Attached are photos of my Mirte from November 2014 when it was flowering after having been planted in October. Anyway, received lots of good advice from this forum on protecting it, bought a plant cover to fit, copper spray, but was caught by the drop of temps really suddenly to below 20 degrees from 60s and 70s. This spring you can see the result. Not sure if it is verticillium or pseudonomas? The other photos are of my Beni schichihenge which I have had for about 5 years. It was looking good last fall with beautiful fall colors, then this spring has many blackened and dead inner branches. Haven't yet pruned. Not sure whether it will make it. Was wondering whether planting annuals near its roots resulted in too much fertilizer from Osmocote in the planting holes for the annuals. Anyway I will prune out the dead parts and see what happens.
Cjart..What an absolute shame with ref to the Mirte ,recall commenting on your tree last year and saying what a stunning tree you had with lovely shape ,can see you have cut back just see what happens in the next few months? Those are extreme temperature fluctuations you have experienced and no doubt will have had the detremental consequences you are now faced with. On a side note i never plant annuals near my JM unless they are container kept, shame about that tree B/S it did look nice, but there does seem to be signs of life still present,hope you can retain some life with the pruning and keep it going. Good luck.
Gutted, just noticed a whole major branch on my Beni Otake has not leafed out and has major die back most the way along the branch. There are black patches on the bark. This will ruin it's shape, needs to be pruned completely out. This is my largest and best looking maple standing about 9-0 tall, single trunk with 3 branched crown. John
John.. Have noticed a small black area myself on one of my Summer golds near the graft union, branches and buds look ok though but will keep an eye on this one. Strange i nearly bought a beautiful B/O this afternoon at P/H nurseries just to big to get in the motor and i already have kinshi and villa taranto so gave it a miss. Only bought one plant (that's a first) a lovely Matsuyoi but still good day out,he had three beautiful M/Y asked him how much all sold!! everyone seems to want M/Y Mark
M/Y is stunning right now, I picked up a second one late last year as we liked it so much. Need to take some pics tomorrow, my Beni Otake has in my eyes the most beautiful natural shape. It was right at the back of the nursery, looked like it had been there years in a pot far too small and looked so forlorn no one wanted it. Made a crazy offer which was accepted, once planted in the ground it just took off, until now. I will take some pics tomorrow, before and after I remove the limb. John
Thanks Roebuck. I really appreciate the forum to get some feedback on these things! Feel bad about the Mirte and feel that I will surely try to replace it if it is indeed gone. Hadn't thought of potted plants around the Beni or whatever if I have to replace it, but that would be a good idea.. At least the greenhouse is just down the road, which is both good and bad!
Thus far, things don't look too bad. Matthew is still a question mark, and will be until I see how it handles the Kansas heat (so far, knock on wood, the infection has not spread and it is nearly fully leafed out). Usugumo I'm getting worried about. When scratched, the bark is green underneath, but there is very little evidence of budding and what few there are, have not grown in a month. Last year, it was leafing out at this time. And finally, I'm concerned about my Taylor's Sunburst lodgepole pine. Apparently, it didn't like being kept under the deck this winter as all the needles were quite washed out and pale when I hauled everything out. Everything is still pliable, and there's a bit of candle growth, but nearly all the needles are brown now and my Chief Joseph is really pushing those candles. All in all, though, not too bad - I'll take it over what I've experienced previous years.
Sometimes there doesn't seem to be much explanation for spring losses. We had a "regular" sort of winter, mins around -6C but only a few nights, and very wet, so wouldn't expect issues, but... Had to lop off a major limb on A. oliverianum 'Nakahara beni', about 4-5 ft of plant, suddenly blackening with a pseudomonas infection. That was about half of the tree leaving it looking very lopsided, and there may be more needing to come off... Right in the front garden we've had a A. shirasawanum (species but grafted on A. palmatum) which has been a beautiful and graceful tree. It had some problems with freezing in the very cold 08/09 winter, and some verticillium looking symptoms in summer but has always made it through and gotten quite large, perhaps 9-10 ft. This winter the major 2 trunks just went and died. No particular sign of pathogen, just dead bark on the major stems. And it looked great in fall, too, and had fine growth last year. Why now? Who knows... Still it's gone from an eye-catcher to a stumpy small shrub, bummer.
Two pictures of Summer golds, first pic planted out last year and have just noticed the dreaded black appearence on the bark.Second pic a lovely healthy container S/G ,don't hold out much hope for the first one will keep an eye on it and see how it fairs? Third pic of a Red garnet which i was given three years ago for free by a young couple who had bought a house about 200 metres from where i live,just happen to be walking past and noticed they were digging the whole of the front garden up to create a drive way. Asked what they were doing with R/G and the reply was "going in the skip mate", i then said i would take it of his hands if he didn't mind, i will just go get my wheel barrow!! OK pal was the reply. This was a double trunked tree but he had broken one side off trying to dig it up, this was an old tree but had lovely shape to it, huge root ball though. After two years i noticed new growth around the wound and decided to leave on a see what happens this year,well to my delight it's really kicked in and hopefully over the next few years i will try and put new shape into the re-growth, will bend the branches forward so it will go in the direction of the old branch. Finally the last pic is of a container Kamagata which suffered from die back a couple of seasons ago,cut out the dead branches and this year we have new growth starting to reform,so hopefully this will flourish once more.
