tree person, but i adore your call to your community! As well as all the wonderful insight you shared! My hometown seemed to have a problem with many of the older trees. They all had some sort of disease no one could identity. Looking at the trees tou showed here, my guess is it was a human infestation. Can't say i know any tree specialist, and the best trees were the ones left alone. I love how you said you were not an expert and so you have to regularly research. I'm generally regarded as smart, but i'm only that way because i know i don't much of anything, really. It's little tips that others who know share that help me grow and learn. I said i'm not a tree person, but i have a few trees to mind now, and would love to know how to keep them healthy. Even if you're not an expert in everything, i know a treasure trove of info when i see it. The perfect starting place for a budding researcher.

[@shanesouza4303]

@Blair always find Maple's a very interesting speci. So much variety. That Coral one is just wild. Thanks for taking us along as always. 🤘😎✌️

[@jimturtle6223]

Blair I deal with alot of Jap maples. Alot of them are being attacked by not only v wilt but by phomopsis as well. But perhaps the most damaging of all is volcano mulching resulting in girdling roots that strange them. Good grief! Hey why are your rhododendrons so sparse?

[@ukandrew]

Really informative video presented in a pleasant natural way. The people in your area are fortunate to have someone like yourself, who really cares about the plant and your clients. 5 stars.

[@KeenanBaird]

Two varieties of verticillium cause wilt. Most common outside of the NE is verticillium dahliae. The fungus clogs the water conducting tissue (xylem) of the tree. You’ll see it begin at the top because there are fewer water conducting cells the further you get up in the tree. Basically no treatment, some trees outgrow it though!

[@MrWaterbugdesign]

Just the other day I saw a large Chinese Elm with a limb so long horizontally that surprised me. I'm in Phoenix.

[@abdulhamid9605]

Amazing video, thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@tazmankb26]

Wow two amazing Acer Palmatum! Any idea on the specific variety? You sure did a great job on clean up and hoping that prolongs there life.

[@schmitty8225]

I have a chinese elm and it likes to have those long branches that grow horizontally. They've been through several hurricanes and I expect them to snap but they do well. I trim some branches off it every year though.

[@mattlloyd9054]

Thank you for bringing this wilt problem to my attention I think one of mine possibly more has it? Is the emerald ash borer on the west coast? All our ash have been destroyed in 3 years or less it's amazing how fast they wiped them out!

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

Ermerald ash borer is not here yet to my knowledge but it is expected.

[@DavidBoschGR]

@@arboristBlairGlenn Emerald ash borer was discovered west of Portland, Oregon in June of 2022 by an alert arborist. I believe that the infestation was contained.

[@dankotos61]

I have a big Japanese Maple in my front yard with a beautiful canopy

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

Don’t let your gardeners touch it!

[@Dazrena]

Blair, is there some book or books or online database that gives details about tree characteristics? I want to learn more about the trees in my area (south east Kansas) but my coworkers are just there for the paycheck so I usually only get "cottonwoods and silver maples are weak, oaks are strong kind of information.

[@jimturtle6223]

Dirr's encyclopedia of Trees. It's a must have

[@Dazrena]

@@jimturtle6223 I ordered that book and thank you for the recommendation. It's absolutely bursting with information I hadn't known where to find!

[@nnll2ncg140]

I’ve turned I to a collector of Japanese Maples. Being in the SE I often worry about humidity and over mulching. Thankfully tho my soil is sand and drains extremely well. I just add a little organic material to the sand when planting and the big varieties just take off. They are gorgeous trees. Still worried about fungus but I’m enjoying my trees while I can.

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

One by of my favorite trees as well.

[@elieregnier7783]

Would you ever consider cabling something like that ash with the deck built around?

[@filmsbyjd]

Thanks for this video; enjoyed it! Reminds me of my oak that has a crotch like that tree at the end (but with no cavity). The oak is not big, but it's got one side leaning over my house. I'm wondering whether or not the oak should be removed or get a weight reduction! Have a great day!

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

Have an Arborist look at it

[@staceylam762]

I had a 80ft tall ash tree with 36 inches diameter and a deck was built around it also. My tree was 6 ft from my bedroom and the a arborist told me to get rid of my tree Just because it was so close to house and it had a slight lean and that it will always do poorly because of the deck built around it:(( I am still hurting and regretting cus it’s so Hot in southern Ca this month:( The main trunk was healthy and huge , all it needed was trimming of dead branches. I am desperately in need of another tree and thought of an arbutus marina but it’s such a slow growing tree! I won’t be around by the time it reaches 40ft

[@B30pt87]

Is there a way to prevent sun scald on Japanese Maples? Would planting them in a semi-shaded area help? Also, it looked pretty good after having so many dead branches removed. It pays to have a good arborist!

