How To Save a Dying Maple Tree

Prevent your dying maple tree from becoming an extreme hazard to your property and wellbeing. By knowing what to do when your maple is in decline, you can save it from an otherwise early death.

toddsmariettatreeservices.com gathered information on how to identify when a maple tree is in decline, what is causing it to decline, and how you can nurse it back to health.

Maple Tree Diseases, Problems, and Solutions

To save a dying maple tree, it helps if you know why the tree is dying. When inspecting a dying maple tree, consider the following symptoms, their meaning, and what to do:

Chlorosis of Maple Tree Foliage

Your tree’s leaves should remain vibrant green (or red depending on the species) until the beginning of the fall season (when cooler weather sets in). If they are losing their color prematurely, this may be a symptom of:

• Poor soil drainage
• Compacted soil
• Poor root growth
• Damaged roots
• High soil alkalinity
• Nutrient deficiencies in the tree

Treatment for chlorosis varies depending on the cause. Consider the following measures to reverse this condition in the next growing season:

• Poor soil drainage requires the introduction of mixed layers of soil, the Installation of subsurface tile drains (sections of perforated pipe buried 12 to 18 inches below the soil surface), or working large quantities of organic material into the soil surrounding your tree.

Note: Take extra precautions to preserve tree roots when tilling or aerating soil within your tree’s root plate.

• Compacted soil and poor root growth generally occur hand-in-hand. You can reverse soil compaction by working large quantities of organic material into the soil surrounding your tree. Once the organic material has been worked into the soil, keep the entire root plate covered with a 3 to 6-inch layer of organic mulch.

Tip: The addition of earthworms will significantly speed up this process. They will draw organic material into the soil as they tunnel through it.

• Damaged roots can present a challenge as they are a gateway for a disease to quickly infect and severely compromise the health of your maple tree. Damaged roots from digging or lawnmower activity should be cleaned and treated with tree paint or pruning sealer.

• High soil alkalinity and nutrient deficiencies in the tree can be corrected by adjusting the soil pH and soil enrichment with organic material. The ideal soil pH range for maple trees is between 5.5 and 7.3. It can be lowered by using organic mulch, which coincidentally, will provide nutrients to your tree.

Water Sprouts and Tree Suckers

Water sprouts are a tree’s attempt to grow more branches, often after injury. If the tree is in decline or roots have been damaged, suckers may grow from the roots or base of the trunk. When suckers grow higher on the trunk, they’re referred to as water sprouts and usually appear at the site of a pruning wound, a crack, or some other damage.

Water sprouts and tree suckers deprive a tree of essential nutrients and energy. Even though this is typically an emergency response by the tree to heal or survive, they do more harm than good.

After removing water sprouts and tree suckers, address the injuries or deficiencies that prompted their growth.

Mushrooms on Your Maple Tree

If mushrooms are growing on your maple tree’s trunk or roots, you may have a severe problem. The presence of mushrooms and mushroom conks is a sign that the pulp of your tree is rotting. The fungi that produce mushrooms (the fruiting body of the fungus) flourish when fed by decaying organic material.

• Prune and dispose of branches with mushrooms growing on them.
• Have the tree treated or removed by a professional tree service when mushroom growth is located anywhere on the trunk or roots.
• Sanitize all equipment used on infected trees with a 1cup of bleach to 1gallon of water solution to prevent the spread of disease to other trees and plants.

Tip: As millions of spores can be produced and released by a single fruiting body, it is recommended to call a professional tree service to remove and dispose of them.

Read more about the significance of mushrooms growing on a tree at toddsmariettatreeservices.com/mushrooms-on-trunk-means-your-tree-dying/

Splitting Tree Bark

Tree bark splits or cracks for several reasons, and you cannot simply fix it. However, you can protect your tree while it compartmentalizes the damage and protect it from further damage by taking preventative measures.

While bark splitting is a common occurrence on younger trees, all trees are susceptible to bark splitting when exposed to the following conditions:

• Sunscald (Southwest Winter Injury)
• Frost Cracks
• Environmental Conditions (Drought)
• Herbicides (Glyphosate Products)

Bark splitting may also be caused by the swelling of the trunk or branch when infected by a rapidly reproducing pathogen.

