Early Fall Maple trunk chop

[PABonsai]

Last week I elected to chop this first year maple down due to a concern about fungus action up at the apex.

My question is, since the chop is at the complete wrong time of the year, how do I deal with all this backbudding? Should I wait till it's a little colder and just rub the buds off to prevent them coming back?

Also with the new leaders sprouting, is it enough just to make sure that if it frosts within the next 4 weeks that I carry it inside overnight until it's hardened off?

 

[MrWunderful]

When is your first frost?

 

[Smoke]

The harder the better....Bwahahahaha.....


Beheads maple in Fall and talks of hardening off, cut it out your killing me... Bwahahaha

 

[0soyoung]

When is your first frost?

10% chance, historically, in exactly one week.

Bwahahahaha

... pretty much says it all, IMO.

 

[PABonsai]

When is your first frost?

First frost around here is usually late October to mid November.

 

[PABonsai]

.

 

[PABonsai]

The harder the better....Bwahahahaha.....


Beheads maple in Fall and talks of hardening off, cut it out your killing me... Bwahahaha

Thanks for your help. Glad you weighed in.

 

[PABonsai]

10% chance, historically, in exactly one week.

It's upper 80s all week here, low 80s next week. We aren't getting frost till probably November this year. Meteorologically we are still in summer this year. So for all of the advice flying around about 4-8 weeks to winter harden I believe this year I'm in that window still.

 

[MrWunderful]

I dont think you have a chance of them hardening off. If you bring it inside it will most likely drop its leaves anyway. If it were my tree, I would rub the buds off now so the tree doesnt invest any more energy in it, protect the chop and hope for the best in spring. But then again, my climate is much more mild.

 

[PABonsai]

I dont think you have a chance of them hardening off. If you bring it inside it will most likely drop its leaves anyway. If it were my tree, I would rub the buds off now so the tree doesnt invest any more energy in it, protect the chop and hope for the best in spring.

I'm not worried about leaves hardening like summer. I'm concerned with the tree hardening off for winter. I don't expect any leaves at this point which is why I aam assuming I should rub the buds once it cools so they stop moving. I think it's too early to stop buds. All those buds took less than a week to develop. I don't mind keeping that one in the shed over winter, I just didn't want to deal with fungus eating it from the top down.

 

[0soyoung]

So ....

You don't say what kind of maple this is. It clearly is not a Japanese maple and looks like a red or Norway maple.

I would not be rubbing off any buds before next spring. What is at risk are those two top shoots that are beginning to extend. Being emergent, they have no tolerance for freezing temperatures. Should this happen, those other buds are what will keep your tree alive through this coming winter, because the emerging shoots will be mush, blackish mush ... dead.


Did it have nectria fruiting bodies up top? Is that why you did this?

 

[MrWunderful]

I'm not worried about leaves hardening like summer. I'm concerned with hardening off for winter. I don't expect any leaves at this point which is why I asked if I should rub the buds once it cools so they stop moving.

What are you concerned with hardening off then?

And for the record, like the guy above me said, dont rub off any dormant buds for next spring. But those extending shoots I personally would remove.

 

[Smoke]

Thanks for your help. Glad you weighed in.

Quick tip:
Ask for help before you do the damage......Your loss not mine...

 

[PABonsai]

Quick tip:
Ask for help before you do the damage......Your loss not mine...

I actually did ask for help before chopping. Read the OP. I chopped because I was worried about fungus. I had another thread on it last week in fact.

 

[cbroad]

@PABonsai
Any new growth I get this late usually doesn't make it through my winters. I'd be more worried about an open wound on that chop going into winter than the buds or new growth.

 

[PABonsai]

So ....

You don't say what kind of maple this is. It clearly is not a Japanese maple and looks like a red or Norway maple.

I would not be rubbing off any buds before next spring. What is at risk are those two top shoots that are beginning to extend. Being emergent, they have no tolerance for freezing temperatures. Should this happen, those other buds are what will keep your tree alive through this coming winter, because the emerging shoots will be mush, blackish mush ... dead.


Did it have nectria fruiting bodies up top? Is that why you did this?

I honestly don't know what kind of maple it is. I pulled it from our parking spots as a seedling with its first two true leaves back in June.

The node at the apex had turned black and a few days later the next node down was turning black as well. I couldn't seem to find anything leading me to what it might have been. The leaves had drastically browned over the course of like 2 days and I was just worried the tissues were being infected. I didn't see anything like fully developed fungus. But no other maples around here had their leaves drop and folks said it wasn't normal for a young one to do it early so I assumed something was wrong.

Believe me, i didn't want to prune anything off this at all this little thing grew almost 2' this summer. But I was hoping that the standard advice of doing any pruning 6-8 weeks before frost would allow the tree to prepare would apply here.

 

[Smoke]

I actually did ask for help before chopping. Read the OP. I chopped because I was worried about fungus. I had another thread on it last week in fact.

Idea 1. TREAT THE FUNGUS, DON'T CHOP THE TREE.

Idea 2. REPEAT IDEA 1.

 

[AlainK]

It could be a sycamore tree, not so good for bonsai. The leaves that are out will no doubt die but I'm pretty sure that dormant buds further down will sprout next sping.

Meanwhile, spread fungicide as recommended above...

 

[PABonsai]

My original question was relating to what I might have to do to make sure it doesn't die over winter. The plan was originally to leave it outside. But my concern was now due to the unexpected chop is there any steps i should take like removing buds or putting it in the shed once it gets colder. Sounds at least like keeping buds is best. Anything else I should do?

 

[Paulpash]

Well it's always good to take something positive or learn more through doing / observation and this is one of those occasions. Watch it's response carefully now and then again in Spring.

It's better to do this on free or less than ideal stock than some choice Acer palmatum. I have a feeling that this will be material that, once you get more discerning, will be naturally 'thinned' anyway as you acquire better trees.

I have a 'been there, done that, not gonna bother any more' list of trees I messed around with for a while when I first started. These trees won't ever get any valuable space on my benches:

Norway Maple (tar spot magnet)
Plane tree
Common Ash
Rowan
Large leaved lime (tilia platyphylus)