[@ThePhildamon1]

Japanese maples are understory trees. They like shade. That's the way to prevent sunscald. Right tree, Right place.

[@susanross1651]

I have a Japanese maple, I do keep it in a pot to hold back the growth a bit. Anyway it really wasn’t doing very well, but about 3 years ago I moved it to a shady & sheltered part of my garden, because they don’t like persistent wind as well as strong sun. . It is a red one & the leaves on it look great now.

[@B30pt87]

@@ThePhildamon1 Thank you. That's the same conclusion I came to!

[@lonestarpatriot876]

There are thousands of cultivars of Japanese Maples. Some like shade, some like sun, some are more heat tolerant, others not so much. The answer really depends on what cultivar you are referring to. I am a collector of Japanese Maples, and I can tell you that there is not a single answer to that question. It is important to know the characteristics of the cultivar you are buying.

[@1neide2noah]

@@ThePhildamon1 I agree, but after many years, landscapes planned for have come and gone!

[@PandotheWise]

Other than canopy die back, are there other indicators you look for to make a VW diagnosis?

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

Humm, V W diagnosis? Let me think. Very wise? Or are we switching to cars😊 Yes, bark lesions, pitch oozing, cracked limbs, pulse wounds, crown rot--and on and on

[@unclefrogy743]

the unknown tree at the beginning might be a Tabebuia chrysotricha: my tree is really putting on the show with a burst of sunshine yellow trumpets with little stripes in the throat

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

Thank you for adding this contribution

[@pretendtobenormal8064]

Is the Modesto Ash susceptible to threat from the emerald ash borer? I live in the midwest US and the Modesto Ash isn't a species I'm familiar with...

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

Likely but we don’t see the Emerald As Borer (Yet), but I’m sure it’s coming.

[@88SC]

Is your profile pic a Hedge Apple? 😅

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

@@88SC no

[@kingjames4886]

heh... I have a little japanese maple that rotted out the center years ago and I just keep babying along what's left as bits split off the sides :/ isn't the blackening and bark splitting due to excessive water and related molds? get that sort of thing a lot where I am.

[@1neide2noah]

I would try a comprehensive fungicide drench, and bracing the branches if there is stress on them. They don't need as much water as you would think.

[@kingjames4886]

@@1neide2noah I don't think it needs any water other than what it gets naturally lol.

[@robertdancho9671]

Good video.

[@pierre5699]

Last modesto ash: minimizing the risk of splitting by linking the 2 trunks (cable, steel bar,...): What do you think? Thanks for your videos 👍

[@1neide2noah]

I agree, some heavy wire and a couple of turnbuckles would stabilize the branches. And the one with the deep crotch, why not blow out what is possible, and fill with epoxy. Has anyone ever tried such a thing?

[@TheTomBevis]

I wonder if pouring some dilute hydrogen peroxide in those decaying crotches could extent the tree's life? It's very good for killing fungi.

[@justinswitzer8677]

The fungi is only there because of the decaying wood not feeding on the living tissue.

[@hippiebits2071]

Would not imagine that the crotch of a tree has much in common with the crown of a palm. I'm assuming you mentioned this as it's sometimes used in an effort to save palm trees.

[@trashcatlinol]

I think the bigger concern with the crotch was the fear of a branch easily splitting and falling off, especially with a branch hanging over the home. As deep as that was, even if you were to kill off what was causing the damage, there was a lot of doubt on the structural integrity. Still, I saw it and thought, ''huh, I wonder if you could put potting soil there with a flower or something without making the tree sick....''

[@kingjames4886]

hmm... think that wilt is what's wrong with one of my pear trees :/

[@colincook2910]

More likely fire blight. Very common disease for trees in prunus genus

[@colincook2910]

*pyrus

[@kingjames4886]

@@colincook2910 it doesn't have the rusty looking dead foliage typical of fire blight though. the most noticable thing is some bud sites die with a dark scabby ring around them and the layer under the bark is a crappy brown color. it still seems to be growing but it's clearly struggling.

[@FreddieExPath]

Always interesting to watch your sort of lectures on all kinds of trees and their various characteristics. What really have me intrigued though, is your videos about trees that has been filled up with concrete. And as such, if you haven't seen it already, this video from Indonesia may perhaps interest you kzbin.info/www/bejne/moqQq3l4prCVndk.

[@arboristBlairGlenn]

Interesting video. Can’t start a brand new saw. Then climbs without any safety gear.