Japanese maple injured

sorry i cant help you on this Mike, but i do have japanese maples that are in a sorry looking state after a blazing summer. they are still babies in their pots, about 1 year old and 4 foot tall.

just wondering if in warmer weather i should be putting them in a shady spot? and do they need daily watering in hot weather?

I’m sure there are some experts here who will have the answers for you.
My concern would be a trauma on top of a trauma…. I think I’d keep it as stable as possible until the best planting situation in your area

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

My dog ripped out one of my japanese maples, roots and all, then shook it like a rag doll, crunching just about the whole tree. That was 2 years ago

I planted in another spot and left it…..........with little hope for survival, not one leaf on it two years ago

last year the bottom section grew leaves and it looked reasonably healthy by the end of August. In the fall after the temp dropped and leaves were gone I trimmed/pruned the dead branches just above the nodes on an angle…..............we will see how is this spring

-- Central northish Ontario

I’m in the “wait and see” camp. It might be too soon to judge whether the tree is truly dead on top. Either plant it or keep it in the pot, keep it well feed and watered, and have patience.

Keep us posted.

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

Thanks for all of the input. I guess that I can stare at the ugly dead branches for another few months. I thinkg that I will keep it potted until fall, since it has already emerged this spring.

I suggest testing to see if it is alive. You can do this by doing a small fingernail scratch. If it comes up green, its alive; brown = dead. Be sure to test several branches as some of the tree may be alive while other areas are dead. Then, cut out all the dead and only the dead. The tree will “let go” of what it needs to in order to survive the dog damage and losing whatever roots it lost when it was dug up.

Japanese maples are great at showing what’s dead. Dead branches tend to turn grey and snap away easily. This makes them easy to clean out. They tend to shade out their small interior branches and then those die back regularly. If a portion of a plant is costing the plant more than it is contributing back to the plant, the plant will let that area die. This is why interiors of japanese maples (and many other plants) become so full of dead.

The only other thing I would do is possibly correct the cuts where the dog damaged the plant. If the cambium (outer bark) is torn on the tree, the tree will have a hard time compartmentalizing its wound. If you can correct the tears without cutting into the branch bark collar/ridge and without adding more tears to the cambium, you may want to do those clean cuts. If I could see the tree, I might be able to help more.

And, once you’re past the last chance of a hard freeze, I’d get that tree back out in the garden, hopefully before it leafs out. And, yes, protect it from the dog! My dog, when a puppy, used a peach tree as a play toy. It was NOT pretty! Good luck!

-- GardenMentor, Seattle, WA (zone 8/9), www.gardenmentors.com & www.gardenhelp.org