Maple has had a poor canopy all season, thoughts as to why?
by Forsaken_Swordfish23
Maple has had a poor canopy all season, thoughts as to why?
by Forsaken_Swordfish23
16 Comments
Obligatory, that root flare is buried and the tree is starving for air.
To improve the health of the tree remove the grass and dirt around the tree in a 2ft radius such that you can see the root flare. Place an 1-4in deep layer of mulch around the tree in a doughnut around the tree. No mulch should be against the base of the tree.
The entire canopy is affected so the issue is probably root related. Possibly girdling roots or other issue. I’d dig around the base, see if anything is wrapped around the trunk, can cut it if it’s small enough. Given the location it might also be too much salt from the winters
The grass going to the trunk isnt helping. Tree and grass competing for nutrients and water. Make a mulch bed.
Check. The. Roots. This screams something is wrong with the roots.
Seriously….. dig the roots up (carefully as not to cut any large ones) and ensure they are not ‘circling’. They should’ve spread out like a clock by now; if they aren’t – Mae sure they are.
If there is a huge root ball (mass of potting soil, burlap bag around, or roots not growing out), break it up!
Typically this is a sign of a planting depth issue. As in, too deep. You should see buttressing (root flair) at the base of the trunk. I’m assuming it was planted at the same time as the four boulevard trees across the street, and is the same species. Look closely at those examples and compare the structure you see on them at their base.
This is a common planting error. Another common planting error is not removing the burlap/wire netting keeping the roots contained and moist during transport. In those cases, the roots tend to encircle themselves which is called girdling. We have a tree in our yard where this is clearly the case: half the tree is dead and the other side looks fine.
Maple trees deserve more space than the parking strip allows. Take this as an opportunity to plant a species more suitable for such a small spot.
I’ll add to the improperly planted chorus: the.flat side of the trunk is indicative of a girdling root.
Our Maple had girdling roots. First sign was a branch that colored earlier than the rest of the tree. Had a national tree company out, said it needed water and fertilizer. We had the lushest yard in the neighborhood, knew this guy was wrong. Several years passed, the crown began to thin. Found some arborist on line who advised me to check for girdling roots. I did and was shocked what I found. I cut them loose but the damage had been done, the tree never recovered, it’s since been removed by the new owners.
Everyone is mentioning the root issues this maple almost certainly has, but depending on where you are, this is a mast year for maples through much of the US, meaning they divert more energy to seed production which can cause a sparse canopy. It looks like this maple is masting as well.
Editing to add that I see very little tip dieback in this tree. If the canopy were this sparse due to compaction and girdling, the tips of the branches would usually look much worse. That tree would definitely benefit from root pruning and soil decompaction, but my money is on masting.
Autumn?
Years ago I planted 3 October Glory red maples. 2 in the grass strip and one in the front lawn closer to the house. My grass strip had no grass as I had opted instead to plant it with wildflowers. The trees were all planted to correct depth. The two trees that didn’t compete with turf out grew the third tree that was planted in the center of the lawn. I’d cut out a square of lawn the same length as the width from curb to sidewalk. Then put in a decorative bark mulch. Keep the mulch off the trunk. This will also allow for easier application of tree fertilizer to the tree while keeping the lawn fertilized. From a landscape perspective it will look cleaner.
Remove that mountain at the base of the tree. It’s choking the tree.
Ditch your lawn and tell your neighbors to do the same while you’re at it!
You made a choice….manicured turf is it.
That’s new variety of no-rake maple. They are supposed to have minimal
Leaves that blow away so you don’t have to rake. I think they also grow no-rake birch trees too
All of the above plus too much *weed* and feed? The grass looks really good compared to neighbors.