Thanks Roebuck Encouraging to see the trees that are making a comeback! It is difficult to give up on trees, so it warms my heart to see the ones that reward the hope. Been looking at some dried up buds and hoping. I have to say though--most of my 24 little trees are doing well despite up and down temps. Mine are all in the ground. I have always worried more about adequate moisture because of our dry climate, but the sudden temperature swings starting last fall have been the hurdle this year. Attaching a photo of my pruned Beni schichihenge. It has quite a few buds, leaves and even a blossom. The form could look better eventually!
Cjart..There seems to life left in your B/S still, good green colour in a few of the branches it will just be a case of waiting and see what happens over the summer months,further cuts may be needed along the way? Time will tell. Just added a pic of my winter flame which suffered major loss of limbs this time last year,was a three trunked tree and i had to remove two due to severe die back. Actually started a thread April 5th 2014 with pics of same tree,well one year later it's still going strong and actually put on height and good side branching, so don't be to worried then can return, still a work in progress though:)
I thought this was Beni Oatake, it wasn't in leaf, buts its actually Burgundy Lace. I have had to take out a major limb, this tree always thrived and was bought bargain basement, neglected in a nursery, crazy offer accepted and it thrived once root pruned and planted in the ground, until this set back. Pictures attached before and after surgery. Last picture is with limb removed. Hopefully no more problems.
Roebuk, What tricks do you have up your sleeve to get a stump to look that good after merely a year??? Do tell! Kevin in KC
Kevin..Search for thread titled 'When is a JM dead or is there hope' 5th April 2014 and you will find exactly what i did to this tree, pics as well. Just left well alone behind a golden burberus and it just seemed to get better,seems ok this year definately larger growth in branches, the base where i cut the other two branches off is still a bit gnarly but it's still alive. Mark
I am back again regarding the Beni schichihenge that I had to prune the dead limbs from earlier in the spring. It looks like it is making quite an effort to recover, but the spindly branches are taking a beating in the rains we have been having. A lot of the growth has been at the twiggy end growth, so they have been flopping and bending way over. Got worried and propped one of the up with a pole using some things to attach the floppy branch to one of the upright ones. I am hoping this is not a bad thing to do temporarily, but was wondering if I should thin out the growth instead?
Thought it might be of interest to show what has happening to my Beni schichihenge that I had to cut three trunk/branches off this spring and summer. it has made quite an effort to survive, but still has issues. Had a lot of heavy twiggy growth, almost witches broom like on the ends of some branches. I am attempting to train a really long side branch as more of a central leader with some staking. It is having some trunk cracking that it looks like it is trying to heal over. Never say die, but I wonder how it will make it through the winter. Does anyone have a guess about why the trunk cracked like that? It is the sun exposure perhaps?
I'd like to read what others say, but to me the sun is an aggravating factor of a wound that first developped in late winter. Maybe some bacterial attack that would have disappeared under other conditions. I'd be quite confident it can be saved with proper care: this has happened on a couple of trees I have, and so far, the rate of success in saving such trees is 100% (in a shallow pot, in a "normal" pot, in a big pot, and in the ground. Call me copper-maniac if you like, but I'm certain it's because I used Bordeaux mix (copper sulphate)!
Thanks AlainK. I do have copper sulfate that I can spray. The cracks are not bleeding any sap or oozing anything which is a good sign I think. The weather here has been extremely hot and dry and is now changing to cooler and maybe some rain. So maybe this might be a good time to spray?
I agree with Alain, looks like late winter bacterial damage. I'm never totally sure in these cases though unless I have seen the infection. Anyway if this is so I'd be very encouraged for the tree which shows good signs of healing. It is as good time for spraying copper BTW. -E
Thanks Emery. I will do the spraying today. Glad that there is hope it will recover. It is the largest JM that I have and it has had a hard year for sure.
Here is what is happening in the struggle that this Beni schichihenge is making to recover. I know it probably could drop dead at any time, but it seems to be trying really hard this spring. I had to take out 2 trunks last summer one of which leafed out pretty well then dried up and died. Tried to stake the remaining trunk to move it more toward center and took the stakes out this spring. It is leafing out and even looks like it has blossoms. The trunk is looking like it will heal the splits in time. The ugly stump left at the center, I don't know whether to cut it back more or leave it? Also, the earliest leaves it is having look like they are reverting. In the past when it did this I cut the branches that reverted. Should I do this still since it is having such a struggle anyway? Thanks for any advice.
