Water it. Even mature trees can use a drink of water in the summer time, especially during moderate drought conditions.

i think that is the only answer.. that is reasonable..

given that your only fact.. is that it looks sparse to you ...

a very mature tree.. has been there going on 50 years.. if ANYTHING was lacking.. it wouldnt have been there.. wait for it.. 50 years ...

and.. BTW.. if you fert the lawn.. its getting all it needs ...

do you recall any hard FREEZES this year.. after a warm spell in march.. many .. many trees in MI are looking sparse.. and that was long before the drought and heat wave ...

you are probably right.. i just dont think there is anything to do with a mature tree.. other than some water... though i am sure you can find a snake oil salesman to suggest many ways to get money out of your wallet ...

ken

I have begun watering and fertilizing the lawn under and around the tree as it is looking pretty rough as well.

We did have some odd weather this year. We had a very mild winter with an unseasonably warm weather spell in the late winter/early spring. It then got cold again. I am not sure if we got a "hard freeze" after that point but it certainly got below freezing.

Thanks for the advice. Ill make sure it gets water and keep an eye on it next year.

Did this tree play a part in your decision to buy the home? Does it add to the value of your home by providing shade and beauty?
You should know that not a single one of us can diagnosis any problems or lack of problem without knowing a heck of a lot more information.

If you answered yes to the above questions then I suggest that a small investment in a brief consultation with an ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) might be in order. With a brief history, a quick look at the tree, and knowledge of the local climate and summer conditions, an informed arborist will be able to suggest simple tasks that you can do yourself to improve the condition
of your tree. Ask for an evaluation and recommendation.

Don't sign on for expensive treatments without a second or third opinion . But you would be amazed at what some very simple things can accomplish, as long as there are no underlying problems.

Look at those questions I asked at the beginning of this post.

canopy picture

I plan to trim out some of those real low branches this fall. I realize the pictures aren't the greatest but I think you can still see what I am talking about.

Treeter, more than mere aesthetics, I think the fact that "the sod has been mounded up onto the tree" is largely the problem this tree has. So yes, do remove it just as you described. I also agree it will look better. Also appears there may be a girdling root on the side towards and to our left in the pic. Note the flattened appearance of the trunk on that side. Overall though, the shot showing us the full canopy doesn't look all that bad. Maybe a little chlorotic (yellowish) if colors can be trusted in the photo. That could indicate a too-high soil pH, meaning a soil that is too alkaline. If you do test for this factor, which is easy to do, soil sulphur is the remedy.

+oM

looks like a silver maple. sugar maples on the street are generally goners from the winter salt. Not sure why a silver would have problems - they are basically hardy weeds, and tolerant of pollution and higher pH

Yeah, not especially sugar maple-looking, although the bark does not look like silver either. Maybe one of numerous naturally occurring Freeman maples that are out there and usually just considered silvers by many.

Can a leaf close-up be furnished?

+oM

Thanks! You guys bring up a lot of stuff I would have never considered.

Ill try to carefully remove some of the sod and also check if there is a girdling root.

Ill get a picture of some leaves tomorrow.

