Distressed Palmatum

[Mike Corazzi]

I sure wish I had taken a pic before lopping off the tip they were on, but I didn't.

They were black, dried, drooped, crisp, really ugly.

Looking closer, I fear more is amiss.

The branch they were on has a small scraped bark portion and as you can see, the wood looks BLACK.

I also took some pix of yet another tip that looks to be heading same way.

Plus a view (poorly staged...but) of where that MAJOR branch (still) is.

Question: Got any ideas what could be causing it. First to come to mind is fungus, but there's a lot of ventilation. Also this is the maple I have struggled for years with to deal with the every year crisping so I repotted into deeper pot hoping it would hold more moisture and MAYBE deal with the wilting.
Well, this year it doesn't appear that it will get a chance at a late summer crispy as it may already be a goner.

How about water? Since moving it away from the wind but still ventilated shade, it has seemed to be too wet.

???????

 

[markyscott]

Reminds me of Verticillium Wilt.

https://crataegus.com/2011/11/29/read-this-if-you-grow-japanese-maple/

 

[Mike Corazzi]

as this disease enters any wound and is encouraged by wet, cool winters

yup

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Think I should just toss it? Wouldn't want it to spread to tridents.

 

[markyscott]

At the very least I'd make sure that they were well separated. Cut back to below any black and remove the infected bits from your yard. Wipe down any tools you use with rubbing alcohol. And treat as Michael Hagedorn suggests. Good luck.

 

[0soyoung]

Think I should just toss it? Wouldn't want it to spread to tridents.

Is it safe to assume that you've been sterilizing your cutting tools, at least after use on one of your trees? Else, you've likely already spread it.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Is it safe to assume that you've been sterilizing your cutting tools, at least after use on one of your trees? Else, you've likely already spread it.

I have been lax in that.
I'll go out right now and whack that baby back to nubs.

That's how it started. I air layered the top off the tree to make a broom style Palmatum and stuck the stump under a bench and forgot about it.

I may try that again.

It turned out pretty good by complete ACCIDENT.

This is how it USETA was.

 

[0soyoung]

I have been lax in that.
I'll go out right now and whack that baby back to nubs.

While you are at it, do a little autopsy - look at a cut surface above the black spot. Do you see the tell-tale black (dark brown) ring or partial ring characteristic of verticillium? If yes, toss it and sterilize your cutter. If not, you should first take pix and/or notes about what you see or don't see. In all likelihood you will encounter it again, someday.

IMHO, it is important to learn. This is a lab class - zero credit, but it can be lots of fun.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

You mean toss the tree or toss the cutting?
At this point I don't much care which way it goes as this is years of care gone from careless pruning maybe.

Right now it's out by the fence behind a bush.
or something.
WGAF?

I may toss some water on it just to keep it from catching fire.

 

[coh]

You're fortunate that it appears to be localized to the middle of a branch...so maybe cutting that branch off well below the black area can save the tree. If you saw my thread on my diseased maple, the lesion appeared at the lower part of the trunk and quickly spread up into a main sub trunk. Cutting is not an option for me.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

The hunk I just cut off is so far down in the can that it's not retrievable.
I'll boil the tools in hydrofluoric acid and irradiate them and just go from there.
I only had 2 maples because of the wind problem.
The pines and junipers seem fine.
Let it blow let it blow let it blow.

Feck maples.
At least here.