A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Japanese Maple Prob

Hello all! Haven't been around much lately-just been planting planting planting. Plus, I couldn't seem to logon, so I changed my name from rozy. Anywho.......at the end of the season last year, my neighbor gave me a small (3 foot) japanese bloodgood maple-it was still in a pot from the nursery-tags and all. Well, I planted it in the fall, and it started to come back nicely this spring, but over the last week or so, it seems like it's just burning up. The leaves are becoming brown and dry from the tips inwards. And I looked tonight, and pretty much all of the leaves are at least partially dead. There are some green leaves growing from the bottom, and those are doing OK. I have it in full sun. I thought it might have been a water issue, so I watered it for a long time the other day, but now it seems worse. Please help this tree! Thank you!

More clues please.

"Green leaves growing from the bottom." Bottom of branches, bottom of tree, bottom braches of tree?

Any sign that some branches might be dying?

Any exposure to salt, road or sea?

I had similar but not as extreme symptoms when I planted mine about three years ago. I had it in three different locations until I finalized where it is now and it is thriving.
These are sensitive plants and I found full sun is good but keeping it protected from wind by planting it among other shrubs and ornamental grasses really helps. Fertilize with hollytone and in the winter I wrap the trunk to protect against the elements and four legged critters.
GOod Luck

"More Clues":
The green leaves are growing from the bottom of the tree, about 6 inches off the ground. The rest of the leaves & brances are about a foot above this. All of the branches seem affected. "exposure to salt, road or sea?"=all of the above-I live across from the ocean on a very busy corner-could this be the prob? Thanks for the help!

I was reading this article this morning and thought that it might be contributing to your problem.

When a tree is transplanted it does not necessarily have the capacity to carry all of it's foliage. When this occurs, the tree will sacrifice it's upper branches and keep the lower portion alive. It sounds like what your tree is doing. This does seem to be a rather severe case so I assumed salt, coastal CT.

I hate to give advice without standing next to the tree but I would cut the tree back some. The roots will then have less tree to try to keep alive. I think your heavy watering was/is a good thing and I would suggest doing it during any dry spell, the tree needs the water and it flushes out the salt.

How you cut it back matters. You want to cut off the top, as much as practical and with a single cut. Something between 25% and 33% of the tree should do the trick.

I started to have that problem at the begining of they year with my Japanese Maple. I think it was from having it covered last year to keep the cicadas off of it. I trimmed it back some and water it at least five days a week for no less than 10-15min. Trimming these trees will usually not harm them.

Those are meant for shade they dont take the sun very well I have one in full shade & it has done great.

Wow! Thanks for the great advice everyone! I think I will trim it back now, and then, before the winter comes again, move it to the other side of my yard, where I'm planning a patio area, and it will receive a little more shade. Wish me luck! I'll keep ya posted!

The best bloodgood maples I've seen are in half sun, half shade. You can do some great bonsai stuff with these too!!