Almost Branchless skinny Maples

Dan0

Hi,
I've bought an house with a few maples in the yard. These maples appear to be healthy enough, the problem is that they are very skinny and almost branchless. They are anywhere from 10 -20 feet tall. They are growing in the Open with in full sun with nothing around them. Some neighbours have told me that I should wait until they loose their leaves this fall and then cut the tops of these trees. Should I? If yes, how much shoud I cut off?

dannyboysfc

Post pics to get good advice, there are some real good arborists here to make recomendations for you.

Generally topping trees is a bad idea.

newguy18

No topping,topping is very bad.

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old schooler

Knotahippie

Depends on what is desired for yard/tree.

I think most maples become decurrent as they mature.

In general, topping excurrent or mature trees is bad.

Dan0

I don't have pics here with me but I'll take some tomorrow. They look like fairly young trees. The largest is about 20 feet and is only about 2-inches at the stump. It as about three branches maybe four with the longest being about 3-feet. Except for the three or four branches it looks like an antenna.

Dan0

Here's a picture of one of them. This is not the worse one.

Knotahippie

They look pretty scrawny, pretty exposed out there...some closer pics of root crown area would help.

Where are you at?

How's the soil? Do they get watered?

Dan0

Eastern Newfoundland Canada. Soil may not be the best but there is a birch close by doing fine. Maple trees grow in the wild around here. I haven't been watering and figured they get enough with the rain. The leaves the trees do have look healthy enough and very green. They are pretty exposed and we can get a lot of wind at times.

newguy18

I think,based on what you've said,and what we can see from your pic,the tree is fine.

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old schooler

Dan0

It seems healthy enough I agree but is there anything I can do to help it fill out better / more?

newguy18

Not really,pruneing won't fill it out[assumeing its done right].Just let nature take its course.It might fill out in a few years.

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old schooler

Knotahippie

If it was my tree I would carefully scalp the grass back from the dripline and put down 2" of wood chips.

dannyboysfc

Well, I would like to hear peoples thoughts on pruning it like a nursery would.
I believe that they would make some reduction cuts, back to laterals or nodes to force out more interior growth. I don't really know this tree well enough to know how it would react to this kind of pruning.

Eric Frei

Many would top it ... but that aint right!

Leave it for nature.

Sadly the nursery industry has pushed height as a selling point for decades, some whip stick trees the result.

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newguy18

So true Eric.We need more people in nurserys who know what they're doing.

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Dan0

Yeah, thats what they are.

OutofMytree

Dan could you please take a photo of a leaf and one of the bark in good light. Look on the ground for seed pods. You are looking for spiky balls about 30mm in diameter. This may not be a Maple.

treeseer

I don't think sweetgum go that far north, and that one's not sexual yet anyway.

Every twig in the middle of that tree is a potential branch. Take good care of the roots and get the top growing before you prune.

OutofMytree

Was thinking Liquid Amber but I forgot about the age. Still would like to see some close ups of leafe and bark.

Dan0

Picture of base, I put the mulch down on top of fabric about a month ago. Until then it looked like second picture.

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Eric Frei

Personally, I would have just sprayed the weeds/grass with round-up (dont get on tree), waited a week then just mulched straight over the top.

I reckon all that fabric/weed mat etc is snake oil crap like wound paint and fortune cookies.

Part of the role of mulch is to break down and help build soil organisms ... not be a layer ontop of some mat. Also, worms are supposed to help and have free travel without fighting some condom!

So, little project for you over the weekend, also pull the mulch back a little from the base of the stem, maybe 6".

Some of those stems appear damaged at ground level, what's the go there?

Also, organic fertilizer and fish/seasol style soil conditioners. Build your soil health with organic stuff, a healthy soil is full of organisms and the trees get what they need when they need it.

Evidence is showing that trees decide what they want when they want it by controlling and timing exudates. They exude differing types of substances to attract different organisms that give them what they need. So a whole range of stuff needs to be present, and even today the switched on farmers are converting their crops back to good soil basics ... maybe a 2 year turn around from the ole dumping fertilizers on crops with tons of insecticides.

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pcarborist

Amen brother.

TrevMcRev

Agreed. When you pull up weed mat thats been there a few years the soil is amongst the most dead, lifeless, dehydrated soils i've seen.

Rip it up now

It hardly stops weeds anyway, because they'll grow in the mulch on top once it starts decomposing.
It is good at stopping the trees root system from doing well under it though! Often see long, thin dia roots travelling to get out from under it.

willem

Yes get the plastic out. Create a good mulch layer. And let nature do his thing.
In two years time apply some youth pruning. One or two thick branches out and make sure the leader is free.

Ekka I think the dammage at the stem is lawn trimmer dammage. One more reason to get rid of grass around trees

Dan0

The fabric I used is not plastic. If its still bad I'll remove it. The damage is from a lawn mower and the reason I started mulching.

So, should I remove the fabric, pull back the grass sod and then mulch? It's fall here and the trees will loose their leaves in the next few weeks. Should I do this now or wait until they loose their leaves?

Thanks!

Knotahippie

2-4" Mulch every 2-4 yrs.can work wonders for trees where your at without landscape cloth and will keep any grass or weeds at bay.

Optimum mulch coverage should be well past dripline, see pic.

Roots commonly grow 3X diam. of dripline...

Not saying glyphosate is bad but not required.

I'd be worried about original grading/compaction. How long ago was the property developed?

That spot at the base of the tree, can we get a closer shot? See pic.

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Dan0

Property was developed 8-years ago. I bought it over 2-years ago. Compaction?

I'll get a close up of the spot tomorrow.

Knotahippie

Compaction from heavy equipment, foot traffic, even rain and irrigation can be some of the biggest problems in the landscape.

When soil horizons are altered problems can easily occur. Alot of current recomendations to scrape original O-A layer when grading and put it back when const. is done.

If theres not enough bio-action to loosten soil after damage then it stays damaged...water won't drain, pH problems etc...

Dan0

Pics of the base. Looks like damage from the mower. I plan to get rid of the fabric and put the mulch back. Should I dig upo the dead grass sod underneath and apply compost under the mulch? Or will this risk damaging the tree roots?

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OutofMytree

That brushcutter damage will have a marked effect on a young tree. Good idea to remove that hessian too. I would think that mulching on top of a fabric like that would actually repel water.

Is it possible to repair that bark damage??

I know NG will say wound paint