Help! My tree is dying

[lancestorm]

yO.

Hey I took a baby maple tree from my mother's garden (she was going to get rid of it) and planted it in my yard. It *was* looking like a very good tree. About a foot and a half tall, good girth and growth, slight bark on it already...looking very good. But right now, it looks like it is dying. It gets a lot of sunlight (read: all dang day cause it is a new neighborhood with very few trees to provide shade) and I have been providing it a lot of water everyday since transplanting it (4 days ago).

The top leaves are crumbly and now flat but curled in. Looks like it is dying... how do I save thee tree?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I'll give you a hint, and answer isn't ants.


It could be getting too much sun, or the ground wasn't prepared properly. You should put down some potting soil as a base so the roots have some initiative.

 

[aircooled]

Was is a wild maple? or a previusly potted one?

Wild ones do not transplant very well.

 

[arcas]

How 'bout showing us a picture?

Did you get a sufficient portion of the roots when you dug it up? Some maples are difficult to transplant.

 

[Lazy8s]

make sure you didn't plant it too deep. The bulb-like shape right above the roots is supposed to be above ground

 

[lancestorm]

Originally posted by: Lazy8s
make sure you didn't plant it too deep. The bulb-like shape right above the roots is supposed to be above ground

You are kidding me.

This sucker had a weird root structure.... went straight to the bulb, then a direct like 90 degree turn of the roots... The bulb-like shape was in the ground of the garden...so I put it at about the same level.

The biggest mistake I feel is a lake of potting soil, though I put it in a part of the yard where grass grows like crazy (water draining towards and better soil -- aka less clay)

What do I do now??

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: aircooled
Was is a wild maple? or a previusly potted one?

Wild ones do not transplant very well.

Wrong. I have about 10+ wild maples I transplanted in my yard. All are doing extremely well.

In my experience, most trees go through an adjustment period after being transplanted. Often some of the leaves will dry up and fall off. I would suggest that your tree is doing fine, though it may not be that pretty at the moment.

When you dug it out of your Mom's garden, were you careful to not break the roots? A tree can recover from broken roots just fine, but it will cause its recovery time to be a little longer.

Also, make sure you are not over-watering the tree. If the ground around the base of the tree is moist, don't water it.

 

[Grey]

Got pics? And did you water it ok? transplanted trees need a lot of water to keep from getting stressed. And the opposite as the above poster stated, don't overwater it.

*edited to not contradict above post*

 

[Apathetic]

How often are you watering it?

Dave

 

[lancestorm]

Once a day, spraying directly at the base of the tree with a very good soaking of at least a minute.... it keeps lapping it up and going into the soil very easily.

 

[lancestorm]

I might be able to provide a pic in the next few days, but not right at the moment.

 

[arcas]

Wrong. I have about 10+ wild maples I transplanted in my yard. All are doing extremely well.

Depends on the type of maple. Some species are very difficult to propagate and transplant, others can transplant fairly readily. Among those that are difficult for one reason or another are the Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum) and some varieties of Fullmoon maple (A.japonicum). Even the more common Red maples (A.rubrum) can be finicky about transplanting. Striped maple (A.pensylvanicum) is another one that's difficult to transplant even though it's pretty common as an understory tree in the woods.

Among those that transplant readily would be your Silver maples (A.saccharinum) -- but don't plant these, they're notorious for storm damage and have very invasive roots (speaking from personal experience) -- and Norway maples (A.platanoides).

I'm guessing you either

(A) disturbed the roots when you dug it up. Keep in mind that the big roots don't collect water and nutrients -- it's the fine hairlike roots that do that. The fine roots are easily damaged during the transplant process. Depending on how severe the damage is, the tree will probably survive.

(B) you planted it in full sun but didn't mention where it was originally growing. If it was growing in a sheltered spot, the sudden full sun environment may scorch the leaves. Most maples can handle full sun so this would only be a temporary problem.

 

[arcas]

What part of the country do you live in, how big is your yard and do you have any existing trees?

 

[lancestorm]

Cincinnati area, 1/3 acre (new subdivision), and basically it is placed near the side yard where no trees exist. No trees are really in front besides one that came with the house. Wooded in back in spots.

