# Cherished japanese maple injury first aid



## JimFromLawnGuyland (Jan 15, 2020)

Bought my house three years ago and took out several oak trees to give sun to my lawn. After several heated debates I convinced my wife to let me keep this old maple but with all the work it must have gotten wacked. I've been thinking of chipping off the loose bark and sealing the wound with arborists tree sealer but I'm afraid I'll do more harm. Water seems to accumulate in it and it doesn't seem healthy for the tree but otherwise seems to be enjoying all the sun it's been getting. I've applied 402 Flora green to the trunk and amended the soil around the drip line with compost and leaf mold. Any suggestions will be appreciated


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## dicko1 (Oct 25, 2019)

It looks like a canker disease in which case I would avoid cutting into it.


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## Cluelessone (Sep 23, 2020)

Whatever you decide to do, don't seal it with anything. The sealer just gives the bugs somewhere to hide under.

I'd just leave it be.


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## JimFromLawnGuyland (Jan 15, 2020)

I think that's going to be my course of action, leave the wound alone and try to amend the soil, fertilize and hope for the best. Thanks for sound advice &#128077;


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## Butter (Nov 14, 2017)

@JimFromLawnGuyland That looks like sun scald to me. It is cause by the reflection from snow in the winter. Is the damage on the southwest side of the tree? If it was mine I would carefully carve out the dead outer layer.
To prevent sun scald you need to wrap the tree with tree wrap before the first snow and leave it on until after the last snow.
That is a beautiful tree!


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

I would try to peel as much loose bark off as possible in order to let it dry underneath and prevent wood rot. Use a screwdriver, but try not to cut into live tissue. The objective is to keep the exposed heartwood dry. Do not apply tree paint as that will hold in moisture which you want to prevent.

If it is canker, it may get progressively worse......or not. The tree will self repair to some degree during the growing season - the callous rolls around the top of this wound are evidence that the tree is actively trying to repair the area. However, it is during the dormant season that the canker may advance.

If you really love the tree, you can have an arborist inject a fungicide once a year which will be taken up into the living tissues of the tree and hold the canker in check, but will never totally eliminate it. The other issue with an injected fungicide is that any seeds the tree produces will have traces of the fungicide which can be passed up the food chain by wildlife, so you need to weigh the environmental aspects. I more envoro-friendly option would be to have a deep feeding done which will keep the tree robust and therefore help the tree fight the canker. Both of these services can be expensive, so you need to weigh your love for the tree against your budget.

At any rate, it doesn't hurt to consult with a reputable arborist to get their opinion.


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## Mr Lawn (Mar 24, 2021)

What is the status on the tree described below? :bandit:

Has the tree healed itself or has the infection gotten worse?.......or hopefully not....died!? :shock:

That is a beautiful Japanese Red Leaf Maple tree.



JimFromLawnGuyland said:


> Bought my house three years ago and took out several oak trees to give sun to my lawn. After several heated debates I convinced my wife to let me keep this old maple but with all the work it must have gotten wacked. I've been thinking of chipping off the loose bark and sealing the wound with arborists tree sealer but I'm afraid I'll do more harm. Water seems to accumulate in it and it doesn't seem healthy for the tree but otherwise seems to be enjoying all the sun it's been getting. I've applied 402 Flora green to the trunk and amended the soil around the drip line with compost and leaf mold. Any suggestions will be appreciated


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## Austinite (Oct 4, 2018)

WOW. Beautiful tree! If weather is warm, leave it be. It will start to heal. The heat and sun will help. You only need to wrap the injured area if there is fear of frost.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Austinite said:


> WOW. Beautiful tree! If weather is warm, leave it be. It will start to heal. The heat and sun will help. *You only need to wrap the injured area if there is fear of frost.*


Probably the worst thing you could do. It needs to air out so it stays dry. Frost will not hurt the injured area any worse than it is.


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## mikeanderson20 (7 mo ago)

Yea, it looks like a canker disease. There's not much you can at this point. Leave it as is, and if it starts spreading, I recommend pruning the infected branches to contain it. After every cut, make sure to sanitize your pruning tools by mixing one part bleach to four parts water and leave the cuts dry and naturally heal. If you ever do DIY pruning job to keep the disease from spreading, check out some tree pruning  techniques you can perform on your tree.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

mikeanderson20 said:


> Yea, it looks like a canker disease. There's not much you can at this point. Leave it as is, and if it starts spreading, I recommend pruning the infected branches to contain it. After every cut, make sure to sanitize your pruning tools by mixing one part bleach to four parts water and applying Tanglefoot Tree Pruning Sealer to all pruning cuts (immediately after the cut are performed).


Tree pruning paint or sealer is an outdated practice. Wounds need to dry out.


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## 440mag (Jan 29, 2018)

Deadlawn said:


> Tree pruning paint or sealer is an outdated practice. Wounds need to dry out.


After decades of using commercial sealers or even old latex paint (depending upon the value or "replace-ability" of the specimen in question) I intend to amend my past practices and try leaving cuts dry (although I will always make sure I prune at an angle so water (rain, dew, etc.) will run off, and not "pool" or gather and sit, at the cut end …)


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## 440mag (Jan 29, 2018)

@JimFromLawnGuyland - it's been about a year-and-a-half so,

*What is the current status of the tree in question?*

Inquiring minds want to know! :lol:


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## JimFromLawnGuyland (Jan 15, 2020)

Tree is doing great. To trim the bark I just pushed on it and it cracked where it stopped lifting. It must have been some sort of damage from all the trees removed around it. Could be from the sun or mechanical.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

JimFromLawnGuyland said:


> Tree is doing great. To trim the bark I just pushed on it and it cracked where it stopped lifting. It must have been some sort of damage from all the trees removed around it. Could be from the sun or mechanical.


This is great to hear! Looking at the pic, the callous rolls are quite a bit larger and have almost closed the wound, which indicates the tree is healthy and robust. Like you said, it may have indeed been a mechanical injury.


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## 440mag (Jan 29, 2018)

Deadlawn said:


> This is great to hear! …


+1 and wwwwwwwwwoW!!!!!!!!!  :thumbup:


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