Viridis issues :-(

Discussion in 'Maples' started by Schattenfreude, Apr 20, 2014.

  1. Schattenfreude

    Schattenfreude Active Member

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    I'm not exactly sure what's going on with my 15 year-old Viridis, one of the first maples I planted. I have two of these, and the other one has leafed out normally. But this one has a lot of light brown twigs and branches. I cut many such twigs out of it last month, but more and more are showing up. The tips of some branches are finally leafing out, but the leaves are few and far between.

    I must admit, this tree stands very close to where I feed birds (...and squirrels) during the winter months. The tree has withstood ice storms, fallen oak limbs, and late frosts and has NEVER looked like this before.

    Please share your expertise. It has a canopy that's over 6 feet wide and has always been a focal point in my back yard.

    Kevin in KC

    P1020835.JPG P1020836.JPG P1020837.JPG
     
  2. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    Hi Kevin,

    Sounds like an absolutely lovely specimen! Hopefully things right themselves in the coming weeks...

    Because of the horrendously cold winter we've had, I would give it a bit more time and see what happens - and avoid pruning off anything more. My (uneducated, minimally experienced) guess is that some of the limbs received frost damage, hence the more brown color. (That being said, the Viridis I picked up late last summer from Lowes had - and still does - a mixture of both green and more brown limbs, and it seems to be fine.) If it is frost damage, you could luck out and have it be superficial, in which case it will still leaf out, or product new buds from elsewhere along the branch, if the buds too were damaged. This is the biggest reason I would not do anymore pruning just yet - wait for it to leaf out to confirm what truly is/is not dead. Obviously, in the meantime, watch for any blackening anywhere on the branches/stems and prune this off immediately.

    Have you treated it with anything yet? Copper spray/horticultural oil/etc? Fertilized it? Since I'm assuming that you're warming up on a consistent basis by now - like here in Wichita - maybe a light round of fertilizer or root-booster (Fox Farm has a few new products in their Bush Doctor line that are specifically for helping stressed plants and helping with the roots) to help it along would be wise?

    Hopefully others wiser and more experienced than I will provide their insight too, but this would be my recommendation based on your description and pictures. Good luck!!!
     
  3. maf

    maf Generous Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    Have to say it doesn't sound (or look) good for this tree. A couple of things I picked up on from the pictures: The root flare looks very dark, has it turned black? If so, a very bad sign. Also there looks to be some splitting or cracking on the bark of the main trunk, it is looking almost dessicated. Compare these features to the healthy 'Viridis' and see how they differ. You could also try putting your fingernail in one of the cracks and see if the surrounding bark is attached to the trunk or not and if it can easily be lifted.

    If these observations are correct, I am thinking that the rootstock may have died over winter. I hope I am wrong.
     
  4. Schattenfreude

    Schattenfreude Active Member

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    Andrea and Maf,

    I appreciate your insight. I like Andrea's response better, I must admit. <g> I've attached a pic of the base of the tree. Yes, it is rather dark.

    Maf..... So how does the root stock die first? Was it the bitter cold over an extended time? Would a blanket of mulch have done anything to prevent this? Did I plant the tree too high way back when?

    As I said, squirrels and birds perch on this tree to eat their sunflower seeds all winter long. Two horizontal branches in particular seem more beat up than the others.

    P1020908.JPG

    Thanks for the input!
    Kevin in KC
     
  5. maf

    maf Generous Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    The root flare doesn't look great, but it doesn't look as bad as I feared. The jury is still out on this one. How are the cracked areas on the trunk?

    Yes, bitter cold over an extended period of time could kill the rootstock. Because the rootstocks are seed grown they are subject to variances and one could easily be more cold tolerant than another. Other possibilities could be root girdling or ground that is saturated with water over winter. It may even be that part of the root system is dead and part is alive, with a possibility that the tree could bounce back.

    I think you are best to follow Andrea's advice and wait and see what happens, and keep those squirrels away!
     
  6. AlainK

    AlainK Renowned Contributor Forums Moderator Maple Society 10 Years

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    I'd say the roots need more oxygen: your soil seems to be very compact. If the roots can't breathe, the branches will die.
     
  7. JT1

    JT1 Contributor 10 Years

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    I think everything has been mentioned that comes to mind. But I will point out a root on the left side that looks like it could be growing over top of some major roots off the flare (in the photo showing a close up of the root flare). Possibly others like it just under the soil are limiting the flow through the vascular system from the roots to the trunk. Once soil is carefully removed from the area; the smaller girdling root(s) can be pruned, being careful not to damage the major root underneath.

    If nothing stands out as tightly choking a major root, then just leave it alone for now and let the tree recover. But make note of any roots that will thicken and become a problem in the future and address them when the tree is in better health.

    Its possible that not one thing caused the decline, but a combination of things were weakening the tree and the coldest Winter on record was too great for the tree to carry all these smaller liabilities.

    Anyway, I really hope it makes it.
     
  8. Schattenfreude

    Schattenfreude Active Member

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    It appears that I have my work cut out for me this weekend. How should I seal the wound after cutting any girdling roots?

    I realize that the soil does look compacted in the pic, but in all honesty I dig around this tree nearly every year while transplanting hostas and other perennials (ca. 2-3 feet from the trunk) Maybe using my garden claw near the trunk to loosen up the soil would have been a good idea. I do this with my hostas quite a bit.

    On a similar note, I arrived home from work this afternoon only to find ALL of my fresh, new Jordan branches broken or nibbled off. Not a single leaf was spared!! (@*#&^#%) I can only think that a squirrel decided to have a feast on the new leaves. I'm SO disappointed :-( Maybe it's time I invested in a BB gun after all, huh?

    Thanks for your advice, everyone. I'll keep you posted.
    Kevin in KC
     
  9. ROEBUK

    ROEBUK Generous Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    Schattenfreude..Would have to agree with maf on this one, post 5# he states ground could have become saturated and i would also concure with this.
    If you look at your post 4# the only picture and i was looking at the ground the tree is planted in , look at pic @11.00 ,9.00 and 1.00 and you can clearly see all the cracks in the ground,to me this indicates that at some stage it has soaked alot of surface water over a period of time which has then been retained and is now in the process of drying out hence the cracking of the ground.
    Three pics i have posted are of one of my large Viridis and have just done a simple test on the soil in which it's planted, 10" away from the trunk i have just dug a hole using only my fingers in under 10 seconds, you can see how lose and shaly the soil is and i can dig down very easily and i can also see plenty of healthy fibrous roots indicating to me it's a happy tree.
    Now looking at your picture would you be able to acheive the same result? if not i would contemplate re situating the tree altogether.
    Could be completly wrong but that's what i would do if it was my tree.
     

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  10. JT1

    JT1 Contributor 10 Years

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    No need to seal after pruning roots. Sorry to hear about your Jordan. I am always very cool and collect, but when something like that happens it makes my blood boil.
     

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