Japanese Maples dying

[herbsherbsflowers]

Here in Georgia, near Atlanta, we have had two Japanese maples for about 10 years. They have done very well and grown and seemed to be happy. Last year our neighbors dut many trees which made me happy because it opened up new areas to vegetable gardening. One of the Japanese maples ended up being in full sun. It did ok last year but we had plenty of rain. We are in a drought this year, and even though I have been watering because I have a bed of cantaloupes near that tree, it has shriveled up and died this summer. Now the other one for whom conditions have not changed, except the drought, which we have dealt with before is starting to look droopy. The heat this summer has been extreme also. We have not had record highs but sustained highs in the high 90's for months. I have a feeling that is what is stressing them in addition to the increased sun load on the dead one. Just wondering if anyone else is having problems with Japanese maples in the heat or if there is something else going around.

 

[thistlebloom]

One thing to check for sure on your surviving maple is that the water your giving it is going deep, and also out to the drip line where a lot of surface feeder roots are. I would put a slowly trickling hose on it over night to make sure the water was going deep enough.

Another thing that is very common is trees that are planted too deeply, or barked deeply right up to the trunk. This causes a fungal rot in the cambium that can make a tree that appeared healthy for several years to suddenly decline, especially when under abnormal stress.

You should be able to see a definite root flare and the tops of the buttress roots. if the tree looks like a telephone pole stuck in the ground (or a pencil ) then it's too deep and the roots need to be excavated, in other words, the dirt must be dug away from the trunk until you find the buttress roots. I've done some trees that were buried and barked a foot too deep. They had been in the landscape for years, apparently fine, until they began to look "off". Then the cause was determined to be too deep planting, and the bark under the soil line had begun to rot.

I sure hope you get relief from the heat soon, and that your tree survives. Japanese maples are one of my favorites.