Verticillium wilt?

Hi All, so I've had this JM 'firecracker in my garden by my pond for a couple of years and it thrived. This spring it really struggled to push buds and the whole top portion went brown, pale brown and brittle. The scratch test showed the whole top had died so I cut it back to the highest branch that had swelling buds. The trunk has a pale patch along a length of it as well.
It is a relatively sheltered garden but this winter was pretty cold for my region compared to the last couple of years and I'm thinking it's just cold winds have desiccated it severely.
I haven't actually seen vert wilt first hand so I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for so thought it's worth getting a second opinion before I dig this out and destroy it, or leave it and risk my other plants!

It is 'winter damage' - hot sun and dry wind desiccates and kills the cambium. The dead spot on the trunk is likely on the sunny south side and pretty much the direction of the prevailing winds - right? I've had maples similarly affected and they are all still alive and growing well. None are as beautiful as they once were, but now they have 'character'.

I don't think it has an infection, so I would grow out what is left. Were it verticillium, you would have found a dark ring or dark rings in the wood of the pruning cross-sections of a stem. Verticillium gets into the xylem (wood) and gets transported upward, so you'll most likely find the characteristic stains just above the point where the stem transitions from live to dead. Usually there will be some kind of bark damage where it gained entry into the wood. Typically a tree will leaf out in spring and then suddenly the leaves will wilt, curl, brown, and stay attached to the tree. If an affected branch can be removed at a point below the entry site, the tree can be saved; otherwise, a verticillium infection is not curable.

Another fungus, nectria canker, will manifest itself similarly but in late summer (Aug/Sep) and will then display orange fruiting bodies. The area of the infection extends beyond the range of the fruiting bodies. I've successfully rescued affected trees by removing the patch of bark with fruiting bodies (and a bit more) and then cauterizing the area with a butane torch (cauterization alone might do the job equally well).

Let it grow. No 'foliage flame-out' = no verticillium + no nectria. The wounds should begin to close just like pruning scars do

As Oso said--this is probably Not an infection and certainly not veritcillium (which has become a "go to" disease whenever someone thinks something it wrong with their maple)

This is called "Southwest disease."

Verticillium is never this obvious. It blocks sap pathways inside branches and results in death of branches and apex growth. Usually takes a couple of years to kill a tree. You won't know it vertcillium unless you cut the trunk and look at the wood and rings inside. Verticillium infections show up as black spots or lines inside the wood usually in the newer wood near the perimeter growth rings.

Ok that's reassuring for this one, it was my favourite maple I had and looked amazing arching over my pond! I guess I'll see if it bounces back.

I've been keeping an eye on this one as Well although seems to be different to symptoms to just cold wind damage... looks a little more suspicious to me. After winter I'd cut off all the dead ends of the branches and it started leafing out well but the death seems to be tracing back down the plant and a few random patches on branches and the trunk. Any ideas what this is? I only planted it last year.

0soyoung said:

The dead spot on the trunk is likely on the sunny south side and pretty much the direction of the prevailing winds - right?

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Yes it is, I'll leave it to regrow although about 95% of the foliage died off so there's only the one tiny branch left as shown in the picture. I doubt I'll see it looking great again before we move house!

Cattwooduk said:

Yes it is, I'll leave it to regrow although about 95% of the foliage died off so there's only the one tiny branch left as shown in the picture. I doubt I'll see it looking great again before we move house!

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Pot it up

Cattwooduk said:

Ok that's reassuring for this one, it was my favourite maple I had and looked amazing arching over my pond! I guess I'll see if it bounces back.

I've been keeping an eye on this one as Well although seems to be different to symptoms to just cold wind damage... looks a little more suspicious to me. After winter I'd cut off all the dead ends of the branches and it started leafing out well but the death seems to be tracing back down the plant and a few random patches on branches and the trunk. Any ideas what this is? I only planted it last year.
View attachment 190428View attachment 190429View attachment 190430View attachment 190431View attachment 190432

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The yellow bark makes me think that might be an a.p. 'bihou'?
If so, you may be learning why they are despised even in the 'I love every maple' communities.

0soyoung said:

Pot it up

The yellow bark makes me think that might be an a.p. 'bihou'?
If so, you may be learning why they are despised even in the 'I love every maple' communities.

Click to expand...

I had considered potting it up for it to recover, as much as anything it makes space for me to plant something else.

It is indeed a Bihoo, or Bihou as I see it spelled various ways! It looked quite nice in full leaf and I'd not heard of it when I saw it.
Are they just super weak and susceptible to dieback? I'm guessing it's not infected as such, just falling apart because it's a weak cultivar?
Again, excuse to buy another one to replace it with!

I have several large pitted fruits that have minor damage over the Winter from Southwest disease. Clean up the dead bark and coat the areas with any sealant to prevent insect infestation. First time here but never had a Winter like 2017-18 either. It has knocked the hell out of some flowers and leaf too but there is nothing much can be done about it except removal and hopefully a good growing season.

Grimmy

rockm said:

As Oso said--this is probably Not an infection and certainly not veritcillium (which has become a "go to" disease whenever someone thinks something it wrong with their maple)

This is called "Southwest disease."

Verticillium is never this obvious. It blocks sap pathways inside branches and results in death of branches and apex growth. Usually takes a couple of years to kill a tree. You won't know it vertcillium unless you cut the trunk and look at the wood and rings inside. Verticillium infections show up as black spots or lines inside the wood usually in the newer wood near the perimeter growth rings.

Click to expand...

I completely agree with the statement about the go to disease when a maple is about to die. If that VW fungus is that prevalent then I don't think we can grow maple here.
Not saying this is the cause of this tree but for many maples growing in pot, overwater problably is the cause of dead. We tend to think the tree needs water when the leaves drooping. This can happen in hot afternoons when there is still plenty of water in the pot... The roots just weren't able to supply the water to the leaves.

namnhi said:

I completely agree with the statement about the go to disease when a maple is about to die. If that VW fungus is that prevalent then I don't think we can grow maple here.
Not saying this is the cause of this tree but for many maples growing in pot, overwater problably is the cause of dead. We tend to think the tree needs water when the leaves drooping. This can happen in hot afternoons when there is still plenty of water in the pot... The roots just weren't able to supply the water to the leaves.

Click to expand...

I've got 7 in the ground and 8 in pots but this one is in the ground. One of the ones in a smallish almost training sized pot I failed to keep up with watering it towards the end of the season and it stopped l it's leaves quite early, buts its leafed out and growing nicely again now.