Sick Maple Trees

[bensmith82]

What's wrong with my maple trees? This is the second year in a row that the leaves have failed to turn green in the spring/summer. Last fall the leaves fell off without changing colors (e.g., red, orange, yellow). Someone suggested that they were suffering from iron ketosis and recommended that I treat the soil with kelated iron. I spread a bag of kelated Iron over the soil and tilled it in earlier this year in early March before I planted grass along the park strip, but it hasn't seemed to make any difference. Please help!

 

[Raintree]

Don't delay, get the soil PH tested. High PH can lock up micronutrients such as iron and manganese making them unavailable. Good chance you'll be adding sulfur to the soil.

 

[bensmith82]

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely do a soil test and let you know what I find. The wall has been there for 50 + years. The trees have been there for 10-12 years. Haven't had any problems until the last two years. The grass was only planted there about 2 months ago. As for watering, the are is watered by 8" pop up sprinkler heads for 28 minutes 3x/week now that it is summer, Every third day in the spring. The trees were a lot smaller when they were transplanted in. Would broadcasting sulfur hurt the lawn in that area? Are there other ways to alter the PH of the soil without harming the sod?

Can I do a soil test myself or do I need to take it to a garden center? How will I know what to do once I get the results?

 

[Raintree]

Very limited buffering with low soil volume, add 3x wk irrigation (also get the water PH tested) and lime leachate from the block wall = stressed trees. Lets see what the PH come back as before we talk about sacrificing that nice lawn. Do you have a local extension service near by that will do soil analysis?

 

[treeseer]

When was the irrigation put in and where do the lines run? how deep did you till in the chelated iron?

If they really did look ok 3 years ago it may be a root damage issue more than a soil issue.

You can test pH yourself; the kit is cheap and at garden centers etc. You can alter pH with lots of little holes but it's not quick or easy.

 

[ATH]

In addition to the soil test, you might get a foliar test. It will probably manganese deficient (because that is more common in maple), but iron is another possibility. The two actually 'compete' with each other.

 

[arboristCT]

If the problem has been going on for several years, i would say most likely it is a nutrient deficiency. Of course a soil test would help, here in CT we send soil samples to the lab to find out whats missing on the soil.