Weeping Ryusen Maple...winter was harsh

[Cadillactaste]

Weeping Ryusen Maple...winter was harsh...not even bonsai material

Put a call into our local nursery to see if I should be concerned about our weeping Ryusen Maple. They said to give it two more weeks before getting concerned. This winter has been extremely harsh...Japanese Maples are seeing a bit from it...but, mostly a bit of dieback on branches. Wait and see.

Said the split bark is not the reason it's not budded out, and to leave it alone and just wait it out.



Husbands favorite landscape tree...he's ready to replace it. So now he must wait. He doesn't know this yet. Should be an interesting conversation this evening.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Thing is...what seems alive so far...is the bottom part of the grafting. Which isn't even bonsai material which SUCKS!

 

[Dav4]

Do the buds look plump and"normal looking" for lack of a better term? Also, do the smaller branches look normal colored, or are they grey with shriveled bark and do they seem dry when you bend them sharply? I think you know where I'm going with this.

 

[GrimLore]

Looking closely at the third picture upper right I would read into and research what happened to MACH5 and others in this thread http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?15067-Need-Diagnoses-for-Kiyohime-JM-Disease Hard to tell exactly from pictures but it would seem to me a similar problem *sigh*

Grimmy

 

[Cadillactaste]

Do the buds look plump and"normal looking" for lack of a better term? Also, do the smaller branches look normal colored, or are they grey with shriveled bark and do they seem dry when you bend them sharply? I think you know where I'm going with this.

No the buds do not look overly plump...more black in areas. They do bend...no shriveled bark. Split bark in one area. But I have heard many are having split bark in my area. (Harsh winter damage is what is being determined by local nursery folk taking looks at damaged bark) the branches do seem to bend other than the short tips that the nursery man said was dieback from the severe arctic cold. He has similar issues with trees in his landscape. He's seeing a lot of Japanese suffering from this harsh winter we had. But in the same sense...have seen some that show signs of bouncing back.

Since I posted this...I am seeing more green coming back into the branches of the tree. Which I hadn't noticed before.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Here is a close up of a branch...the dark seems to be pealing off...the branch seeming to show more color than it once had. You can see it has a healthy color under the pealing bark. Which I was told was a good sign.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

I'd remove the diseased looking parts. Yeah, I know it's most of the maple It looks like from the second pic that you have some ryusen growth down low.

 

[Cadillactaste]

[BOOKS][/BOOKS]

I'd remove the diseased looking parts. It looks like from the second pic that you have some ryusen growth down low.

It's a weeping ryusen maple...
The local nursery felt winter damage...but, now I am not so sure. I had described it. Now I just sent them photos as well. Where it's pealed...it's a healthy color underneath tree seems to be looking more green...where it once looked black.

I did do a scratch test under the dark area...and it came out green.

 

[GrimLore]

Looking closely at the third picture upper right I would read into and research what happened to MACH5 and others in this thread http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?15067-Need-Diagnoses-for-Kiyohime-JM-Disease Hard to tell exactly from pictures but it would seem to me a similar problem *sigh*

Grimmy

I was referring to the third picture in your first post, upper right of the photo. The bark and all is normal winter damage but that discoloration is the sign of something else as referred to in the thread I quoted.

Grimmy

 

[Cadillactaste]

I was referring to the third picture in your first post, upper right of the photo. The bark and all is normal winter damage but that discoloration is the sign of something else as referred to in the thread I quoted.

Grimmy

Thanks Grimmy...the nursery guy may come out and diagnose it...waiting for him to call back. He is looking at photos but,can't tell much on his phone.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

I'm familiar with ryusen. Interesting one from Japan I believe. Does it show any signs of "ram's horns", the callousing? It'd be a good sign that the maple is compartmentaling.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Some folks over at UBC might be able to give you better advice if you post some photos over there. Sorry, I can't help much, but I would like to follow up with you and see how your maple fares.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Some folks over at UBC might be able to give you better advice if you post some photos over there. Sorry, I can't help much, but I would like to follow up with you and see how your maple fares.

Thanks...I plan on bringing in our local nursery guy to take a look at it and tell me where to go from now. With this being my husbands favorite tree. Seeing the healthy bark under the peeling...gave me hope. Now with what Grimmy pointed out...maybe what I see and he sees are two separate things indeed. I thought it was all the same...because it looked all alike when it first turned dark...

As for rams horns...the only thing that is going on other than the bark...is no buds are opening yet. Which...I am told is to be expected with the arctic cold things are budding out at unusual times and are coming in late as well.

 

[GrimLore]

The "problem" referred to in the thread I quoted is also a result of the harsh winter and I am pretty certain that it was hit as MANY others in the North East. If the landscaper says otherwise I would be surprised. The good thing is that it can be chopped and treated.

Grimmy

 

[Cadillactaste]

The "problem" referred to in the thread I quoted is also a result of the harsh winter and I am pretty certain that it was hit as MANY others in the North East. If the landscaper says otherwise I would be surprised. The good thing is that it can be chopped and treated.

Grimmy

Chopped and treated won't allow me to have my weeping ryusen though...I fear I will end up with what it was grafted on to. which is useless to me in the yard...and I don't feel it is bonsai material either. Thus...a lost tree. As you say...many others have had loss as well. I believe I also lost my Tamarix...from the cold...and I had to pull another shrub that had a disease as well. Some kind of gall.

 

[GrimLore]

So far Winter 2013-2014 has caused me to bury -

2 Bald Cypress - pushed buds in 2 foot of snow
1 Trident Maple - same
1 Japanese Maple - same
5 Mediterranean Cypress - developed a white fungus
1 Black Cherry - pushed early, BIG *sigh*, strangest aerial roots I have ever seen
1 Honey Locust - pushed early, 5 years developed from sucker, great Litarati *tear*
1 Plum - still hoping on...

Grimmy

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Chopped and treated won't allow me to have my weeping ryusen though...I fear I will end up with what it was grafted on to. which is useless to me in the yard...and I don't feel it is bonsai material either. Thus...a lost tree. As you say...many others have had loss as well. I believe I also lost my Tamarix...from the cold...and I had to pull another shrub that had a disease as well. Some kind of gall.

Per your second photo, that growth in response to all that stuff going on above is above the graft union. I'd say that's ryusen. If it comes down to chopping, it'll set you back. On the other hand you'd still have ryusen. Is the reason why you don't think that the growth is not ryusen is because it is not weeping?

 

[Cadillactaste]

Per your second photo, that growth in response to all that stuff going on above is above the graft union. I'd say that's ryusen. If it comes down to chopping, it'll set you back. On the other hand you'd still have ryusen. Is the reason why you don't think that the growth is not ryusen is because it is not weeping?

Not saying under the growth isn't a ryusen...but...I will have lost the graft weeping tree above it. Saying the lower trunk doesn't seem...impressive. For bonsai...

 

[Dav4]

The rootstock will be regular old Japanese maple stock and it's habit will be upright.

 

[Cadillactaste]

The rootstock will be regular old Japanese maple stock and it's habit will be upright.

How tall does a regular Japanese Maple get?