maple trees losing leaves prematurely

[510199]

I have two maple trees in my front yard and one of them is especially losing its leaves much earlier than it should. The leaves appear to by dying, they have brown spots on them. We have gotten a lot of rain this year. Should I be concerned about their long-term health?

[Marcos]

Need more information. :confused:

Approx how old are these trees? Are they recently planted, by chance?
What type of soil do you generally have? Clayey? Rocky? Sandy? Some type of mix?
Have they ever been fed? With what & when?
Do the roots get driven over by vehicles?

Do you know what species of maple, specifically?
If you don't know the species, you might want to post a digital picture or two of your specific problem, showing the leaves close-up.
I'm sure we'll be able to get a better handle on it, then.

[KGR landscapeing]

Do you have ants? they like to feast on them

[510199]

They are probably 7 years old, which is when the house was built. I just moved in a year ago. The soil is pretty hard, but really clayey. To my knowledge, they haven't been fed. The roots do not get driven over by vehicles. Here are some pics. Thanks for your help.

159051

159052

[510199]

I have noticed a lot of ants at the base of these trees. Please look at the pics I just posted.

[KGR landscapeing]

If i was to draw up a plan for that landscape those are pretty close to the size i would put in. I am thinking if they were installd a couple years ago who ever put them in left them in the burlap and the cage and the roots are all balld up by now.

[mdlwn1]

There is a ton of this going on in the northeast. Look around for other similar problems in your area. No yoyo on this site is going to be able to diagnose those. Take the pic to your local Ag extension. It could be many things such as planted too deep, too much mulch and or dirt placed on the roots, girdling root, dried too much when new.

[Marcos]

They are probably 7 years old, which is when the house was built. I just moved in a year ago. The soil is pretty hard, but really clayey. To my knowledge, they haven't been fed. The roots do not get driven over by vehicles. Here are some pics. Thanks for your help.

159051

159052

That looks like a green Norway maple to me.
And I'll bet you a hot fudge sundae it's suffering from anthracnose:

http://www.treehelp.com/trees/maple/maple-diseases-anthracnose.asp

Don't get real excited about spraying for disease now that it's almost September. That horse has already left the barn for THIS year.
You could attack that if you wish, after bud-break next spring...

If this were my tree, I would wait until the tree has gone dormant, then prune out alot of the competing wood located in & around the center of the tree in order to allow for more light to filter through to the ground.
Norway maples are notorious for choking out turf eventually, and having shallow root systems that give lawn mowers fits.
Removing some of the wood should help to provide more vigor to what's left, as long as it's done correctly.

I would also verticle mulch the thing some time this fall after the soil's gotten a fair amount of rain (to allow for easier penetration).
Here's a good DIY verticle mulch procedure:
Get a couple 25# bags of Plant-tone from HD or Lowes, a wheelbarrow full of course sand or SMALL pea gravel, a large plastic funnel with the neck cut off, and a large auger bit that fits a decent, strong cordless or electric drill.
Just lay a garden hose around the tree's entire dripline to use as a marker, mix the pea gravel & Plant Tone together, drill holes approx 1 1/2' apart, and pour the mix through the funnel and into the holes, and repeat this all the way around the tree.
If you have leftover material, do another circle 1' inside the hose, and 1' outside the hose.

Then, fertilize the lawn a week or so later...
Otherwise, you & your neighbors will see 'speck marks' in the turf wherever you poured the fert in the ground, in circular patterns! :)

[Marcos]

A couple of addl points I forgot yesterday...

The verticle mulching depth with the auger bit (maybe a modified bulb-planting auger) doesn't have to be all that deep for a Norway maple, no more than 4" max depth.

mdlwn1 has a good point when he brought up girdling roots.
Yes, I believe anthracnose is the predominant problem. But if under one of those rings of mulch lies an anaconda of a girdling root (or maybe more) strangling the flare of the trunk as it emerges from the soil, then that would make the tree suffer all the worse.
You can find girdling roots by pulling back the mulch around both maples and carefully digging along the trunk, looking for roots that follow the exact circumference of the trunk. If you see them, cut them on both ends with a lopping shears or whatever.

I don't agree with KGR in regard to his comment about the removal of burlap and tree cage
But at the same time, I think I know where he's coming from. :waving:

Nursery cages are left on trees by (most) landscapers for a reason. To protect the integrity & strength of the soil surrounding the roots.
Most of the time, roots grow straight out of the burlap & through the metal, & the metal itself usually wont affect the ultimate direction of root growth.

Problems really arise, however, when you buy trees in large plastic containers, pull them out, and plop them into the ground. :cry:
If there's no efforts made by the installer (professional or homeowner) to rough up, cut, and general disturb to a certain degree the general 'orbiting' pattern of the roots in a 'root-bound' container, there's really no good reason why those roots wont continue that pattern in your soil, in your landscape.

Alas, since the advent of plastic tree containers, many a girdling root has been born in this exact way.

[DiyDave]

I wouldn't comment on installation, unless I were witness to it, but to me, it looks like they may be in a little deep. Excavate the mulch away from the trunk (by hand), and see where the root flair is versus the ground level. Might give you an idea of what's wrong.:waving:

[510199]

Thanks everybody for your comments, much appreciated.