Marianne's Response

What Can I Do If My Japanese Maple Has Verticillium Wilt?

Hi, Marianne:This is the question I sent during the time the website was under construction. I guess it got lost during the transition. “When I had an arborist pruning my Japanese Maple (Seriyu) he photographed a few cut branches and emailed pictures to the Puyallup Plant and Insect Diagnostic Laboratory. Both agreed it is highly likely a case of verticillium wilt. The arborist thought the tree would live 1, maybe 2 more years. I have 2 questions: First, is there anything I can do to slow down the progression and help the tree live a little longer; and 2, I understand this is a fungus in the soil. If I take out a plant near the tree to share with a friend, even though it is a plant not susceptible to this wilt, can that plant act as a carrier and infect someone else’s yard?”

Posted by wstrkmp on August 27, 2017

Marianne's Response

Thank you for your patience as we updated this site. Good questions. There are some studies that say feeding the infected Japanese Maple with a high nitrogen fertilizer can help it to build  a new ring of sapwood outside the infected area and the tree may survive. Prune dead branches and clean up infected leaves. Verticillium is a soil dwelling fungus and can spread from spores so sharing plants nearby can spread the disease. Do not replant the area with susceptible shrubs or trees. You may want to consider wilt resistant plants including most conifers, beech, boxwood, holly, oak, fruit trees, sweet gum and willow. Improve drainage and avoid over crowding as well as overhead watering to discourage future fungal infections. Keep Growing, Marianne Binetti

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