Bark peeling on maple?
- Thread starter BigAbs321
- Start date
james
Shohin
This tree is in the ground? Could have been injured by an animal?
Would think it best to tease back the curled up bark on edges to find green (live) cambium. Next, I would make a clean cut all away around the wound, to live cambium and fill in hole with liquid cut paste. This process may be best done in late winter, early spring to get get best healing response. At this time of year (going into fall), you may not get much healing, and may get further die back during winter. You want to get new, healed bark on maple, this low on trunk.
Would think it best to tease back the curled up bark on edges to find green (live) cambium. Next, I would make a clean cut all away around the wound, to live cambium and fill in hole with liquid cut paste. This process may be best done in late winter, early spring to get get best healing response. At this time of year (going into fall), you may not get much healing, and may get further die back during winter. You want to get new, healed bark on maple, this low on trunk.
Yes it is in the ground, and it's been eaten by Japanese beetles and deer I think. In the meantime till late winter, is there anything I can do to mitigate or prevent further damage? Is it also possible that the tree can heal itself?
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
That looks like physical damage below the graft union. Did someone run into it with a mower? 
I'm only half kidding. It looks like physical damage.
You can see how the tree is starting to heal the damage... while the deadwood is starting to decay.
I'm only half kidding. It looks like physical damage.You can see how the tree is starting to heal the damage... while the deadwood is starting to decay.
Got it, is there anything I can do in the meantime to promote healing?That looks like physical damage below the graft union. Did someone run into it with a mower?
You can see how the tree is starting to heal the damage... while the deadwood is starting to decay.
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
There is no scale in the photo so hard to know if this is a small or larger scar. Grass in the picture indicates it is probably pretty small?
Japanese maples will certainly heal over most damaged areas if they are allowed to grow, even with no intervention from us. I have done enough tests to be confident that wound sealers do assist healing but smaller wounds heal just fine without any assistance.
I don't know what damage Japanese beetles do but deer typically graze the tops of trees rather than taking a bite out of bark low down. Stags will rub trees but they make much more of a mess than this little spot. Rabbit swill sometimes chew bark low on the trunk. Line trimmers and lawn mowers are notorious for debarking trees at around this height. The damage is not very recent. Cambium is already healing at the sides so whatever it was occurred some months ago. Damage is often not obvious until the old bark dies off a season or 2 after the event so you'll need to think back quite a way to find the event that caused this.
Japanese maples will certainly heal over most damaged areas if they are allowed to grow, even with no intervention from us. I have done enough tests to be confident that wound sealers do assist healing but smaller wounds heal just fine without any assistance.
I don't know what damage Japanese beetles do but deer typically graze the tops of trees rather than taking a bite out of bark low down. Stags will rub trees but they make much more of a mess than this little spot. Rabbit swill sometimes chew bark low on the trunk. Line trimmers and lawn mowers are notorious for debarking trees at around this height. The damage is not very recent. Cambium is already healing at the sides so whatever it was occurred some months ago. Damage is often not obvious until the old bark dies off a season or 2 after the event so you'll need to think back quite a way to find the event that caused this.
PA_Penjing
Chumono
This happens to any deciduous tree I ground grow. It’s squirrels for me, I’m in the city (for lack of a better word). I don’t know how some folks are able to avoid it but I don’t ground grow any deciduous because of it. Except trident, for some reason they’ve been left alone so far. But my JMs get tagged two or three times a year
penumbra
Imperial Masterpiece
It is absolutely mechanical damage of some kind.
If I was growing it as a yard tree I would likely clean it up and use paste as mentioned above. For a stock plant or a simple container plant I would do the same. I grow a lot of my grafted maples as container plants and some for future stock. If the intent is to grow it as a bonsai, I would consider ground layering it just above the graft. (It seems to be in the ground)
If I was growing it as a yard tree I would likely clean it up and use paste as mentioned above. For a stock plant or a simple container plant I would do the same. I grow a lot of my grafted maples as container plants and some for future stock. If the intent is to grow it as a bonsai, I would consider ground layering it just above the graft. (It seems to be in the ground)
