Tree guys - need advice

[Brian]

What do I do with this guy? He's in that nasty area in between the street and sidewalk - 2nd year now that the top is dead. Chop / top the tree to remove the dead branches? Something else? I hear bad things about topping trees, so I wasn't sure - can I do it myself and wing it, or do I need someone smart to handle it?

I can't get rid of it entirely as the HOA will make me put another (expensive) one in. Is there hope for this one?


http://i.imgur.com/LbZ5GAu.jpg?1

[newracer]

No sense leaving the dead stuff. Cut it out, give it some fertilizer and a lot of water.

[Grant H.]

No sense leaving the dead stuff. Cut it out, give it some fertilizer and a lot of water.

This.

I don't have an HOA, thank goodness, but we had to cut the heart/top out of the tree in front of my house as it was dead from neglect. The previous owners of this house were a special kind of stupid about lawn care, house maintenance, and house upgrades.

That same year I bought some fertilizer that is targeted at the type of tree from these folks (http://www.treehelp.com/fertilizers-soil-additives/), and then watered the crap out of it. By watered the crap out of it, I mean I turned the hose on low, and let it deep soak for 2-3 hours every couple/3 days.

It has now filled in the top and center of the tree, and it looks good.

[JohnTRourke]

it's dying in the winter, you have to water in the winter here, especially in really hard piss poor places to plant like the hell zone between the sidewalk and the street.

it's never going to do well, plant some bamboo or something. :-)

[Wulf202]

Yup. Be sure to become a Google expert on trimming so it doesn't leave an opening for further damage. Treat it nice. Consider doing tree wrap for the next few winters.

Would the Hoa be ok with you digging a tree ring?

[Brian]

Cool I'll get out my bayonet and butter knife and start chopping this weekend then, and make a point to fertilize and water heavier this year. Glad to hear there's hope. My mother-in-law thinks she's a plant person and told me I should just remove/replace it, but I wanted to believe she was wrong since that didn't make a ton of sense...

[Brian]

Any reason it would be a bad idea to trim out the bad wood now? I know there are some guidelines on when to trim bushes/trees, and it's not usually in the spring, right?

[Robb]

Cut the top out.
Like others have said, fertilize and water it. It'll fill out in a few years.

[newracer]

Any reason it would be a bad idea to trim out the bad wood now? I know there are some guidelines on when to trim bushes/trees, and it's not usually in the spring, right?

Late winter/early spring is best but dead/diseased/damaged wood should be removed right away.

[Erni]

How much of a tree needs to be dead before it won't recover? Like half of one side?

[JohnTRourke]

My tree trimmer tells me if he has to remove 25 to 33% of a tree, he suggests to just remove the whole tree as it has little chance of success.

You have to remember that Colorado is not an easy environment to grow anything in. little water, crappy soil, serious temperature extremes.

[Erni]

Grrr, that means I have at least 2 maybe 3 trees to replace, and a few bushes. The heavy snow a few years ago wrecked them and I lost some branches, then I overzelously trimmed them and the late frost last year just killed whole branches.

[Wulf202]

If it's just to shut the Hoa up rock the tree till its firewood.

I have a tree that got hit by lightning 5 years ago loosing 90% of its branches. It's still alive.

You won't hurt the tree by removing dead branches they already have the circulation cut off.

[Monky]

I have a weed eater/chainsaw thing you can borrow.

I know I know.. loaning of a chainsaw on this site is dangerous.. but it's a risk I'm willing to take.

Its a bit overkill for pruning but it's a chainsaw.. so I had to..

[JohnTRourke]

Grrr, that means I have at least 2 maybe 3 trees to replace, and a few bushes. The heavy snow a few years ago wrecked them and I lost some branches, then I overzelously trimmed them and the late frost last year just killed whole branches.

yeah, i lost 2 myself last year, I see you're in longmont too
My guy was so busy last year they were 6 weeks out on ESTIMATES. They weren't even taking on new clients for a while. This area just got hammered two years ago. You still see lots of dead ones throughout town and the area. Just a perfect combination of hard times and stress.

[sako55]

As others have said, prune the dead out. Be sure to prune back to the proper places to ensure good healing. it look like the tree is going to form two tops. Not horrible but they can be more prone to storm damage down the road. If the tree recovers, one of the tops can be kept stunted so it eventually has just one. Its a maple and you can prune it anytime of year.

Be careful with the fertilizer. This is not a case where more is better. Too much and you will kill the tree. No different than spilling fertilizer on your lawn. It will "burn" the roots. As far as products, the Ross Root Feeding system is probably one of the better products for homeowners to use. Just follow the instructions. DO NOT USE THE JOBE"S TREES SPIKES.

Water but not too much. A rule of thumb is 10 gallons for every inch of diameter. Looks to be about a 3 inch tree in the picture. So you are looking at about 30 gallons every two to three weeks during the summer and at least once a month through the winter. If it is frozen, don't worry about. If air temps are 50 degrees or over, you should be watering. During the summer you want a little drying between waterings. Deep root watering would be best since there is turf around. Turf will out compete the tree for water and nutrients.

It looks like many other young maples out there. The freeze in the fall of 2014 zapped a lot of trees. It could be several other issues. Is there sunscald on the trunk? Could have some girdling roots where the tree is literally choking itself. The basket could still be on it and causing issues with root growth. These are just a few besides frost.

Hope it helps.

[SideShow Bob]

I've got a tree in the same area between the street & sidewalk, it is 10 years old and is in no better shape or any bigger than yours.
I cut all the dead wood out this spring to see if it will help it.

I may end up digging it out and replacing it next spring if it continues to die off.