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Japanese Maple Sick / Leaves Turning Color

14 years ago

I purchased a Japanese Maple (Bloodgood) from a nursery a few months ago, and it was growing really well. However, this weekend, I saw that the leaves were starting to turn color from the healthy red to a sick white, starting from the tips. Does anyone have advice on what could be happening (not enough or too much water, disease, etc). Thanks!

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Featured Answer

jean001

14 years ago

Environmental stress. Heat, *direct sunlight,* and/or low water in original rootball.

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Comments (9)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
some type of burn ...

moved from shade to sun ... sun burn..

chemical burn.. looks about right for a dog ... or lawn spray ... or a frat boy ...

i would probably rule out wind burn with the fence there.. and the limited pattern ....

keep it properly watered..

NEVER fertilize it, unless a soil test indicates something is needed...

and snip off those leaves .... or trim back that branch PROPERLY ..

good luck

ken
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8 minutes of water, even on a daily basis, is nowhere near a sufficient quantity for a tree of any significant size. All that does is tickle the surface of the soil. What you want to accomplish is to have the water penetrate the soil down to a depth of at least 8-10" and depending on soil conditions, that could take as long as 30-45 minutes. It is always far better for the plants to water deeply when necessary but not all that often. You may only need to water once or twice a week as long as the water is able to penetrate to a proper depth. Rather than your pop-up irrigation system, it would be preferable to use just the hose on a slow trickle at the root zone of the tree. You may have detected my displeasure with an automated irrigation system :-)) I detest these things!! They are fine for lawns (again, that few minutes daily routine is far from ideal) but they wreak havoc on trees and shrubs and not even great for many perennials. They are seldom ever programmed correctly and they tend to deliver water on the foliage, never a good thing. I would strongly urge you to have your automated system modified to accommodate drip emitters for any planting beds and then reprogram for an appropriate amount of time.
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Thank you SO much for responding! We live in Maryland and Maryland weather never is normal. One day could be winter and the next summer it's really bizarre, BUT now that you mention it there was a period where spring came (march?), flowers started blooming, then BAM back down to the 30s! It was so drastic I remember thinking wow, this is even crazy for Maryland weather! I can definitely ask around to see if anyone else here is having issues. How do I tell which branches are dead? Do I cut them off at the trunk? I've never had a watering practice since nature has taken good care of him for so long. I'm guessing I should start one? I can't think of any droughts. Thanks again!
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Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
14 years ago
Looks to me from here like it is getting hot there, and the roots aren't extensive enough for the leaf area. And it is not used to the sun yet. It'll look better next year provided you give it adequate water. Hopefully

I used to plant these and give them some Super Phosphate in the planting hole to get their roots going to match the (usually) top-heaviness. And I told my clients that they look bad the first couple of years until they get used to the spot.

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glchen
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the advice. Appreciate it.
lou_spicewood_tx
14 years ago
It's okay to fertilize with organic fertilizer. No big deal. It's like compost. They feed soil microbes in the soil and in turn they improve the soil for you. Go with soybean meal or alfalfa pellets from animal feed store. Do that several times a year and the soil will be much improved and your JM will thrive. Works very differently than synthetic fertilizer. Just make sure to mulch and water properly.

P.S... I hope you didn't plant it too deep AND added ammendment to the soil.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
let me rephrase what i meant to say ...

some general fertilizer .. never hurt a tree ... BUT THEY ARE NOT CHILDREN WHICH NEED TO BE FED ....

what i meant to say was.. IT IS NEVER A REMEDY FOR A PROBLEM ... and if done improperly.. can actually harm a plant ...

a recent transplant.. needs to re-establish the root system which was interfered with in the process of planting.. and until it does.. the plant has the potential to be marred when the plant can NOT pump enough water to all the cells .. so you get a leaf burn ... as don suggested ...

no dog issue eh??? the problem is highly localized.. which is weird ... when its a root issue.. its usually all over the plant .... not in one little area ...

ken
brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
"I hope you didn't plant it too deep AND added ammendment(s) to the soil."

Normally, it's best to avoid amendments to soil when planting trees and shrubs. Amendments can cause drainage and root growth problems. If amendments are used, they should be used sparingly and should be incorporated into the entire mature rootzone area.
glchen
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the responses. I think it's probably a root issue. I made a hole when I planted the tree and added a mixture of garden soil/composted manure/native soil to the mix before planting the tree. Maybe the hole wasn't big enough or it's past that line now. Or more likely, it's not getting enough water. It's definitely not a dog issue since the tree is in my backyard enclosed by a fence where no dogs can get to it. I don't think it's a sun issue either because it was cloudy the weekend I saw the problem. And I don't think it's pesticide/herbicide either because I don't use those things.
katrina1
14 years ago
In my climate zone Bloodgood JMs need afternoon shade,

They do better being planted on the East side of house or of shade trees or on the North side with at least dappled shade coming from the West.

It seems though that once the tree has become exceptionally well established it acclimates pretty well to some afternoon sun without showing much stress.

Your tree obviously is not established yet and would be more sensitive to such issues. Plus the amendments to your soil that you mentioned quite possibly are contributing to tree's stress. Normally though, I would imagine that if the leaves are going white, that would indicate that those particular leaves are getting more sun than they have previously been acclimated to handle.

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