Need help w/Acer palmatum in very bad health

Karydas

Hope somebody will help me out. Today I discovered an Acer p. hidden behind a bunch of near-dead zelkovas in a very overheated nursery shed. I've never seen an Acer p. in my 12 years in this country (Greece) and really miss 'em so I cut a deal and brought it home. I hope I can save it. The tree is in bad health: lots of bare (but not dead) branches, many dead leaves, some new leaves, very few buds. I don't think it could survive a full repotting now. I'm thinking to keep it in the shade, cool as possible (it's already hitting 75F here, altho' nights are still cool) and to take off dead branch tips, dead leaves, and any branches I'd like to do away with. What I don't know is if I should (1) cut it back hard to encourage new budding, or if it's already too late for that, and (2) if I should fertilize now or wait to see if it'll recover somewhat with appropriate watering and fresh air. I have been told not to fertilize a weak tree, but I don't know how much of this tree's condition is related to poor watering and how much could be another problem. If I should feed it, what's the best ratio for its condition? The tree has good possibilities. The trunk is about 4.5 inches around at the base (I've no calipers) and it's too high (19 inches), but an air-layer off the top at some point could yield a nice little one and leave the main tree nicely balanced. It seems to have been well-cared for at some point; the trunk has a nice taper and the branches, altho' not much girth, are well placed. I'm looking forward to hearing suggestions from those more experienced than I. Thanks!

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Joanie

A photo might help people diagnose. Sometimes, though, it doesn't matter what you do, if it's on the downhill slide.

Personally, I would trim it very gently (not trying to get to fresh wood, because if it is ill it can't fight off diseases introduced into a fresh cut) and put it in morning sun/afternoon shade. It does need sun to warm its roots and encourage budding. Remove only the dead leaves and let it go.

Water until you are sure that the root ball is wet, then don't water again until the soil is just damp under the surface. Your biggest risk at this point is wet roots that can rot.

You could give it a very gentle fertilizer, something with low npk. It isn't going to hurt. The tree will take up what it can use.

If the tree continues to grow, your problem is going to be dryness. As it is here in California, maples don't like dry summers. You get leaf cell collapse when the tree is unable to provide enough moisture for transpiration through the delicate leaf cells. There's a reason that no one is growing maples there! I'm hoping to install a misting system in my shade cloth area before summer gets too hot... but that's quite an expense for one little maple. And once or twice a day misting probably isn't enough to prevent some leaf burn. Maples do survive leaf burn, but they are probably weakened by it. Some people around here defoliate in mid-May or so, and encourage a new flush of growth that develops during hotter weather, with the theory that the leaves grown in May and June are stronger than those grown in March. Other people feed the tree with a silicone based agent that is supposed to encourage stronger leaf cells as it is taken up into the tree's system.

Hope this helps. Remember, if you have a sick patient, you don't give them tattoos and poke around on them too much. Let the little tree grow first. Dead branches (unless they are diseased and the rot is moving inward, which would look black instead of brown) don't hurt anything and can always be taken off later.

Joanie

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Karydas

I'll do as you suggest. There's no rot so I'll just take care of the dead leaves and leave the cutting until after some months of recovery, maybe next year. I kept maples in NY and had plenty of humidity, and I defoliated them early summer and got a second leaf-out of wonderfully tiny leaves. I wonder if it will be helpful to keep the maple in shade and on a humidity tray throughout the hottest months here. Interestingly, the acers seem very similar (related?) to a tree the Greeks call "Platanos," which I think is a plane tree, and they grow wonderfully here, some of the biggest trees around. You said you're in California? You wouldn't happen to be near (or know) Phil Tacktill? I'm trying to get in touch with him. Thanks again for the advice.