Hey treeter just wanted to comment. And ask some questions If I could. You said you were in Ohio(I think) Is that Zone 5 like me or 6 in the south? If I were you i would remove the sod carefully to out past the dripline and only remove dead branches or branches that are hazardous to any targets underneath. Those in your pic look like pretty large branches and if you remove them the trunk wont be able to compartmentalize the cuts. (wall off decay that could spread to the trees interior weakening its ability to sustain its own weight). And further fertilizing the lawn does not fertilize the tree. You also shouldnt be thinking about fertilizing right now if you have to do it wait till the middle of September. and only fertilize the lawn to the reccommended rate adding more to fertilize the tree will only burn the lawn. When you water the tree make sure the soil is dry not wet (too much water is very bad for a tree). Dont water with a sprinkler water the ground under the canopy to about 24"-30" and only do this if you are in a drought other than that it isent necessary. And keep water mulch and soil away from the root crown as the grass is. keep trunk dry And two inches of mulch only unless you have a sandy loam in wich case add another inch cultivate mulch twice a year only add mulch if needed about every 2-3 years. As your tree grows if it will grow increase the diameter of mulch by removing more sod Always keep the diameter just beyond the circumfrence of the trees dripline . One last thing is as a tree grows nutrients in the soil will not be as readily available as when the tree was smaller. Because the tree is larger therefore making its space smaller it cant get all it needs like it did when it was small catch my drift? Make sure to soil test to find out what may be missing as far as micro nutrients(not supplied by NPK fertilizer). Also you need to test foliage of tree to determine if the nutrient is translocated in the tree. Fertilize tree by pulling back mulch and applying 1-2" of good compost to the ground and spread the mulch back over compost water the mulch. Do this 1 time a year not in the summer. Thanks I hope this Helps if you have any questions let me know. Oh yeah those roots look compromised by years of lawn mower injury you might need a complete root excavation. Okay IM done.

The foliage looks too yellow-green for a sugar maple -- more like a silver or silver-hybrid.

Agree that it doesn't look like a Sugar Maple, but could be wrong. My guess is a struggling Red Maple. But, in truth, we can't say anything without a much better picture of the crown and a close up of the foliage.

I've seen Silvers on the street suffer decline, so I wouldn't rule it out. But tend to think a Red is more likely, based on that. I've certainly seen Red's with forms like that.

I lean towards a Freeman maple. Bark's just not right for pure silver. Naturally-occurring Freemans are a common sight in these parts. Not talking any named cultivar, a la "Autumn blaze", just old trees that are quite clearly hybrids between rubrum and sacharrinum.

+oM

Been a little late getting back. I had a patio rehab project that turned into a full blown overhaul. I still haven't stripped the sod back from the trunk. Maybe tomorrow.

Ok so I have made several mistakes so bear with me. It turns out I am in zone 5b.

I think you guys are right. I do not believe it is a sugar maple anymore, but ill refrain from making anymore guesses, haha.

My "fertilization" method was adding "lawn soil" to the yard around the tree.

I've also got bad news. The tree appears to have some sort of foliage disease (maybe tar spot). The good news is that it doesn't sound that bad and most of the things ive been doing should help it next year. One of the problems was that the previous owners had a large growth of hydrangeas on the right side of the tree (you can see some of the ground I tore up removing them in the trunk shot) and there was literally a few feet of leaf litter piled up there. All of that has since been removed.

Let me know if you guys have anymore suggestions, advice, proper ID of tree and/or fungus. Thanks!

Hi Dave. Thanks for all the information. Its really hard to see in the picture but the branches I am planning on removing are small 2-4" branches sticking off of those large main branches. Those should be fine to remove, right?

Right now the area around the tree is getting watered with a sprinkler due to removal of the hydrangea patch I was talking about in the previous post. It is being reseeded with grass.

Hopefully I can make it out tomorrow and pull back some of that sod and see what is going on.

Just wanted to add that I thought I may have seen some galls on dead branches. It was very hard to tell though. Im going to try and take a ladder out and see if I can collect any of them.

Good call Tom... the leaves suggest Freeman Maple. (Acer x freemanii)

Hi Treeter,

Last year, we moved into a new construction home and the builder had a tree planted which has less leaves and we realized it only this year when compared with that of our neighbors. I am attaching a photo of comparison, can you please assist with what can be done to make it normal?

@Ashwin, this a 11 year old thread and Treeter has not been around since that last posting. You need to start your own thread providing as much information as you can manage, including tree ID and good clear, close up photos.

Thank you. For some reason, I dont see an option to create a new thread. can y please assist?

Click on 'Trees' then on 'start a discussion'

On the top of your home page, you should see a banner with the wording "start a discussion". This is where you 1) type in the subject and then 2) it will walk you through the remaining steps - including forum choices to post to.