Borken Japanese Maple
 

We have a Japanese Maple which we just discovered is split down the millde
of a "Y". I'm assuming the heavy snows here in Delaware were the cause.
What should I do to try and preserve this beautiful tree?
And thank you in advance for help, I know I'll get it - You always come thru
for me,
Nan Zitney

--
Lifes Riches Other Rooms Adorn,
But In the Kitchen Home is Born

Borken Japanese Maple
 

I CAN spell, I just can't type with the fake fingernails when they get too
long!!!!!
"N. Zitney" wrote in message
...
We have a Japanese Maple which we just discovered is split down the millde
of a "Y". I'm assuming the heavy snows here in Delaware were the cause.
What should I do to try and preserve this beautiful tree?
And thank you in advance for help, I know I'll get it - You always come
thru
for me,
Nan Zitney

--
Lifes Riches Other Rooms Adorn,
But In the Kitchen Home is Born

Japanese Maple
 

HI HI- wrote:

X-No-Archive: yes
hello all i just bought some small japanese maple trees. im new to this entire scene. im have a concern. in one of the tree i dug the hole then added compound, i then put some 1010 fertilizer on top of that. i put the tree/root bulb on top of that fi
lled the side with top soil and the top with top soil. sprinkled the fertilizer on top of the soil around the bark area. was i not supposed to put the 1010 on top of the compound? will this kill the tree? do i have to dig it up and do this again?
my last question is how fast do these trees grow? any special care i need to take with these trees?

Generally, it is not recommended to fertilize newly planted trees and shrubs with anything other than a transplant fertilizer. They need time to establish a good healthy root system before attempting to put on significant top growth - transplant ferts will
do that while regular ferts tend to promote foliar growth. You do not need to dig it up - just make sure the tree is well watered.

Japanese maples have sensative root systems and do not like them messed about with - do not attempt to loosen the soil around the roots. Just plant it as it comes out of the pot or burlap or whatever. Make sure drainage is very good and plant high, so that
the surface of the root ball is slightly higher than the soil level. Frequent watering is necessary to get a tree established and I would not consider these trees to be even slightly drought tolerant, so adequate irrigation will be necessary to
maintain its health.

Most Japanese maples grow very slowly, but I am frequently surprised at the speed of growth some young trees exhibit. You may notice some significant growth for the first year or two, but then it will slow down and increase in size very slowly. J. maples c
an take a long time - 25+ years - to mature.

pam - gardengal

Borken Japanese Maple
 

"N. Zitney" wrote:

We have a Japanese Maple which we just discovered is split down the millde
of a "Y". I'm assuming the heavy snows here in Delaware were the cause.
What should I do to try and preserve this beautiful tree?
And thank you in advance for help, I know I'll get it - You always come thru
for me,
Nan Zitney

Japanese maples often develop tight crotches (boy, does that look funny when
written!) which can split relatively easily in rough weather. While this can be
a serious problem for larger, faster growing maples, it does not seem to be a
fatal injury for the smaller Asian maples. Depending on how deep the split is,
I'd be inclined to leave it alone and let the tree heal itself. If it is
possible to somehow close the split by bracing the two adjacent branches
together, do so, although this really should be done as soon after the injury
occurs as possible. The tree may have already started to callus over the wound,
preventing the wound from sealing. If in doubt about how deep or severe the
injury is, call a qualified arborist to come out and do a health assessment.

pam - gardengal

Japanese Maple
 

HI HI- ) wrote:
: wow
: that long @!! thanks for the info. i was wondering about the =
: fertilizer. the guy at home depot told us to do it :(
: im glad i dont have to dig up the tree again.

I have a Japanese maple that's been putting on 2-3 ft. per branch per year
(it's about 8 ft tall now).

Albert

Japanese Maple
 

do you have pics?








wrote in message ...
HI HI- ) wrote:
: wow
: that long @!! thanks for the info. i was wondering about the =3D
: fertilizer. the guy at home depot told us to do it :(
: im glad i dont have to dig up the tree again.
=20
I have a Japanese maple that's been putting on 2-3 ft. per branch per =
year
(it's about 8 ft tall now).
=20
Albert

Japanese Maple
 

On Mon, 17 Mar 2003 13:12:28 GMT, Pam wrote:



HI HI- wrote:

X-No-Archive: yes
hello all i just bought some small japanese maple trees. im new to this entire scene. im have a concern. in one of the tree i dug the hole then added compound, i then put some 1010 fertilizer on top of that. i put the tree/root bulb on top of that f
illed the side with top soil and the top with top soil. sprinkled the fertilizer on top of the soil around the bark area. was i not supposed to put the 1010 on top of the compound? will this kill the tree? do i have to dig it up and do this again?
my last question is how fast do these trees grow? any special care i need to take with these trees?

Generally, it is not recommended to fertilize newly planted trees and shrubs with anything other than a transplant fertilizer. They need time to establish a good healthy root system before attempting to put on significant top growth - transplant ferts wil
l do that while regular ferts tend to promote foliar growth. You do not need to dig it up - just make sure the tree is well watered.

