topic Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage in Garden

Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

Lilysmom — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 19:42:20 GMT

@JustJazzmom, you will remember we lost two 50’ spruce trees Christmas Day in a big nor’easter. The trees caused very little damage except that they took out one side of a Japanese Bloodgood.

I was out out in the yard this afternoon having a look. What remains of the tree is all in bud surprisingly. There was a split in the trunk. See photos below. Any observations appreciated. It looks to me like the tree is doing pretty good in spite of the damage. Any observations welcome. LM

Kind of of hard to see the outline on such a gray day.

The trunk.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

mousiegirl — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 19:53:35 GMT

@Lilysmom wrote:
@JustJazzmom, you will remember we lost two 50’ spruce trees Christmas Day in a big nor’easter. The trees caused very little damage except that they took out one side of a Japanese Bloodgood.

I was out out in the yard this afternoon having a look. What remains of the tree is all in bud surprisingly. There was a split in the trunk. See photos below. Any observations appreciated. It looks to me like the tree is doing pretty good in spite of the damage. Any observations welcome. LM

Kind of of hard to see the outline on such a gray day.

The trunk.

@Lilysmom The trunk may heal itself, and if it is budding, all you can do is wait and see. Always sad when a tree is taken down or dies.

I have seeds growing under my grow lights, usually I just plant outside, but it has been so cold off and on.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

drizzellla — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 20:10:27 GMT

I would like to say - I am no expert. When we first bought our house in 1980 there was a maple tree in the back yard. Lightning had stuck the tree. It lost one large branch and it looked like the tree was almost cut in half. The lightning was before we bought the house.

We had a tree guy come out for a number of years. He trimmed the tree and tried to give it some balance and try and even it out. Even though the bark on 1/8th of the tree was gone all the way to the ground, the tree came back and thrived.

Until this year. My next door neighbor kept complaining. She didn't like that leaves from the tree fell into her pool. So we kept getting the tree trimmed. She would complain again and we would get the tree trimmed again. She was going to keep complaining until we took the tree down. Well, the last trim was too much - the tree is not doing well after all these years. So she will get her wish.

But for almost 40 years even with the extensive damage the tree thrived.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

GingerPeach — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 20:32:46 GMT

Can I just say, I do not like your neighbor. My heart is with your tree, @drizzellla

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

BirkiLady — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 20:45:25 GMT

@Lilysmom That tree looks surprisingly healthy! Not an arborist by any means, but your picture is much better than ever anticipated following your previous pictures. Those maples are sturdy trees to survive Mother Nature's wrath! Glad it is doing so well.

@drizzellla I'm saddened to read about the tree that has battled for its' life for 40 years over tree leaves. What a painful day that will be for you. You've been too kind for a very long time. Afraid a tree would have been more important to me than the neighbor!

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

Lilysmom — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 20:57:19 GMT

@mousiegirl, thanks for chiming in! I kind of feel like you do. I think the tree might make it. I love these trees. I have 7 or 8 throughout the property. With this exception, they are all doing great.

I started seeds indoors as well. Marigolds. I have four large pots going. I also bought two primula and put them in larger pots. No way can I put them outside. It is still so cold. I have been swimming all winter and am dreaming of warmer weather and dreaming of swimming in the lake🏊‍♂️🏊‍♂️🏊‍♂️!!! LM

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

Lilysmom — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 21:04:10 GMT

@drizzellla, that tree really wanted to live! That is a great story and gives me hope.

I hope your tree does ok. I hate to see one that old gone.

My largest Bloodgood got hit by a downed limb from a large oak tree that overhangs my yard but belongs to my neighbor. I lost a huge limb a few years ago (3 maybe). Today, you wouldn’t know it is gone. The tree has filled in nicely. It has also scarred over with no ill affect. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for for telling me your story! LM

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

Lilysmom — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 21:09:40 GMT

@BirkiLady, hoping @drizzellla‘s Neighbor is nicer in other matters. I love my neighbors Thank God! I might even ask them if I can shorten one precarious limb on the oak. The oak is gorgeous and is very old. We both love it.

@drizzellla, if you do lose your tree, maybe you could try something like a Satomi Dogwood which is gorgeous and doesn’t get as large as maples. See below. I have one of these and I love it. LM

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

JustJazzmom — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 21:55:53 GMT

@drizzellla I don’t think the trimming caused the premature death of your maple. 40 years is a good long run for a maple.

