What to do with sick maples, and going forward?

[FiggieSmalls]

Hey folks,

So I've been growing my trees in gravel tubs as a buffer to the summer heat (to retain some moisture) and to insulate from the cold in winter. I just started 1 yr ago and so this is my first year of transition from winter to spring. We've had lots of rain and mild temps, leading me to wonder if I need to take measures to let my plants dry out better (since I can't stop the rain!). Now I'm starting to think yes...

I noticed this blackening at the base of one of my trees. Apparently it could be a fungus (vermicillium wilt). And I did notice at least one other tree in the same gravel tub that could be suffering the same condition.

I've read now that there is no known treatment for this pathogen, but now I'm wondering what to do about the situation in general. Should I quarantine the sick trees somehow? Should I throw out all the gravel in these bins (and any soil from sick trees)...? I'd prefer to recycle the material, but it is what it is.

As for treatment, right now I'm just thinking I will give them some earthworm castings and hope it will help them in their fight for survival. Not sure what else to do.

Should I buy some treatment for the rest of the plants, for use now and in the future? I don't love the idea of throwing harsh treatments at healthy plants year after year, but I don't trust myself to maintain diligent sanitary practices either, as far as cleaning tools between every cut etc...

Thanks all!
Figgie

 

[Rivian]

The black youre seeing should be understood as dead tissue, you cant bring it back and once it shows all the way around, that low, theres nothing you can do except treat the healthy top as a cutting or layer and hope it roots before that too gets infected. You could try to slow the infection down with fungicides and the like, if you can figure out suitable ones.
Personally I would throw it away, including the soil
JMs are not generally tough plants, unfortunately.
Keep trying different varieties and ways to grow them if youre so inclined, thats what I do

 

[FiggieSmalls]

The black youre seeing should be understood as dead tissue, you cant bring it back and once it shows all the way around, that low, theres nothing you can do except treat the healthy top as a cutting or layer and hope it roots before that too gets infected. You could try to slow the infection down with fungicides and the like, if you can figure out suitable ones.
Personally I would throw it away, including the soil
JMs are not generally tough plants, unfortunately.
Keep trying different varieties and ways to grow them if youre so inclined, thats what I do

Thanks.

I may try some cuttings. It's a learning experience for me, and I'm not surprised that I've killed a few trees.

I'm more concerned that I've created a sort of Chernobyl situation here though with these gravel tubs lol. I've at least removed the remaining plants from the tubs but they're still sitting out there, radiating disease for all I know! So I'm wondering how far I ought to go to prevent further disease. Like if I found bugs on a plant, I'd spray all the plants, not just the one. By the same logic should I treat all my plants with fungicide? But then again, I'm not entirely sure what is afflicting these trees

 

[Zelrod]

Sorry for your tree troubles. Don't get discouraged! Maybe that cultivar isn't great for your micro-climate.

 

[JudyB]

Zerotol is a good soil drench, however if you don’t have much in these trees might be best to start andw with all soil disposed of.

 

[Shibui]

Wet roots through winter and early spring seems to be the trigger for this problem. I have had some trees recover if it has not gone too far and I've put the pots up on benches so the roots dry out and get air. Unfortunately when the black has gone right round the trunk it is too late. Ditch those trees and soil. Sanitize the pots before using again.
Fungicide may stop it spreading to unaffected trees but the best is to improve drainage and air movement.
You should also be able to sanitize your gravel by either heat treatment. Not suer of the quantities you need to treat but for smaller amounts, microwave, old frypan, etc is suitable. Wrap tight and leave in the hot summer sun can treat larger amounts. Peroxide drench may also be effective on both pots with plants and the gravel beds but I haven't tried that personally as a fungal treatment.

 

[nuttiest]

Thanks.

I may try some cuttings. It's a learning experience for me, and I'm not surprised that I've killed a few trees.