 

[Bryophyte]

Summer is a lousy time to transplant trees. If you want to try again, wait for fall when it's cooler and wet, or spring. If you MUST do it right now, pot it up in a good potting mix in a gallon sized pot, and keep it in the *shade*, well watered, until it grows some new leaves and roots and gets over the insult of being dug up. At least a month or two.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: lancestorm
Once a day, spraying directly at the base of the tree with a very good soaking of at least a minute.... it keeps lapping it up and going into the soil very easily.

That's hardly anything.

 

[Grey]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: lancestorm
Once a day, spraying directly at the base of the tree with a very good soaking of at least a minute.... it keeps lapping it up and going into the soil very easily.

That's hardly anything.

He is right, I plant trees for a living and we suggest a good deep watering 2-3 times a week. A medium trickle for 5 minutes on each side of the root ball should be good. Running the water fast just makes it bead and run off away from the roots.

A foot and a half isnt really that big of a tree. I bet it is just in shock from the light change like someone suggested.

 

[lancestorm]

No sudden light change shock. It was in full daylight almost the whole day. Now it is the whole day.


Why would I water such a tiny plant with even more water? That's insane. I have been told by the people that did my bushes and trees that a watering every 2 - 3 days in the 80 degree weather range would be fine... and that would be 2 mins for the tree (ash tree, probably 20 - 25 feet tall), 1 minute for the rounded green bushes and rosewood on very high water pressure going right to the base of the plant...

So several minutes of watering such a tiny plant seems crazy to me. So what do you suggest watering wise?

 

[Bryophyte]

The reason your little transplant needs more water right now is that it lost a good portion of it's feeder roots when it was dug up. It can't afford to get dry at all right now. It is losing leaves in an effort to stem the loss of water that it can't replace. After it has grown a good root system back up (assuming it lives), you won't have to water it as much.

 

[arcas]

That's not far from where I live (Lexington). I wouldn't worry about an 18" tree dying unless it's an uncommon cultivar. Most maples grow sufficiently slow that it'll be 15 years before it provides any appreciable shade. Silver maple is a notable exception but not without its own problems.

If you're looking to plant a shade tree, you might consider:

- Green ash. Most of these guys grow 2-3 feet per year and are pretty tolerant of poor soil. They can get large...there are 5 in my yard which are easily 70 feet tall. Pick a male cultivar otherwise you'll get a mess of seeds each year. If you're buying from a nursery, look for 'Bergeson' or 'Pratmore' cultivars. Has some severe insect problems in the north (Canada, Michigan, etc) but I don't think Ohio is much affected yet.

- Hybrid elm. These guys are hybridized for resistance against Dutch elm disease and elm beetle. 'Accolade' or 'Patriot' are two of the most promising though they might be hard to find. Both grow pretty quickly. One of the national arboretum measured an 8 year old 'Patriot' at 30 feet with a 5 inch trunk. It was 43 feet at age 13. Once these become more widely available, hybrid elms will probably become the most popular shade tree.

- River birch. Like green ash, these guys are over-planted because they're so trouble-free. They grow pretty fast and don't have any real insect or disease problems unlike other birches. Just give them plenty of water and they'll be happy. They make a mess in the spring so don't plant them too close to your house's entrance. One of the benefits of their popularity is they're cheap. You can find a nice 15-20' multi-trunked tree in nurseries around here for under $200.

/tree nerd

 

[lancestorm]

Ok. So how long would you water and at what kind of pressure of water? I was using a hose with a sprayer attachment on it, spraying pretty hard on the mulch around the base of the tree. Twice a day instead of once during the dinner hour?

 

[Bryophyte]

Take off the nozzle, turn the faucet on to a very slow trickle and leave at the base of the tree. Or, more simply, if you have a spare 5 gallon bucket around, drill a small hole off to one edge and place the bucket next to the tree so the hole is near the stem. Fill bucket up and walk away. The hole/holes should be just big enough for the water to slowly dribble out.

 

[lancestorm]

Originally posted by: Bryophyte
Take off the nozzle, turn the faucet on to a very slow trickle and leave at the base of the tree. Or, more simply, if you have a spare 5 gallon bucket around, drill a small hole off to one edge and place the bucket next to the tree so the hole is near the stem. Fill bucket up and walk away. The hole/holes should be just big enough for the water to slowly dribble out.

I do not have a bucket, but can do the hose thing. You didn't say how long however...

 

[Bryophyte]

Long enough to give it a couple gallons of water should do it for such a small tree. It depends on your soil type. Sandy soils will drain the water right through, some others will have a standing pool of water given the same amount of water.