Japanese maples have sensative root systems and do not like them messed about with - do not attempt to loosen the soil around the roots. Just plant it as it comes out of the pot or burlap or whatever. Make sure drainage is very good and plant high, so tha
t the surface of the root ball is slightly higher than the soil level. Frequent watering is necessary to get a tree established and I would not consider these trees to be even slightly drought tolerant, so adequate irrigation will be necessary to
maintain its health.

Most Japanese maples grow very slowly, but I am frequently surprised at the speed of growth some young trees exhibit. You may notice some significant growth for the first year or two, but then it will slow down and increase in size very slowly. J. maples
can take a long time - 25+ years - to mature.

pam - gardengal


My Japanese laceleaf maple is about 7 years old. It is about 2.5 feet
tall with a knarly trunk and almost looks like a bonzai. It has not
leafed out yet, but the leaf color is a dark red and looks good
against the azalea plants. I feed it a shovelful of cow manure
every year.

Borken Japanese Maple
 

On Mon, 17 Mar 2003 13:24:31 GMT, Pam wrote:



"N. Zitney" wrote:

We have a Japanese Maple which we just discovered is split down the millde
of a "Y". I'm assuming the heavy snows here in Delaware were the cause.
What should I do to try and preserve this beautiful tree?
And thank you in advance for help, I know I'll get it - You always come thru
for me,
Nan Zitney

Japanese maples often develop tight crotches (boy, does that look funny when
written!) which can split relatively easily in rough weather. While this can be
a serious problem for larger, faster growing maples, it does not seem to be a
fatal injury for the smaller Asian maples. Depending on how deep the split is,
I'd be inclined to leave it alone and let the tree heal itself. If it is
possible to somehow close the split by bracing the two adjacent branches
together, do so, although this really should be done as soon after the injury
occurs as possible. The tree may have already started to callus over the wound,
preventing the wound from sealing. If in doubt about how deep or severe the
injury is, call a qualified arborist to come out and do a health assessment.

pam - gardengal

This wound will not "heal," nor will the two sides of the split ever
rejoin together. It may be true that such a small tree will be able
to continue without breaking even if no treatment is applied, but I
suggest a little hardware to help support the damaged union. This is
assuming a roughly equal amount of wood is still holding on both sides
of the split.

A good arborist (search for ISA Certified Arborists by ZIP code at the
link from my sig below) should be able to help you with this, but if
you are handy with tools it shouldn't be hard to manage yourself. You
want to put a steel rod through the trunk at or just above the split,
then add a small cable about 2/3 of the way up from the crotch to the
top of the branches. If the split is standing open, you can pull the
two sides together with rope (installed high in the branches for
better leverage) before adding the rod. Drill through both sides of
the split and put threaded steel rod through the hole (1/4" rod should
be plenty for a small tree--drill 5/16"), add a flat washer and nut to
each side, and tighten. Older references suggest cutting a circle of
bark to seat the washer in, but current thinking is that the
compression will kill that circle and make a "cork washer" naturally,
so just crank the nuts down tight--no need to go overboard, but get it
tight enough to support the weight of the branches. If the split is
very deep, you may need to add a second rod (at least one of which
should be above the split--get a very long drill bit so you can get
through both sides with one shot, so you know the two sides line up
exactly).

Next comes the cable. You can buy 1/4" rod with eyes at one end.
Drill through the branches on either side and secure the eye bolt with
a nut and washer as before. 1/16" steel cable is adequate for a small
tree. You will buy two or three cable clamps and a thimble for each
side. A good hardware store can help you locate and understand these
various items if you aren't familiar with them. The cable should not
be tight. It is only intended to keep the branches from moving
farther apart, not to pull them back together. When the tree is fully
leafed out, the cable should be just taut; when the leaves are off
(and the load lighter) the cable should sag slightly. Depending on
the tree's structure, you may want two or more cables to get a
balanced distribution of the weight (if the branches fork above the
split, a cable on only one side could cause them to twist under load,
which would worsen the problem).

Looking back over this, it sounds more complex than it really is.
Still, if it's a very nice specimen, it may be worth the extra cost
to have a pro evaluate the situation. Most arborists I know would
charge a reasonable consultation fee and explain the process to you so
you could do it yourself, if you were so inclined.

Good luck,

Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist #TX-236
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.../consumer.html

Japanese Maple
 

You made some of the common mistakes at transplanting, but I doubt if
they were fatal. Don't dig up the trees now, unless they are planted
very deep. Being planted too deeply is one of the biggest causes of
transplant failure. Often, nursery-grown trees get planted deeper and
deeper each time they are repotted. If you dug a too-deep hole, you
could have trees that will struggle and die within a few years. You
can easily evaluate the situation by gently scraping back the soil at
the base of the trunk till you see root flares. If these flares are
lower than the surrounding lawn, dig up the tree and plant it higher
(try to remove the added fertilizer while you are at it). Fill the
hole with the native soil that came out of it, not topsoil or other
amended soil. Planting a little too high is better than too low.
Once you have the proper depth, add a 3"-thick layer of wood chips or
other organic mulch to the area around the tree (but still don't pile
against the trunk--those root flares should be visible and able to
breathe).

Before you plant the cypress trees, review the following:
http://www.isa-arbor.com/consumer/planting.html

This link will explain the full process of proper tree planting so you
can get it right the first time.

Good luck,

Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.../consumer.html