@Lilysmom I think the tree with that central crack is healing. It might even be a crack caused by the frost thaws we have had. Though I do know you mentioned it was caused by the heavy snow on it.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

JustJazzmom — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 21:57:57 GMT

@Lilysmom; Your Satomi/Rosabella dogwood is gorgeous! Mine blooms around Memorial Day which is the end of May by us in the US.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

sweetee2 — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 22:36:29 GMT

I have a 100 year old Apricot tree with a 14 foot base that is almost split to the ground. It still produces masses of apricots every year.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

drizzellla — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 23:11:20 GMT

Lilysmom - Thanks for the suggestion

Last week we went to Shofuso Japanese House in Fairmount Park. And the cherry blossoms were out. So we talked about getting a weeping cherry blossom tree.

We planted a Japanese maple in the front yard last year.

Our maple is just shedding bark from all it's branches. Our yard is slowly getting covered in bark. We liked that tree so much. It shaded a portion of the back yard from the afternoon sun. So if the dog wanted to sit outside, he could easily have plenty of shade. So now my husband bought a "party tent" so the dog would have shade, if we ever get warm weather.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

Lilysmom — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 08:58:29 GMT

@JustJazzmom @sweetee2, I am encouraged. Fingers crossed! LM

PS, the Satomi is one I copied from the internet. I moved a lot of photos and don’t have one of mine handy.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

Lilysmom — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 20:41:01 GMT

@JustJazzmom @drizzellla @sweetee2 @BirkiLady @GingerPeach @mousiegirl

I was just going through some photos and I came upon these two which I took immediately after the two big spruce came down In December of last year. Compare the second photo especially to the one posted above showing the split in the trunk. It appears that the tree has already done considerable healing don’t you think? It looks much better now. Isn’t Mother Nature amazing? LM

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

GingerPeach — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 21:27:34 GMT

You're so right, @Lilysmom That's a lot of healing since, did I get it right, just as recent as December 2017?

It's encouraging and inspiring. We can, and more of the human race should, take cues from Mother Nature.

I have always been in awe of trees. Someday I might write a book.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

Lilysmom — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 21:34:34 GMT

@GingerPeach, yes just since Dec of 2017. It is amazing! LM

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

drizzellla — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 21:37:42 GMT

I am impressed. And it did that much "repair" during the dormant season.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

drizzellla — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 21:48:49 GMT

@Lilysmom wrote:
@BirkiLady, hoping @drizzellla‘s Neighbor is nicer in other matters. I love my neighbors Thank God! I might even ask them if I can shorten one precarious limb on the oak. The oak is gorgeous and is very old. We both love it.

@drizzellla, if you do lose your tree, maybe you could try something like a Satomi Dogwood which is gorgeous and doesn’t get as large as maples. See below. I have one of these and I love it. LM

Lilysmom - you know the more I look at it - the more I like it. Sadly, we have lost a few trees since we lived here. I always liked flowering trees. Will have to look into buying a Satomi Dogwood.

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

Lilysmom — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 09:02:12 GMT

@drizzellla, it is my favorite flowering tree. As the tree gets bigger, so do the flowers. They are so pretty. The photo doesn’t do it justice. LM

Re: Bloodgood Maple Tree Damage

gardenman — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 10:27:31 GMT

Your tree should be fine in the short term. The only "living" part of the trunk is the outer layers of the bark. Everything internal is just structural. As long as the bark stays intact the tree will live and do fine over the shorter term. The long term issue is insects and moisture getting inside the heartwood and eating/rotting it out creating a hollow tree. That's not much of a problem with a smaller tree however. They can be very hollow and be fine.

Rabbits can kill a tree by eating the bark around the base of the tree, a process called girdling. Early settlers in wooded areas would girdle trees to kill them and stop them from leafing out casting shade on the crops they'd plant in the fertile soil under the trees. A fairly common cause of death in those days was deadfall where a large branch would break off and kill the farmer. It was much faster and easier to girdle a forest of trees than to cut them all down. A farmer could create a large field in just a few days by girdling the trees growing there. Deadfall would provide them firewood and collecting the deadfall was a daily task typically performed by the children. On windy days you'd have to be very careful as there would be a lot of deadfall raining down.