As split bark presents an opportunity for successful attacks by disease or insects, call on the expertise of a professional tree service to assist you in protecting your maple tree as it compartmentalizes the damage.

Read more about the causes and treatment of splitting bark at toddsmariettatreeservices.com/tree-bark-splitting-can-i-fix-it/

My Tree Is Leaning

When your mature tree can no longer hold itself to the land or has broken away from its roots, it may lean before suddenly falling. This is a tree emergency and should be immediately removed by a professional tree service.

Younger, lighter trees can be cabled or staked in an attempt to stabilize them. This process may require several growing seasons before the tree’s root plate can successfully re-establish itself.

During this recovery time, the reason(s) for the tree’s destabilization should be diagnosed and corrected to avoid future occurrences.

Dieback

A sure sign that your tree is in distress is when branches begin to lose foliage, become brittle, and die. This often occurs when the branches in question are diseased or infested (these branches should be pruned from the tree).

However, when this condition is widespread throughout the canopy, it is referred to as dieback. Dieback occurs when:

• A pathogen is disrupting the tree’s hydraulic system
• Boring insects have consumed sufficient xylem or phloem to impede the back and forth flow of water and nutrients from the tree’s foliage to its roots
• The tree is suffering from severe drought conditions
• The tree is partially or entirely girdled

Unfortunately, by the time a tree shows signs of dieback, it may be too late to save it. However, the following may help it partially or wholly recover over several growing seasons:

• Promote the tree’s health by watering, fertilizing, pruning, and mulching it.
• Have the tree inspected and treated for boring insects and/or disease by a professional tree service
• Increase watering frequency during drought conditions
• Remove any roots, ropes, fencing, or vines that are circling the tree, restricting its water and nutrient flow

When treating a tree, keep in mind that as a tree’s health declines, it becomes vulnerable to secondary attacks by insects, pathogens, and even weather conditions. Always be on the lookout for multiple symptoms when diagnosing your maple tree’s problems.

My Tree Is Self-Pruning (Cladoptosis)

While maple trees are among those species that have a tendency to self-prune, consider the following causes when diagnosing your tree:

• A branch has become too shaded and can no longer sufficiently photosynthesize
• Poor pruning practices have left the canopy too dense, obstructing light from reaching inner branches
• Disease has debilitated the branch leading to its decline or hydraulic failure
• The branch is infested, triggering self-pruning as the tree’s defensive measure
• Climbing vines are blocking enough sunlight in the canopy to trigger cladoptosis

Cladoptosis occurs when there is a problem with your tree. If you are unable to detect the primary cause, get a professional tree service to help you before a falling branch causes catastrophic damage.

Saving a Dying Maple Tree

In this article, you discovered several of the conditions your maple tree may be dying from, and how to resolve them to save your tree.

By knowing what to look for, how to quickly treat your tree problems, and when to seek help, you can add countless years to its lifespan.

When you ignore or neglect to treat the often subtle signs of distress your tree displays, you may be sentencing it to certain death.

Sources:
web.extension.illinois.edu/focus/index.cfm?problem=chlorosis
ipm.illinois.edu/diseases/series600/rpd641/
canr.msu.edu/news/what_to_do_about_compacted_soil
extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/water-sprouts
plantclinic.tamu.edu/2013/11/15/cladoptosis-an-interesting-phenomenon/

Todd’s Marietta Tree Services

200 Cobb Pkwy N Ste 428 Marietta, GA 30062
(678) 505-0266

Originally published on: http://www.toddsmariettatreeservices.com/how-to-save-a-dying-maple-tree/

Self-Pruning Trees (Cladoptosis)

Avoid catastrophic property damage or serious injury when your tree sporadically drops a branch. By knowing why and how this happens, you can take the preemptive steps to stop it from disrupting your life and property.

toddsmariettatreeservices.com defines what self-pruning is, how it happens, why it happens, and which tree species are more likely to do it.

What is Self-Pruning

Self-pruning or cladoptosis is a compartmentalization process involving the shedding of shaded, diseased, or infested branches that have become a drain or a burden on a tree’s resources.

Further defined, this is nature’s way of letting a tree determine which branches need to go, rather than an arborist or a property owner making the decision for it.

