Dead Japanese Maple Tree - Ask Extension
Good Afternoon -
We have a Japanese Maple tree that is several years old, a bit more than 14 years old. It might have been around two years old when...
Knowledgebase
Dead Japanese Maple Tree #653360
Asked June 19, 2020, 4:23 PM EDT
Good Afternoon -
We have a Japanese Maple tree that is several years old, a bit more than 14 years old. It might have been around two years old when we acquired the property in 2006. Up until this Spring it seemed healthy. This spring it failed to leaf out at all, and the bark is separating for the branches and there is what appears to be some form of white-ish mold on the bark. I'd like to try and find out what disease it has, whether the disease is likely in the soil, and whether it is likely to spread through the soil and surrounding vegetation. Attached are some images. We are in Catonsville, MD, near the intersection of Rte 40 and Rolling RD, if that helps. I'd also like to submit a soil sample and/or a sample of the tree bark for analysis, if your organization still does that. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Dottie Carr
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
It is not likely that a disease killed your Japanese Maple. It is likely that the tree has been failing for a time now, but this is just the year it died.
The patches on the bark are not disease but natural and harmless lichens and mosses that grow on old, slow growing tree bark and still objects. (Lichen are a sign of good air quality. Here is a page on them: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/lichens)
Trees can decline due to many issues, including being planted or mulched too deeply, which can kill a tree over a long period of time, drought or poor placement. Stressed trees can then attract boring insects which are often blamed for the death, but they are just the last to show up, so it is often a combination of factors.
This page covers some of those problems, which are considered cultural and environmental, and not due to insects or diseases: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/cultural-and-environmental-0
You do not need to worry that your soil is compromised or that it will spread throughout your landscape. There are scale insects, (a sucking type of insect) that can affect maples, but it is not likely that it would kill your tree without seeing decline and dead branches first. (We do help people get their soil tested, but it is primarily a nutrient analysis. They do not test for disease organisms.You can find the information on our website.)
Japanese maples can be challenging to grow if their needs are not met.
Here is a recent post to our Maryland Grows blog from our plant pathologist about some of these issues:
https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/2018/08/24/japanese-maples-in-maryland-landscapes-plant-location-care-are-keys-to-success/
Christine
The patches on the bark are not disease but natural and harmless lichens and mosses that grow on old, slow growing tree bark and still objects. (Lichen are a sign of good air quality. Here is a page on them: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/lichens)
Trees can decline due to many issues, including being planted or mulched too deeply, which can kill a tree over a long period of time, drought or poor placement. Stressed trees can then attract boring insects which are often blamed for the death, but they are just the last to show up, so it is often a combination of factors.
This page covers some of those problems, which are considered cultural and environmental, and not due to insects or diseases: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/cultural-and-environmental-0
You do not need to worry that your soil is compromised or that it will spread throughout your landscape. There are scale insects, (a sucking type of insect) that can affect maples, but it is not likely that it would kill your tree without seeing decline and dead branches first. (We do help people get their soil tested, but it is primarily a nutrient analysis. They do not test for disease organisms.You can find the information on our website.)
Japanese maples can be challenging to grow if their needs are not met.
Here is a recent post to our Maryland Grows blog from our plant pathologist about some of these issues:
https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/2018/08/24/japanese-maples-in-maryland-landscapes-plant-location-care-are-keys-to-success/
Christine
