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I think my little Acer may be dying :'(
jonny.bushell
Posts: 12
in Plants
Hi all,
Found a few posts about this type of thing before, but thought it worth asking again if my pictures tell a different story...
Our Acer Sango Kaku has some black bruise type markings on the main two branches. Only planted it in April, but has developed these black marks after the very wet weather we have been having.
Back in November I noticed the below branch (see blue line) which was black.
I think, rather stupidly, I pruned back this branch to a healthy part, and subsequently with all the wet weather this black mark has spread back to one of the main branches of the tree, as follows:
The left black mark is the same branch as the first picture, and the second is another affected branch, also cut back into healthy branch, below a higher black mark.
So, I think I made two mistakes - pruning in the wet autumn to allow this disease to breed easily, and then pruning into healthy branch each time rather than pruning just above the health parts. Would you all agree?
Each time I pruned into "healthy" branch sections I'm pretty certain there was a black ring around the internal edge of the branches which suggests Verticillium Wilt I believe. Although I have read that there is another type of bruising too:
https://crataegus.com/2011/11/29/read-this-if-you-grow-japanese-maple/#:~:text=This post is about a,as both cause tip dieback.
So, maybe my autumn pruning could have made things worse?
What would you all do now. Any suggestions welcomed. I'm keen not to prune the main two branches any more as there won't be much of the tree left. Worth covering in fleece for the rest of the winter?
Thanks
Found a few posts about this type of thing before, but thought it worth asking again if my pictures tell a different story...
Our Acer Sango Kaku has some black bruise type markings on the main two branches. Only planted it in April, but has developed these black marks after the very wet weather we have been having.
Back in November I noticed the below branch (see blue line) which was black.
I think, rather stupidly, I pruned back this branch to a healthy part, and subsequently with all the wet weather this black mark has spread back to one of the main branches of the tree, as follows:
The left black mark is the same branch as the first picture, and the second is another affected branch, also cut back into healthy branch, below a higher black mark.
So, I think I made two mistakes - pruning in the wet autumn to allow this disease to breed easily, and then pruning into healthy branch each time rather than pruning just above the health parts. Would you all agree?
Each time I pruned into "healthy" branch sections I'm pretty certain there was a black ring around the internal edge of the branches which suggests Verticillium Wilt I believe. Although I have read that there is another type of bruising too:
https://crataegus.com/2011/11/29/read-this-if-you-grow-japanese-maple/#:~:text=This post is about a,as both cause tip dieback.
So, maybe my autumn pruning could have made things worse?
What would you all do now. Any suggestions welcomed. I'm keen not to prune the main two branches any more as there won't be much of the tree left. Worth covering in fleece for the rest of the winter?
Thanks
1
Posts
I'm not sure your tree has VW - the darker stems may just be maturing.
If they bend they're probably alive, if they snap, then probably not.
I'd leave it until Spring and see how it looks.
With VW the leaves will form on the branches and after a few weeks clumps of them shrivel and die and you'll notice the black bruises on the same stems.
Any pruning on acers needs to be done in the dead of winter if poss - ideally after the temps have been around 4c for 3-4 weeks. But that rarely happens anymore.
Pruning any other time of year and they can bleed sap for weeks.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
As it's barely a year old, would you recommend covering it with fleece during this cold snap we are having or will it be ok just being out in the open?
What can be a problem is freezing, dry winds just as the leaves unfurl in Spring which can 'singe' the leaf edges - but there's not much we can do about that.
Covering with fleece at that stage can be problematic as when removing the fleece it will likely take off many new leaves and buds.
I have 4 acers, one of which does have VW, but it still looks pretty good.
It's more of a bush than tree, due to the amount of pruning needed.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
I'll remember to update this post come spring with the outcome of how it does. Tree or bush is fine by me. Anything is better than it dying
Thanks again Pete
Not an expert but common sense would suggest sap would only fall, but life can through up some confusing things!!!
Could the blackness be maturing as mentioned by Pete before?
Or could it be VW and I need to dig it out to avoid the soil getting tainted (if it hasn’t already?)
Impatiently yours, Jonny
Reverse view, with the top branches looking a little dead:
It is in the soil now, so not much you can do.
I have kept mine - it's had VW for about 15yrs now. It still looks fine (mostly) but is very much a multi-stemmed shrub now and not a tree.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Put any dead bits in the rubbish to be collected and give your pruners a wipe with oil or meths when done so as not to transfer the disease elsewhere.
Good luck!
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Best to prune the dead bits to the start of the dying part rather than the alive part?