posted
I planted a japanese maple and a weeping cherry in my backyard a few months ago. They both did fine for about two months, then all of a sudden the maple leaves started to turn brown and dry up. The leaves on the cherry started to wither and in about a week, the entire tree was brown. I live in the Northeast, so it has been raining non-stop for the past month and I water on off days. This is my first garden and I fear I may have a black thumb. HELP!
Plants: 4 | From: Northeast | Registered: Jun 2004
| Seeded: 205.188.116.71
posted
First: 1. Are you using strong herbicides in your yard (i.e. "weed and feed") if so what are the ingredients?
Second: 2. take a sharp knife and gradually whittle down a twig about the size of your thumb or finger on the maple. If you see dark streaking you probably have verticilium or another wilt. If this is the case, the desease may have came from the nursery.
Let me know what you find. Gene.
Plants: 36 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Jun 2004
| Seeded: 156.63.195.2
posted
First: 1. Are you using strong herbicides in your yard (i.e. "weed and feed") if so what are the ingredients?
Second: 2. take a sharp knife and gradually whittle down a twig about the size of your thumb or finger on the maple. If you see dark streaking you probably have verticilium or another wilt. If this is the case, the desease may have came from the nursery.
Let me know what you find. Gene.
Plants: 36 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Jun 2004
| Seeded: 156.63.195.2
posted
First: 1. Are you using strong herbicides in your yard (i.e. "weed and feed") if so what are the ingredients?
Second: 2. take a sharp knife and gradually whittle down a twig about the size of your thumb or finger on the maple. If you see dark streaking you probably have verticilium or another wilt. If this is the case, the desease may have came from the nursery.
Let me know what you find. Gene.
Plants: 36 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Jun 2004
| Seeded: 156.63.195.2
posted
Gene, Thanks for the advice. The tree is still pretty small, but I checked a twig and there was no streaking. I have not used any pesticides on the lawn, but did treat the soil with Gypsum (sp?) before planting. Someone suggested I try plant food. What do you think?
Plants: 4 | From: Northeast | Registered: Jun 2004
| Seeded: 64.12.116.72
posted
Japanese maples don't like to be wet. Being young and without an extensive root system yet, it might have just been the rain. I lost a newly planted dogwood last year to fungus caused by the excessive rain we had and have noticed numerous trees and shrubs that have died or suffered severe dieback. One was a 30 foot tall spruce.
* * * * Terry
May the force be with you Plants: 1370 | From: Copper Hill, Virginia | Registered: Apr 2004
| Seeded: 65.134.21.216
posted
The fact that the leaves have "dried up" as you described despite having a wet season, still leads me to strongly suspect a some kind of a wilt disease. Wilts cut off the flow of water to the leaves. The wilt may not have made it to small twigs but may be in the main stem. Japanese maple is suceptible to a couple of native wilts, especially verticilium. It is also sensitive to some herbicides.
Plants: 36 | From: Columbus, OH | Registered: Jun 2004
| Seeded: 156.63.195.2
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