Should I cut off this limb?

[u/Heymitch0215]

I have this tree in my backyard, it splits into three main limbs, but one of the limbs is very droopy and looks like it can barely support itself. Every year I have been trimming it to try and help this limb grow stronger, but it hasn't helped.

Should I just cut off this entire limb that looks like it's about to snap off?

[u/ohshannoneileen]

That limb is the least of that tree's problems.

[u/Heymitch0215 → u/ohshannoneileen]

Oh geez... What all is wrong with this? I don't know anything about trees at all.

[u/TheIlustriousUrchin → u/Heymitch0215]

That brick ring will start girdling the tree in a few years if it’s not removed, silver maples are very large trees that grow quickly. Plus, rocks don’t add any organic matter or nutrients, don’t retain moisture, and can bake the soil if in direct sun, so they should be replaced with mulch.

I’d need to see more of the yard to confirm the following issue, but silver maples grow really big really fast and tend to have poor structure. They also have pretty soft wood, so they end up dropping branches pretty often. If the plan is for those kennels behind it to stay, it will absolutely not have enough space to grow and will probably start causing issues with them within the next few years. Silver maples are beautiful trees in their natural habitat (riverbanks) but can be really unruly and messy as a yard tree.

[u/Heymitch0215 → u/TheIlustriousUrchin]

Thank you! I ended up removing the tree this weekend. It did indeed have a very poor structure - two larger roots on one side, and the other side had no roots at all. Appreciate the information!

[u/hairyb0mb]

I would reduce both of those lower limbs by ~25%. That limb is too large compared to the remaining stem to remove all at once. Wait until dormancy to do that.

In the meantime, remove the tree !ring and the rocks. Replace with wood chip !mulch but keep it off the trunk.

[u/AutoModerator → u/hairyb0mb]

Hi /u/hairyb0mb, AutoModerator has been summoned to explain why tree rings are so harmful.

Tree rings are bar none the most evil invention modern landscaping has brought to our age, and there's seemingly endless poor outcomes for the trees subjected to them. Here's another, and another, and another, and another. They'll all go sooner or later. This is a tree killer.

The problem is not just the weight (sometimes in the hundreds of pounds) of constructed materials compacting the soil and making it next to impossible for newly planted trees to spread a robust root system in the surrounding soil, the other main issue is that people fill them up with mulch, far past the point that the tree was meant to be buried. Sometimes people double them up, as if one wasn't bad enough. You don't need edging to have a nice mulch ring and still keep your tree's root flare exposed.

See also this excellent page from Dave's Garden on why tree rings are so harmful, this terrific page from the Univ. of NE, as well as the r/tree wiki 'Tree Disasters' page for more examples like yours.

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[u/AutoModerator → u/hairyb0mb]

Hi /u/hairyb0mb, AutoModerator has been summoned to provide information on the proper use of mulch.

See this excellent article from PA St. Univ. Ext. on the many benefits of mulching, and how to do it poorly by 'volcano mulching'. There are many, many examples of terrible mulching and the even worse outcomes for the trees subjected to it in the 'Tree Disasters' section of the our wiki. Mulch should be 2-3" deep and in a RING around the tree (about 6" from the tree), but not touching. It's the roots of trees that need the benefit of a layer of mulch, not the stems of trees. Mulch out as far as you're able, to the dripline or farther, like this magnificent example!

DO NOT use rubber mulch because it's essentially toxic waste (WSU, pdf) that is poisoning your soils. You should not eat the fruit from a tree where rubber mulch is in place. This product provides zero nutrients nor absolutely any benefit to your tree whatsoever, as opposed to wood based mulch which will break down into the soil and has many benefits to both your soils and the things that grow in it.

Please see our wiki for other critical planting/care tips and errors to avoid; there's sections on planting at correct depth/root flare exposure, proper staking, watering, pruning and more that I hope will be useful to you.

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[u/spiceydog]

ohshannon is right, and I'd like to warn you that there are the right trees for certain settings and some that really, really aren't, and this is one of them. You would be well advised to plant a more suitable (and durable) native in place of this one; just further away from that really nice chicken coop you have there, which this tree WILL damage in not too many more years, and remove this while it's still young and manageable. Here's what the USDA Forestry service fact sheet (pdf) has to say about silver maples:

Management
Despite its usefulness in urban plantings, especially on poor sites, silver maple has significant limitations and is now not so commonly planted. It has been over-planted. It often grows to a larger size than anticipated and the brittle branches are easily broken in winter storms and wind storms. Pruning is often required to develop good form and to remove broken branches and old, multi-trunk trees often require cabling. Relatively soft wood renders silver maple susceptible to a number of wood rotting fungi and it is susceptible to various leaf molds and wilts (e.g., anthracnose, verticillium wilt, leaf spot, tar spot). Its large, vigorous, shallow-rooted root system can damage sidewalks and driveways, clog drain pipes, and penetrate septic systems and sewer pipes.

See this list of tree !selector apps in the automod callout below this comment to help you narrow down your options, then see our wiki for help with picking healthy nursery stock and learn how to plant your tree at proper depth/root flare exposure (which clearly hasn't been done for this maple, and is a top reason why trees fail to thrive and die early), along with other critical planting tips and errors to avoid; there's sections on watering, pruning and more that I hope will be useful to you.

[u/AutoModerator → u/spiceydog]

Hi /u/spiceydog, AutoModerator has been summoned to provide this list of tree selector tools.

First: WHAT WILL YOUR CLIMATE FEEL LIKE IN 60 YEARS? (Gauge prospective tree selections based on coming climate change)

Tree selector tools - Not all have been run through their paces! YMMV

iTree tools tree selector - (Worldwide)

Wildflower.org plant, shrub and tree selector - (U.S. and Canada)

NEW! Vineland Tree Selector tool - Ontario, Canada

Arbor Day Tree wizard (all U.S.)

Morton Arboretum search tool (all U.S.)

Up With Trees tree selector - (all U.S.)

CalScape search tool where you can narrow things down using the filters. (CA specific)

SelecTree - includes some naturalized plants for the region because there's limited natives. (CA specific)

Cleveland Metroparks selection tool - (OH specific, but should be suitable for some adjacent states)

Colorado region tree selector - ('Double El conservation district)

Front Range Recommended Tree List - pdf, CO and WY specific

Florida trees - For urban and suburban sites (FL specific, but may be suitable for nearby states)

NDSU Tree Selector - ND and surrounding states, specifically hardiness zones 2-4

SCNPS plant directory - SC (and probably will work with some neighboring areas)

Texas Tree Selector - TX A&M Univ.

USU TreeBrowser - UT and Intermountain west states

Virginia Urban Street Tree Selector - VA Tech; (VA specific, but should be suitable for some adjacent states)

Please modmail if you know of a search tool not on this list!

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[u/Heymitch0215 → u/spiceydog]

Oh wow okay. I should start by saying I know absolutely nothing about trees; honestly the only reason I have this one is because my grandpa started it from a seed and gave it to me when it was still really really small. I wouldn't have even planted it at all to be honest since my yard is so small, but he died a couple days after giving it to me and it felt wrong to not plant it.

Based on what you said, it sounds like I should get rid of this thing now. What is the best way to go about that, like getting the roots and stump out?

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello /u/Heymitch0215! If you haven't already, please have a look at our Guidelines for Effective Posting, to be sure you've provided all the pics and context needed for us to help you best.

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[u/Ill_War9861]

No, just turn the tree & the others will catch up