Is this fungi? Do I condemn the tree?
Daisy Jane
Posts: 14
Hello to all
I have an acer that is approx 19 years old and am worried that it is dying pretty quickly.
It had lived in a pot until 2 years ago, when we decided to put it into the ground because it had outgrown its home and was already in a large pot which was unfortunately plastic and the outer roots had scorched. The soil smelt dreadful due to poor drainage, so it had really been suffering in silence.
Its first summer in the ground (2014) was very hot and it lost its leaves early but came back last year, seemingly relatively happily, although I started to notice some of the branches were dying off. I didn't panic too much as this had happened on previous years without too problem and I assumed it would take a while to recover from its house move.
However, this spring, none of the leaf buds have opened, it's a bare skeleton, and the bark and branches show dreadful discolouration.
What is this and what do I do? Cut everything back until I find life or leave it to live or die? It's a beautiful tree when its healthy and after nearly 20 years it would be a real shame to loose it now.
Please see attached photos taken this evening (the one of it in leaf is from last year).
Help please!
Posts
Oh dear. It does look very sad. The little green encrustations are lichen and they do not harm the tree. I would try the drastic remedy you have suggested. Nothing ventured nothing gained
I'm sorry but if all the branches look like the ones you've pictured this year, it's dead.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Hi Ladybird and nutcutlet
Yes, I know the lichen is harmless so I'm not concerned about that but pretty much all the branches have the red/grey/beige striped wide rings as in the photos. It makes the bark look like same dangerous snake!
I think I'll do some heavy cutting back tomorrow night and keep going until I find living tissue. I did some Google searching at lunchtime today and thought I'd found something similar, but it was an American site and the branches were covered in tiny red/orange dots which mine doesn't have so I don't think it's Nectria Canker. I can't find anything in 'images' that looks similar to my problem so I'm curious as to whether it's fungus or bacteria. Whichever, I'll need to sterilise the secateurs afterwards and bin the branches.
Well, nutcutlet, I suspect you're correct, but I love the tree so let's try to resuscitate it. Better chance at this end of the year than autumn I suppose.
I'll keep you both posted.
thanks for responding!
The only encouraging news I can give is that one of mine had exactly the same dieback and discolouration but only on one branch, which I removed by cutting back into healthy wood. It survived and is now growing well. I've kept an eye on it for the last 3 or 4 years and removed any sign of the condition which did appear on some small branches and it seems to be working.