Need advice on Osakazuki Japanese Maple that partially died:

15 years ago

I bought this sweet little Osakazuki Japanese Maple as a 'twig' a year after we first moved into this house in March 2006. It's leaves turn bright red in the fall.

We have it encircled with chicken wire to protect it from said goofy Golden Retriever. Unfortunately it looks like half of it died from this last winter we had. I have new leaves from part of the plant, but a good part of it is gray branches with no buds.

I've tried to attach a photo, but it's kinda hard to make out.

What I want to know is, can I, or should I prune off the dead growth now, AND is there anything I can do to 'fix' what has happened, to promote new growth or protect it from happening again?

TIA!

Here is a link that might be useful:

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Comments (4)

hallerlake
15 years ago
Verticillium wilt has been killing a lot of Japanese Maples. You could try cutting off the dead parts and then some. If it's verticiclium wilt, you will see black below the bark. Keep cutting back until you don't see black. Disinfect your cutting tool between cuts.
ellen_portland
Original Author
15 years ago
I cut it back but there was no black to be seen. I'm not sure what happened to it. I hope it will continue to grow.
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pepperdude
15 years ago
Hi Ellen,
I think hallerlake is on the right track. The discoloration is not always present in the portion you cut, it may occur at a lower point of a branch/trunk or may be otherwise hard to find. Take a look at the following page (you need to scroll down the page a bit) to read some of this disheartening info:

http://www.ipm.msu.edu/cat08land/l07-11-08.htm

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but this is a serious problem these days.
ellen_portland
Original Author
15 years ago
I am so hoping I don't loose the tree, I've got a soft spot for it.

I dug up all the bark chips around it and found what looks like a mole tunnel directly under the area that died off. We do have quite a bit of trouble with them in our yard. I filled it all in and will take a wait and see approach.

Thanks for all your help everyone!!