I'm more concerned that I've created a sort of Chernobyl situation here though with these gravel tubs lol. I've at least removed the remaining plants from the tubs but they're still sitting out there, radiating disease for all I know! So I'm wondering how far I ought to go to prevent further disease. Like if I found bugs on a plant, I'd spray all the plants, not just the one. By the same logic should I treat all my plants with fungicide? But then again, I'm not entirely sure what is afflicting these trees

Calcium hypochlorite is very useful, start with gravel then use on more things as you get comfortable.

 

[Dav4]

My guess is this is actually a Pseudomanas syringae issue https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/maple-acer-spp-bacterial-leaf-spot-dieback. It's a bacterial infection as opposed to a fungal issue. To be sure, you'd need to bring affected plant tissue to your local county extension office. I've lost several maples to it after early spring time repots when it's cold and wet. I believe the zeratol drench is helpful. I've also had a few survive... maximizing growth and vigor was key.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Can you better explain this tub youre talking about?

 

[bwaynef]

I was going to post what Dav4 said. Pseudomonas is more likely in spring, particularly with blackness or otherwise necrotic-looking tissue. Verticilium wilt has no outward distinction besides ...wilt. The vascular tissue will look dark/green/brown/black and that discoloration is the cause of the wilting as it blocks the flow of water (and nutrients, but lack of water is causing the wilt).

Good soil. Proper siting of the tree. Avoiding early (season) rootwork on jmaples where they'd have to sit a while before the growing season starts. Lime Sulfur. <--- All things I'd recommend to avoid this in the future.

As Judy mentioned, if you're not overly sentimental about this one, it might be time to cut your losses to preserve the health of your other trees ...as well as your garden for future years.

 

[FiggieSmalls]

Sorry for how long this took to reply and thanks all for the advice, kind words and... condolences

I figured I ought to provide an update. First of all, I did not lose any particularly valuable trees and I still have plenty of tropicals and things that live inside during winter and were not affected. That said, my outdoor plants all seem to be suffering a similar fate...

Now, I can think of several contributing factors in the illness of my plants. The main one is obvious in retrospect--too much water. We got a lot of rain to the point that I actually wondered if it would be an issue at the time and I believe I got my answer!

Anyway I am learning a lot and I think I'll implement the following strategies next year to protect my trees:
1. A tarp to protect plants from precipitation
2. Some kind of netting to protect from foreign debris. There is a large deciduous oak tree overhead. Not only does it make a mess of my deck in fall, but who knows what kind of diseases are present in that debris...
3. Better airflow and drainage. As mentioned, I used the gravel pits last year to retain moisture during summer, and thought they'd be handy to provide insulation during winter. This year I think I'll keep the plants elevated and might use sealed buckets of water between trees as a buffer against extreme temperatures. The insulation might be unnecessary but I got my maples from Evergreen gardenworks, so I worry a bit about their hardiness since they are coming from California

 

[FiggieSmalls]

Sorry for how long this took to reply and thanks all for the advice, kind words and... condolences

I figured I ought to provide an update. First of all, I did not lose any particularly valuable trees and I still have plenty of tropicals and things that live inside during winter and were not affected. That said, my outdoor plants all seem to be suffering a similar fate...

Now, I can think of several contributing factors in the illness of my plants. The main one is obvious in retrospect--too much water. We got a lot of rain to the point that I actually wondered if it would be an issue at the time and I believe I got my answer!

Anyway I am learning a lot and I think I'll implement the following strategies next year to protect my trees:
1. A tarp to protect plants from precipitation
2. Some kind of netting to protect from foreign debris. There is a large deciduous oak tree overhead. Not only does it make a mess of my deck in fall, but who knows what kind of diseases are present in that debris...
3. Better airflow and drainage. As mentioned, I used the gravel pits last year to retain moisture during summer, and thought they'd be handy to provide insulation during winter. This year I think I'll keep the plants elevated and might use sealed buckets of water between trees as a buffer against extreme temperatures. This might be unnecessary

 

[FiggieSmalls]

Woops, I can't delete a repeat comment? Lol