Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
I figure $5 is a cheap gamble. The tree top is dead but the base is still alive. I plan to chop it just above the top live branch.
Meet my $5 Acer freemanii
- Thread starter Cajunrider
- Start date
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Saw it at the clearance pile in the back of a nursery and couldn’t resist. The trunk is absolutely dead to 1” above the live branch. Should I repot? It’s been in that pot a long time and is root bound.
Gabler
Masterpiece
Something is obviously weakening the tree, or else the top wouldn't have died. I would think the nature of the problem would dictate whether you touch the roots or not.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
It is a left over from last season. Going through a terrible freeze in a pot killed most of the tree. I found no sign of diseases.
Gabler
Masterpiece
A freeze? All of my shohin Freeman's maples have frozen solid into blocks of ice at 10°F, and 100% woke up in spring without dieback. I'm not saying your climate and trees are definitely the same as mine, since your LA maples might be less hardy, but I think it would at least warrant further investigation to make sure that's really the cause.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Normally a freeze is no big deal but that is the last straw after months and months of neglect and being root bound in a pot without much water.
Regardless of the cause, $5 is cheap to play. It’s all good. May be I’ll find out what really made it die back so far.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
The tree shows some promise. I am still hoping the lower branch will live.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
It is looking good. The low branch is sporting some new leaves. That will be my sacrificial branch. Next spring I will work on the roots and move it to a shallow grow box.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
The tree has recovered so well. The top branch has grown 2 feet in the last 6 weeks. The weak low branch has also grown a foot. Right now it looks like a tree that was drastically pruned by plan.
Next year I will sort out the circling roots and put it in a grow box.
Next year I will sort out the circling roots and put it in a grow box.
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Gabler
Masterpiece
These guys grow like weeds. Literally. If you have a large tree nearby, and it's not sterile, you'll be pulling hundreds of seedlings from your garden.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
You were right. It grew almost 5 ft already. Now I wonder if I can repot and do the root work before the second growth season down here.
Gabler
Masterpiece
Would that not slow down development? I find your climate interesting.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Down here everything slow down in the super hot months of August and September. When it cool down a bit in Mid October, things grow again until the slowdown in early December. I know I have lots of bound circling roots in that pot and I am contemplating taking it out and put the tree in a grow box.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Repotted. Tree has a dead side down to near the root ball.
Gabler
Masterpiece
I discovered the same thing on a beech I collected last year. I cut splits in the wood to catch water and promote rot, and this year the dead wood peeled away easily. I’m hoping the tree remains healthy. It’s presently still alive, but it wasn’t a vigorous grower last year.
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Frozentreehugger
Masterpiece
I find the tree interesting . Good job saving it . As I understand it it is a cross between silver and red maple . Yours looks like silver maple leaves . Silver is very fast grower . I have not grown from seed for several years but plan to this year . I get very unique crosses from silver and red trees that are everywhere I. The town I live in . Odd thing is the crosses all come from . Silver seeds the reds normally come true from seeds . Silver is thought to be not a good urban tree . They often branch in a U shaped crotch and there weak wood is suspect in storms . But there is old specimens here . They don’t fall colour as well as the reds . But there name comes from . Silver underside of leaves . So a breeze disturbs the leaves enough that whole thing turns silver briefly . Actually very nice looking
BeepBeepBonsaiSheep
Chumono
Does it look good as a deadwood feature?
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Too early to tell for me.
Frozentreehugger
Masterpiece
Seal the deadwood with 2 part clear epoxy . After carving it flush . This will help stop it from rotting . And promote the tree to heal over the wound . The tree is young so it’s going to heal the wound . From rapid growth . Will be hard to stop it . And very hard to keep the dead wood feature from rotting on a softwood . Maple epoxy will help . But your fighting a losing battle promote the healing that is inevitable
HorseloverFat
Squarepants with Conkers
Freemani respond decent to high summer defoliation as well..
This is a "go-to" Arbor Day tree around here, and we're an arbor day town, surrounded by others, blah blah blah..
There is one growing in the alley near me, near full grown, but I tried defoliating a branch last year.. just to see.
There is also one growing on the bottom of a hill, In a pubic park,... SMALLEST, mature Freemani I've EVER seen... will attempt spring, softwood cuttings.
This is a "go-to" Arbor Day tree around here, and we're an arbor day town, surrounded by others, blah blah blah..
There is one growing in the alley near me, near full grown, but I tried defoliating a branch last year.. just to see.
There is also one growing on the bottom of a hill, In a pubic park,... SMALLEST, mature Freemani I've EVER seen... will attempt spring, softwood cuttings.
