Will my maple recover?

4 years ago

I have a maple tree that has been in the ground for about 10 years. It was probably a #5 pot and about 5 feet tall when planted, though I don't remember for sure. It has always looked a bit sickly and not grown much in those 10 years. It was planted about 20 feet from a large honey locust that was just removed due to size, mess, root damage, etc. The honey locust was probably 40-50 feet wide and tall when taken down and overshadowed the maple. The original plan when planting the maple was to let it get some size and then remove the locust. However the maple never really took off and we decided it was time for the locust to go. I realize now that I planted the maple ~4" too deep. I dug it out a bit to check for girdling roots and didn't see any currently causing issues, although the two large roots that are not growing straight out have me concerned. You can see the size difference of the locust and maple (to the right of the locust) as well as the root flare of the maple in the attached pictures.

I am trying to decide if I should give the maple a chance now that the locust is gone. Or just rip the band aid and remove the maple and plant a new tree (correctly this time). I don't want to wait if the maple is unlikely to grow into a healthy shade tree at this point. Any suggestions?

Featured Answer

ViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6

4 years ago

No buttress flare after 10 years on an Acer = girdling roots and certain failure.

Remove and replace. When you remove it, perform the forensics and wash all the soil off the base of the trunk and roots, photo the dickens out of it, and show everyone here how bad it really was.

Here are some images from the Bartlett Arboretum (NC) root conformation research plots on Red Maple (Acer rubrum) selections.

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Comments (10)

bengz6westmd
4 years ago
Badly girdled root crown as you can see. Prb'ly not worth trying to correct it, if it was even possible.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years ago
im not sure those roots circle ... work another foot out with your brush.. and see if they circle or go out into the lawn ...

what is the huge tree close to the van?? .. is that the one removed ...

when the maple was planted.. did you rely on lawn irrigation to water it???

you might want to give it at least this season to see if it grows better without the competition ... whats your hurry in removing it ... in my world.. warped as it is.. this is still within your ability to dig it out for free.. and probably will be so for another year or 2 ... so that would be my deadline for the decision ...

on the other hand.. if it just pisses you off every time you see it.. be done with it.. it isnt some rare tree ... lifes too short to be pissed off by your garden/trees

ken
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HU-705308031
Original Author
4 years ago
The don't think that the roots circle the trunk now. I am unsure if they are likely to strangle the trunk as it grows or if they will grow outward with the trunk as it expands.

Yes, the large tree by the van was the one removed. The maple was watered regularly with a drip hose for it's first year, but then just rain and lawn irrigation after that.

My dilemma is waiting a year or two to see if it grows better versus getting something new in the ground now. I hate to wait on the maple to see it does not start to flourish or to find I need to remove it in 5-10 years due to the girdling roots, having wasted that time when I could have a new tree planted and well established by then. I'm leaning towards removing it and starting fresh, but seeking opinions. So thank you for your thoughts.
indianagardengirl
4 years ago
You’ve already given it 10 years and said it hasn’t grown much. I had one like that, waited 10 years before i said OUT. I never regretted moving on to something else. YMMV
HU-705308031 thanked indianagardengirl
UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
4 years ago
Glad this showed up in my related discussions rotator. Too bad houzz doesn't have a way to make certain posts "starred" or "semi-sticky", or appear in a "frequently posted questions"...ANYONE buying or planting trees or shrubs these days needs to see this!

I have talked about my Beech 'Dawyck Gold' that I very aggressively root pruned years ago. Just noticed the other day what a nice flare it has...will post later if I have time. ViburnumValley is right on the money, it's too late for this one. The beech was about 1.5" diameter caliper when I pruned and straightened its roots.
HU-705308031 thanked UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
HU-705308031
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks to all for the input. I have not removed the maple yet. I did plant a new elm. I'm planning to leave the maple for another year or so, just to keep the yard from being too bare while the elm settles in. Once the elm takes, I plan on taking out the maple and will try and remember to circle back with photos of the roots at that time.
bengz6westmd
4 years ago
I hope your elm is something resistant to the Dutch elm disease....
HU-705308031
Original Author
4 years ago
It is a New Horizon Elm and is supposed to be resistant. I guess only time will tell.
ViburnumValley central KY Bluegrass z6
4 years ago
That's a hybrid of a couple Asian elm species, so likely no issue with the most troublesome elm diseases.