Note: On wooded land, self-pruning is a common occurrence, especially in densely populated stands where there is not sufficient sunlight for trees to keep all of their branches. Branches low on tree trunks will likely die from shading and competition, occurring over several growing seasons.

How Self-Pruning Happens

Self-pruning occurs the same way fall foliage, shoots, and twigs are shed from a deciduous tree. As it does with leaves, ripe fruit, flowers, and seeds, a tree will form an abscission layer where the branch connects to the trunk (at the branch collar) and shed the branch cleanly.

Why Self-Pruning Happens

Several reasons can cause a tree to self-prune. Consider the following possibilities:

• A branch is too shaded and cannot sufficiently photosynthesize
• Poor pruning has left the canopy too dense, obstructing light from its reaching inner branches
• Disease has infected the branch causing its decline or hydraulic failure
• The branch has become infested, triggering self-pruning as the tree’s defensive measure
• Climbing vines have blocked sufficient sunlight in the canopy to trigger cladoptosis

Self-pruning is more prevalent in dense forests, orchards, more mature trees, and landscape areas that have been over-planted.

Basically, when a tree branch cannot sufficiently photosynthesize (due to a lack of sunlight) or has triggered an infection or infestation response, the tree can spring into action and self-prune the branch.

Regarding shaded branches, how long one survives will vary among tree species and its degree of shade tolerance. Shade tolerance relates to the capacity of a tree species to compete and thrive under shaded conditions. Shade-tolerant species like American beech and eastern hemlock are More proficient at balancing photosynthesis and respiration when growing with severely limited light.

Sometimes, the death of a branch does not necessarily ensure its shedding. Although the tree shuts the branch off from water and nutrients, depending on the species, it won’t sever it. In these cases, the tree enlists outside help. These dead branches persist until further weakened by fungi, insects, animals, wind, snow, ice, or gradual decay. At some point, the branch will weaken and fall from its own weight.

Note: In well-kept yards and landscapes, dead, dying, and diseased branches are usually pruned away before cladoptosis can take place.

Trees That Self-Prune

Self-pruning is more prevalent in the fall, and as your trees age, they are more likely to shed more limbs. The following species are known to self-prune, and can do it without warning:

• Ashes
• Aspen
• Birch
• Cherries
• Cypress
• Elms
• Eucalyptus
• Larches
• Maples
• Oaks
• Pecans
• Pines
• Poplars
• Walnut
• Willow

While it is good practice to remove limbs that grow over your home or other structures, it is necessary to remove them if you have a tree species known to self-prune.

How To Prevent Trees from Self-Pruning

Even with the best care and attention to the needs of your tree, you may not be entirely successful at preventing it from self-pruning. However, the following will help you slow this natural process:

Tree Health – From the time your tree is planted, you should provide it with:

• Water (two to three waterings per week and more often during drought conditions)
• Soil (test frequently to adjust nutrient levels and soil pH)
• Mulch (to protect the root plate and regulate soil temperature); click here to learn more about mulching
• Prune (to encourage healthy growth and remove unwanted/unneeded growth)
• Inspect (annual inspections by a professional tree service can help detect issues before they develop)

Tip: When selecting a tree species for your yard or landscape, choose a species that is appropriate for your region’s climate and not prone to self-pruning.

Cladoptosis

In this article, you discovered the definition of self-pruning trees, how the process happens, what causes it, and the species most likely to do it.

By taking steps to increase the health of your tree and the sunlight it receives, you can avoid being taken by surprise when your tree suddenly drops a branch.

Allowing your tree to grow without proper care and attention can lead to it self-pruning unannounced, suddenly dropping branches, causing catastrophic damages to anything or anyone below.

Sources:
northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/woods-whys-self-pruning-branches
cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/pruningshadetrees.html
plantclinic.tamu.edu/2013/11/15/cladoptosis-an-interesting-phenomenon/
warnell.uga.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Tree%20Anatomy%20Defining%20Twigs_14-21.pdf

Todd’s Marietta Tree Services

200 Cobb Pkwy N Ste 428 Marietta, GA 30062
(678) 505-0266

Originally published on: http://www.toddsmariettatreeservices.com/self-pruning-trees-cladoptosis/