$5 Maple with dieback

[jesseblunt]

Picked this guy up for $5 today. It was growing out of the pot and I don't have anything big enough to pot it up in and I don't have the space to put it in the ground, so it'll likely have to stay in this pot for winter. (if it makes it)

I am interested in being a bit aggressive with this one and thinking of taking it down to the first smaller branch (third pic - branch on the left) and establishing it as a new leader. I'm assuming I can chop it this Fall/Winter? I don't have a very good tool for cutting trunks/branches of this size, so I'll either have to use the pruners or a saw and then seal it, right?

If I chop this fall, can I work the roots heavily to get it down to a more manageable pond basket size? I haven't taken the time to research making my own grow boxes, but this may be the one that forces me.

Anyone know the specific variety of this Maple? What do you all think of the "plan" I've concocted for this poor tree?

 

[Jester217300]

Based on your pictures, the lower, right branch would be a more desirable chop point in pic #3 than the little, left branch.

However you're getting ahead of yourself a bit. This is all moot because you don't know where the base of the tree is or what it looks like. If it's terrible you'll have to air layer. If it's super low in the pot you will have to chop much lower than any visible existing branch. Bare root next spring and see what you have.

 

[jesseblunt]

Based on your pictures, the lower, right branch would be a more desirable chop point in pic #3 than the little, left branch.

However you're getting ahead of yourself a bit. This is all moot because you don't know where the base of the tree is or what it looks like. If it's terrible you'll have to air layer. If it's super low in the pot you will have to chop much lower than any visible existing branch. Bare root next spring and see what you have.

I dug down and found big circling roots, so it seems I will get some layering practice this spring, no? If I bare root in the spring, will that affect the viability of a successful air layer?

 

[jeanluc83]

It looks like red maple (acer rubrum) to me. In the spring chop it back hard and bare root it to see what you've got. You will probably need to be brutal with it. I've collected a few and they can take a lot of root work all at once. In the end you may need to layer it but see what you've got first.

Take a look at this post and you will get an idea what needs to be done.

Good luck.