Chlorotic sugar maple

wingdesigner · Fri Jul 27, 2007 9:06 pm

My sugar maple leaves are losing colour around the outside, only the centre is still green, and the veins. Yes, I have squirrels/chipmunks munching on the bark, but the branches that are chlorotic are not the ones being munched on! It's not buried at the base (I do pay attention to posts.). However, while I was recovering from surgery (about 2 growing seasons) I was unable to water much except for the beds that border the dripline. About that same time or a year before (it's a bit fuzzy) the neighbour to the north put in a garage w/cement foundation. The canopy doesn't quite reach the lot line and thus their garage, so I don't think that affected the roots, or am I wrong? Is this this year's response to two stressed seasons? It's a mature tree, was this size when I got here 15 years ago, so presumably it has a good enough root system. Soil is sandyloam, and I usually leave the leaves where they fall every year. It's in the back yard, so no fertiliser ever, as I have/had dog(s). Sorry, don't have photos. Is this a nutrient thing or stress, or what? Thanks for your help.

wingdesigner · Fri Jul 27, 2007 9:10 pm

Woops, one more thing. I did go back through this topic to the beginning and found some maple posts, but nothing addressing this problem. Tanks again.
Wing

dorothydot · Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:09 pm

Sounds like a nutrient/environment kind of thing. And I agree with you - doesn't sound like the neighbor's garage is a factor, provided there was no root compaction from the equipment.

I'd suggest deep root fertilization. Now is not the best of times, since the nutrients would stimulate tree growth - just in time for the winter to freeze it off. No, I'd do it after the tree goes dormant - or in the spring once the ground has defrosted. Or thawed.

You could do it yourself, especially in the spring when the ground is wet and squishy. Either way, make sure the fertilizer is heavy on the nitrogen (the first of the 3 numbers), with the potassium (the last number) being the second largest for root growth.

Here's how to do it yourself:
Get a bag of dry/powdered plant fertilizer (that's dry and pourable).

Now take a metal stake about like a crow-bar or poker. Go to the tree. Use the metal stake, and, locating a spot about 2' away from the trunk, press it down into the ground tip-first until you've made a hole about 18" deep. Fill this hole with the dry fertilizer.

Continue around the tree, making holes in a circle about 2' from the trunk AND spacing the holes about 2' apart within the circle.
Now do the same thing again, making a second circle 2' out towards the dripline from the first circle and again spacing the holes in this second circle 2' apart.

Keep doing circles until you've reached the drip-line (ie, the edge of the tree's branches).

Deep root fertilizing encourages the tree's roots to grow DOWN and away from the ground's surface.

Fertilizer shouldn't be used every year unless the tree is under heavy stress; if the tree is healthy, doing this every 4-5 years is plenty.
Hope this helps!
Dot

wingdesigner · Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:00 am

Thanks, I'll work on it. Sounds like it wouldn't be harmful to the dog, no residue at the surface, right?

Happy Gardening,
Wingdesigner

dorothydot · Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:05 am

Right - you can stop filling each hole like 1" below the surface. Another trick would be to water the tree so the fertilizer dissolves into the soil quicker. Or you could put down a layer of hay or something if you know for sure that your dogs crave to eat a meal of tree fertilizer. My wiener-dogs don't go for that; they prefer to kill a wild skunk instead (for real!). LOL.
Dot

wingdesigner · Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:25 am

Oh, you poor thing! Neighbour's dog used to chase skunks in the back yard. We used to have "skunk alert" drills. Somebody would smell it wafting in the windows and we all dash around the house to close the windows and turn on the a/c! They never turned on the lights in the back yard before letting the dog out. We did, and (knock on wood) have not had that problem (so far). Had to pick a few thorns and such out of snouts now and then. One dog started foaming at the mouth after picking up a toad! I was working blind underneath some ground cover and the dog kept trying to get in the bed where I was working. After about the 5th time of "NO!" and shoving him away I gave up. He'd flushed the toad to where I could see what it was, but he wouldn't listen to me, so I just sat back and watched. Sure enough, he picks it up (gently, he has a soft mouth, fortunately), and Mr. Toad lets loose! Dog spits toad out, starts hacking and coughing, foaming at the mouth. Well, I stopped laughing long enough to drag him over to the hose (he hates water!) and proceed to thoroughly wash his mouth out, much to his dismay. Ever try to hold a struggling 45 # dog with one hand whilst hosing him off with the other, and trying not to drown him in the process? Hasn't come near a toad since; or toad-shaped rocks for that matter...

Happy gardening,
Wing

dorothydot · Sat Jul 28, 2007 8:31 am

Gee, Wing -
At least your dog learned from that. UGHH!

The killer on our skunk incident is... it was our blind miniature dachshund who killed that skunk all by himself! And not a mark on Rooney- just the, umm, stink. Couldn't get that dog to let go - had to carry him into the house, skunk and all, screaming for hubby to give this *$#$)* dog a piece of meat so he'd drop that dead skunk. Thank goodness, it worked. Then Rooney and I hit that bathtub big-time.

wingdesigner · Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:03 pm

So, I guess he was banned from the bedroom for a while, eh?

dorothydot · Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:08 pm

YEP!

On hot days like today, he still has a little of that "ode-de-skonk".

So does the housedress I had on that night.

wingdesigner · Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:23 pm

Hmm, I'm not very good w/laundry, but what about white vinegar in the wash? A big pot o' oatmeal and soak it (dress, not dog)?

Aren't there commercial preps out there for such occasions?

Happy Gardening,
Wing

dorothydot · Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:35 pm

I actually think I'll save it for my outdoor work. A couple of good sweaty days should work. I'm handicapped, so I sit on the ground and scootch myself along a lot - gets dresses kinda stained and messy. So it should fit right in.

wingdesigner · Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:54 pm

Know what you mean--I have jeans that the DH pleads "Please let me use those things for rags/patches/whatever. Please don't wear those holey things, even in the house!" Notice I didn't call them "church pants", they're waay beyond that.

MaineDesigner · Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:07 am

Actually the root spread can extend tens of feet beyond the diameter of the canopy. It is possible that new garage is part of the problem. I would have some soil tests done, especially for pH and available iron, before fertilizing so that you can appropriately target the likely issues. Although I don't think it would create chlorotic conditions it could be that soil compaction is part of the problem if trucks, skid loaders or other heavy equipment was traveling over the root zone. Concrete is a fairly strong base so I'd look closely at pH even though Sugar Maples are not terribly pH sensitive.

wingdesigner · Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:17 pm

Wow, all good suggestions, and ones I'd been mulling. Nice to have confirmation. Of course, the chlorotic leaves are on the side facing the house, where I have to look at them every day and fret! Too hot right now to do much more than water when necessary. I'll haul out my test kit and see if I have the right vials. Thanks again.

Happy gardening,
Wing