We have a Japanese maple tree that has been in the ground 20 years, part of one side started to rot and it is leaning. Can this tree be straightened?
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
Arborists advise against attempting to straighten mature trees due to probable damage to the root ball. For the trunk rot, which is likely due to fungus from the inside out, keep the soil and air on that side relatively dry by clearing mulch or pruning to allow more sunlight and air flow.
If your tree is rotting, you have either a disease, fungus or insects. I would have a tree person come out to look at it.
Try to find the root cause. Do you over water or excess moisture in the soil?
Japanese maples can suffer from a fungal disease known as root rot ("wet feet"). The root rot in Japanese maple trees is caused by the fungal pathogens in the soil, which develop in overly wet and saturated for a long period of time soil. They can survive until the excess moisture is eliminated.
Dig up soil to expose a portion of the tree's root system. Observe whether the roots appear waterlogged or rotten. Fruiting bodies or reddish-brown cankers may also be present in the soil around the root system or on the root system itself.
Root rot does not respond to fungicides. It is vital to strike a balance of moisture for this tree. Healthy, vigorous trees are able to recover from root rot infections once they experience adequate drainage. Under the right conditions, Japanese maples can live over one hundred years. 20 years old Japanese maple is not so old. I have a concern that you noticed that your Japanese maple has a root rot a little late since it is leaning. Try to save him, though.
"Amend the soil by digging in one part peat and one part sand to one part topsoil until the soil drains well when you pour water on it.
Cultivate the soil with a garden spade to keep it loose and aerated.
Do not water the plant for a week or two. Check the soil with fingers and water only when it becomes dry.
Use pruning shears to cut away any dead wood or branches in the fall to increase air circulation through the tree and prevent fungus from developing.
Cut branches a half inch out from the trunk to avoid damaging the trunk's bark while it's in a weakened state." www.hunker.com/
First, have you addressed the fungus rot or rot in the trunk? Have you determined whether it's a type of fungus that can be cured or do you need to cut the tree down to prevent spread to other trees? The only way I know to straighten a tree without guide wires and stakes would be to pile soil on the inside of the lean and let the tree grow straight from there.
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
