RE: Japanese Maple in parking strip

Actually, Japanese maples are listed as being resistant to Armillaria (oak
root fungus). I think it's more likely verticillium wilt, which affects
Japanese maples in exactly the way you describe. If you cut off the dying
branch, do you see dark streaks under the bark? That's an indication of
verticillium.

Cheryl
Santa Clara, Calif.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu 
> [o*@ucdavis.edu] On Behalf Of 
> RStarkeson@jschlesinger.com
> Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2005 9:47 AM
> To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
> Subject: Re: Japanese Maple in parking strip
> 
> 
> Not an expert on maples, but here are a few thoughts-
> Lack of water?  Japanese maples are not drought-tolerant.  
> Their ideal growing conditions are said to be "moist fertile 
> soils, with good drainage," the complete opposite of Berkeley 
> parking strip soil. Lack of water will cause leaves to turn 
> brown and drop.  
> Armillaria?  Maples are particularly sensative to this fungus 
> - which is present in California wherever oaks used to grow.  
> There may never have been oaks there, as much of Berkeley 
> used to be grassland. You could examine the trunk at the 
> root-collar zone, and see if there is any mycelium present.  
> It has a distinctinve sickly-sweet smell.  Another way for 
> testing is to plant a very susceptable tree, such as a fruit 
> tree. Phytophthora? Normally is encouraged by wet heavy 
> (poorly draining) soils (like adobe clay), during warm weather.
> 
> You just missed the monthly plant clinic at the UC Arboretum 
> - first Saturday of each month, in the morning.  You could 
> take a dying branch up there next month and have it examined.
> 
> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
> 
> On 7/30/2005 at 7:18 AM barbara sargent wrote:
> 
> >The city planted a Japanese Maple (don't know the specific 
> variety) in 
> >our parking strip three and a half years ago. We watered it for two 
> >summers as instructed and it looked very good this spring. Then, in 
> >June, I noticed that several entire branches and their leaves were 
> >brown. I didn't think this could be from lack of water 
> because we'd had 
> >such a wet spring. Now those branches are quite dead. The 
> tree almost 
> >looks like someone sprayed Roundup on it and I can't believe 
> that to be 
> >the case.
> >
> >What could be wrong with it and what should I do about it? 
> Do I remove 
> >the dead branches and water it? I was led to believe that it 
> wouldn't 
> >need to be watered after the first two summers.
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >Barbara - in Berkeley
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>
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