Shake or chip the weight off it Jim.

The tree will return to it's natural shape next spring. Very common.

Dax

I would probably NOT do as Dax has stated ..unless it is starting to split ...We are in the same "boat", ice breaker ;>), as you... but I have found that many trees and bushes including JM's become brittle with ice especially in the new growth ares and even if you COULD "break" it off, which I doubt... as thick as it is ( about 1/4" around here) you'd most likely damage the tree much more than just leaving it. If it warms up in a couple of days, as it's suppose to, it should melt off and begin to spring back into shape ...then...if you need to you can stake or tie it upright or do so in spring ...I DON'T think you have anything to worry about. The ice itself does have one possitive since it acts as an insulator against cold weather sort of like the orange growers do down south during hard freezes. None of my JM trees seem to have been damaged... so far... just crap trres like soft maples and chinese elms etc and some damge to pines. And I have some spectacular pics of several JM's with ice in particular a sango kaku ...bright red branches encapsulated in ice. David

THANK YOU David. I appreciate your help here, but I'd already sort of planned on letting the tree thaw with sap in it's veins and me perhaps staying out of nature's plan until Spring. This JM doesn't seem brittle at all since it didn't split or break but I am reluctant to try touching it and maybe breaking it with my panicked effort when all things are frozen solid as glass we can shatter.

I think maybe patience is called for here, rather than pro-active efforts on my part right now when the beautiful little tree is brittle and frozen.

We'll soon see what happens to our prized little now 9 foot Maple tree, and like always I am counting down the days until Spring. I just wondered if this sort of thing was unusual and you have given me some hope here. That Japanese Maple has always loved it's spot and grown slow but perfectly into a tree with a grace that seemed destined to have giant bonsai qualities. I'll suffer the tough winter with it and put it on notice that it'd time to straighten up. God only knows how many times I've been told to do that very same thing.

I have a lot of faith in this tree but I'm no expert at maples like it, or how to care for it when it's so bent from 3 inches of ice as it's load. I planted that espensive tiny tree on my 25th wedding anniversary back 9 years ago and my wife is now not happy. She thinks it is ruined, but I think maybe I can save this very special tree if I don't do anything stupid.

Poor Karen (my wife) has now endured my mad passions for 34 years and that includes the indoor greenhouse I once built in our first apartment. Now she and I just feel "special" about our little maple tree.
jim
On Dec 4, 2006, at 5:06 PM, myersphcf wrote:

Jim...I'd tell your wife NOT to worry...It most likely will be fine. We all have made the mistake of trying to fix stuff out of panic ...and it NEVER is a good idea. I think ultimatly , especially in your case, inaction, even if the tree gets damaged ( which as I said I doubt), is a MUCH better course than the "wrath of the wife" you'd get if you mess it up out of impatience. Feel free to email me personally any time with JM questions at the above addy since we seem to be in the same area ...David

Hey Dave... Though tomorrow's high will be only 19, today was warm enough to thaw some smaller trees and my JM is almost upright again! Even my neighbor lady's "bent into the street" big birch tree is slowly standing it'self up again and I am AMAZED!

It seems that some younger trees are supple and tender enough to be rebound, but the BIG trees are pretty much wiped out, split or horribly pruned by the wrath of this recent ice storm.

I appreciate your advice to stop me from doing ANYTHING because weeks earlier than I expected... my JM is already 80% tall again and not so akimbo after just one day of above freezing weather. My wife is a happy camper again since our power was restored in a mere 60 hours while others are still waiting after 6 long days and nights.

We just felt sorta "tender" about that JM because another storm once took out the (too big) birch tree that was there. When my wife was gone to be with her California family, I worked like I'm not supposed to and got that old tree out of the ground and put that little JM in the ground in front of our house. THAT area is HER own little bailiwick and garden she keeps beautiful and the JM was the centerpiece. The rest of the gardening is mine to do both at home and at our lake house but I know nothng of Japanese Maples other than I think they are simply beautiful.

I'm glad that I won't soon be shopping for a new tall one like it that could cost us hundreds.

Thanks again for the good advice. Jim

Yah, I gotta read more carefully. Not much you can do in that situation but to hold major branches up with stakes if you can.

Take care,

Dax