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Thread: What's wrong with my Maple trees?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
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    What's wrong with my Maple trees?

    30 years ago we planted 3 Sugar Maples in the yard. They have always been vigorous and healthy. Usually /Sugar Maples grow leaves as big as your hand which turn brilliant red and orange in the fall. These did that at first but have gradually developed smaller leaves that have less color. This year they just turned yellow/brown and fell.

    Sure the easy answer is climate change but these trees do well in Ohio and Virginia and many other places.

    And I'm not buying 'the pandemic' either.

  2. #2
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    Tom,

    Have you ever fertilized them? My guess would be some sort of nutrient deficiency.
    --I had my patience tested. I'm negative--

  3. #3
    The maple trees this year here in NH dropped a lot of leaves early too...not sure why. Still lots of leaves though.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    30 years ago we planted 3 Sugar Maples in the yard. They have always been vigorous and healthy. Usually /Sugar Maples grow leaves as big as your hand which turn brilliant red and orange in the fall. These did that at first but have gradually developed smaller leaves that have less color. This year they just turned yellow/brown and fell.

    Sure the easy answer is climate change but these trees do well in Ohio and Virginia and many other places.

    And I'm not buying 'the pandemic' either.
    Did you fertilize? Can help a lot but too much is bad.

    Best to call a local arborist or perhaps a forester. There are foresters around here who will come out and check trees and give advice for little or nothing.
    Might be best to get a soil sample first. Any farmer's co-op and most farm stores have the sample kits and can tell you where to send them.

    Is soil good for more than just the top few inches? Sometimes when houses are built yards are shaped with horrible soil and a thin layer of topsoil is spread on top to grow grass. When I plant trees (and shrubs, blueberries, etc) I dig deep, maybe a hole 3' wide and 2-3' deep for a tree. Breaks up hard layers, lets me check for big rocks, soil quality. (but that's easy for me with equipment)

    JKJ

  5. #5
    I’ve been told ,by on radio expert, that too late in year fertilizing can cause that.

  6. #6
    It could be one of the following reasons: root girdling, fungi such as Anthracnose, or sugar Maple borers.
    I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and I think, "Well, that’s not going to happen."

  7. #7
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    It used to be common here to dynamite before planting trees. They used 1/4-1/2 stick per tree. This was just to break the hardpan then they would still have to dig the hole. Do you have hardpan?
    Bill D

  8. #8
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    It's probably a soil thing. Fertilizer is not going to be practical on trees this large. Presumably would require some percentage of the mass of the tree. Oaks predominate here for a reason.

  9. #9
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    Mar 2014
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    Youngstown, Oh
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    There may be something going on. The Red Maple trees in this area are the last to lose their leaves and this year their leaves went first. Not just a tree here and there but everyone of them that I've seen.

  10. #10
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    It may be worth having a conversation with a local arborist, even if you need to pay for the consultation, just to get their input. I would say that soil nutrients "could" be a factor. If so, there are injection type methods that can be used to remediate. Soil PH could also be changing due to environmental factors. Creepy Critter are real and affecting many tree species, but that makes less sense to be given the "downsizing" of the leaves being consistent across multiple trees. But I could be wrong about that. Get a professional assessment.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  11. #11
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    We got rain for weeks at a time here in Vermont and the Maple trees had very little color and many trees lost there leaves without changing color this year.

    The state says it was the amount of rain all summer and spring.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    It's probably a soil thing. Fertilizer is not going to be practical on trees this large. Presumably would require some percentage of the mass of the tree. Oaks predominate here for a reason.
    Tom,

    You didn't mention your weather / water situation this year. A dry early summer could easily explain the smaller than usual leaves. Fall color is highly variable, and can be affected by the timing / amount of fall rains, temperatures and frost.

    You didn't mention whether the trees showed normal shoot growth this year, but it's a better indicator of the tree's access to fertility in some ways than is leaf growth. Overall, mature maple trees do form smaller leaves than young ones, so this could also be a contributing factor.

    If you suspect a soil nutrition problem, however, the thing to do is to have your soil tested. But it's not hard, or expensive to fertilize yard trees if needed. A 30 year old sugar maple probably has a total root zone area somewhere around 2000 ft2 or less (that would be a tree with 20 ft reach of the canopy from the trunk, allowing for 5 ft beyond the drip line for your fertility zone, or a 25 ft radius circle total), and you're only going to want to fertilize at a rate of 2 to 3 lbs of actual N, and half that of P and K, per 1000 ft2. You can get a formulation of fertilizer in a 2-1-1 ratio at most big box or garden stores for maybe $4 or 5 per pound actual N. So, maybe $20/tree. Micro-nutrients should be included as indicated by the soil tests. Just don't get a weed'n'feed type of lawn fertilizer - not good for trees at all - and don't fertilize after the early summer growth period has ended.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    It's probably a soil thing. Fertilizer is not going to be practical on trees this large. Presumably would require some percentage of the mass of the tree. Oaks predominate here for a reason.
    I've used fertilizer "spike" pounded into the ground out near the drip line. Doesn't take many per tree. Can also dig several holes and add fertilizer but again, too much is bad. I still recommend to the soil test and get pro advice.

  14. #14
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    John
    I have tried the spikes. they provided great aid to the grass within 3" of the spikes, resulting in grass spikes. An amusing result but not promising for the trees.

    Steve
    Your feeding plan seems realistic. I will follow up. One caveat, I expect a significant change to the grass and almost half that would be in my neighbor's yard. He's a good guy and has a sense of humor so it may be fine.

    We do fertilize our lawns and I will have to rethink weed n feed.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    John
    I have tried the spikes. they provided great aid to the grass within 3" of the spikes, resulting in grass spikes. An amusing result but not promising for the trees. …
    My experience has been different. I haven’t tried them on maple but they helped a fruit tree and had and amazing effect on a flowering dogwood that had stunted growth and very sparse blooms until fertilizing. I didn’t notice any localized grass enhancement. Perhaps the soil structure in these experiences was significantly different from yours.
    I still recommend doing a soil test first based on advice related to my farm. With that in hand, contact a local tree expert - a state forester evaluated an area on my property and advised on the species that would be best for that area. (there was no charge)

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