Pam,

Thankx for your reply. You seems to work for this forum. Google should
reward you for it. Many thankx.

Andrew




I hate answering like this but here it is - it depends. V.W. can
demonstrate different patterns of spread. Typically, a single branch or
branches will first exhibit the symptoms you described, eventually
followed by the rest of the tree. It can be a slow progression (over the
course of weeks or months) or it can happen very rapidly - almost
overnight. If your tree is budding out, that is a very good sign! Watch to
make sure the budding is uniform over the canopy of the tree. If you see
signs that a branch is not budding, prune it off and examine it in detail
- is there streaking under the bark surface or a dark center in the
branch? These are the typical VW indicators.

As to getting rid of it........not really possible. It is a fungus that is
present pretty much in any soil. It is opportunistic in that it invades
when trees are vulnerable from various stresses or when wounded (usually
root disturbance, less often just from pruning). Sterilize pruners after
using them on plants where you suspect this problem. In fact, it's a good
idea to sterilize them regularly anyway and always after using them on a
diseased plant.

If the tree succumbs to VW, cut it down, but don't dig out the root system
if you suspect there may be co-mingling of roots with your other maples.
If they are far enough away that this is not a problem, its okay to remove
the stump and roots. Avoid cultivating in the root zone of the other
maples and make sure all your gardening tools are well cleaned.

Aerated compost tea is about the best antidote to this problem. If you
catch it early enough and apply the tea biweekly as a soil drench in the
drip zone through the growing season, you can often destroy the fungus.

More than just maples are affected by this problem. Research should
indicate which other plants you have which might be vulnerable and which
plants are resistant that you could plant in place of your maple, should
you lose it to this problem.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for you :-)) VW is a real ****er - there
is nothing worse than watching a beautifully established tree turn up its
toes and croak in the matter of a few weeks. I have lost two trees to this
problem - a redbud and a gorgeous J. maple grown on from a seedling and I
have a garden full of other vulnerable species. I now use the tea
religiously.

pam - gardengal