skip to main content

is this leaf scorch on sugar maple?

15 years ago

We had this Green Mountain sugar maple planted by a nursery last fall. It was balled and burlapped (though I noticed that the burlap didn't seem to be cut away at all... you can see it still wrapped around the trunk if you brush away the mulch... isn't that improper planting?). Seemed to be doing okay this spring, but then the Midwest started getting hammered with storms and it's been a very, very wet and WINDY spring/early summer.

The whole tree shows browning around the leaf edges. Probably can't see very well in this picture but it goes all the way to the top of the tree, all the way around (though worse on the south/southwest side of the tree, where the wind tends to come from).

{{gwi:381139}}

Here's a couple of close-ups:

{{gwi:381140}}

{{gwi:381141}}

There also seem to be a lot of dead/brittle twigs/small branches on the whole tree. Like I said, it seems like we've had plenty of water this season. Since I noticed the browning, I've been trying to soak it if we don't have a decent rainfall every 3-4 days, and I just put some fertilizer spikes in the drip line the other day.

Is there any hope for my poor tree? The nursery only gave a 90-day guarantee. However, if they planted it wrong (which I suspect, given the guys who showed up to do the job didn't really seem to know what they were doing) I will be marching in and demanding something.

Any advice?

Jennifer

Comments (2)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
a pic of the trunk soil interface will help ID whether planting was proper....

oh .. BTW.. i hate maples.. but that wont stop me from helping ... lol

the bigger the tree .. the harder the transplant will be.. this is a big tree ... my best advice is to ignore it for 2 to 3 years ... simply be responsible for all water .... you have to water so that water gets into the root zone... and only you will be able to insert your finger and find out if there is water down there ... let it nearly dry in between waterings ....

spike fertilizer is a waste of money ...

trees do NOT need fert.. and transplanted trees.. IMHO.. are apt to be damaged by fertilizer ... though i wouldnt bother going and digging them out... the fert you put on your lawn will be more than enough for all your trees ...

think of it this way ... in transplanting .. you severed 90% of its root mass .... its your responsibility to insure water to regrow the roots ... and it is NOT surprising that it is having some leaf problems.. since it really doesn't have the root mass to support the full canopy ... but do NOT cut away the canopy ...

just water it properly .. and ignore it for 2 years ...

in fact.. the fact that you do NOT have massive canopy damage .. loss of major branches.. indicates to me.. that the job was pretty well done .. and you are doing a decent job with water ...

JUST DONT KILL IT WITH TOO MUCH LOVE .... like fert.. like too much water... like deciding it needs some type of chemicals applied to its leaves ...

proper water is the only issue... in my estimate ...

ken
jenpane
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Ken. That was my husband's sentiment as well: let's just see what happens. I'll try to uncover some of the mulch and get a pic of the trunk/soil. I wish I had watched the installation like a hawk but oh well.

Good to know about the fertilizer as well. We don't tend to fertilize our lawn unless it's really doing poorly because we have young kids and try to limit the chemicals.

I'm starting to dislike maples myself. Too bad we now have 4 of them!

Thanks for the help.
Jennifer
Related Discussions
Young sugar maple tree with Leaf scorch
Q
Comments (4)
you would get rid of a tree .. simply because all its leaves are pretty???? pshaw.. ignore it.. looks hale and healthy to me.. me doth think ye protest too much ... which is another way of suggesting you might be loving it to death.. in this case.. literally... since you are thinking about killing it .... FF sends a foot tall plants, dont they ..... and thats your tree in 4 years???? .. crikey man... sick trees dont grow that fast..... enjoy it.. dont worry about it... ken ps: i would NOT bother feeding a maple anything either.. use up what you got.. but its a tree.. not a child.. it doenst need to be fed.. and proof of that.. is that freakin monster behind it.. which i am sure.. no one has fed in the last 50 to 100 years ...
...See More
Leaf scorch Burgundy Lace Japanese Maple
Q
Comments (4)
Well if he knew how much more it will cost him to remove it in just a couple of years!!!But he probably just doesn't care and never will take care of it... I feel for you I have problems with one of my neighbors trees to... I got permission to cut down at my expense about three mulberries but there are just too many ...chinese elms sycamore and silver maples ...and one nice hackberry but it is two " from my new fence ...His trees have already taken out a 30 foot section of fence and part of my shed roof ...several are bout 8 feet from his house 40-50 feet tall ... I hate to wish ill will on someone but they diserve to be on his house roof not my property...I really have a hard time liking this guy and stay away from him cause of temptation to just call him a complete jerk !! David
...See More
Help! Grafted Sugar Maple not leafing out.
Q
Comments (0)
On Mar 16, I grafted a clipping of a Sugar Maple in a relatives yard onto a Sugar Maple seedling. Now it's been 3 weeks and it hasn't leafed out yet. I did a cleft graft on it but the scion was just a little smaller then the rootstalk. I lined it up on the edge as much as I can making sure the two cambiums where lined up. I then wrapped it graft with plastic tape, rubber band, and I have a cloths pin on the graft to make sure it's tight. I wrapped the scion with parafilm covering the buds to. I have it in the house in a room sitting in a pot in a plastic tub. The scion still looks okay and the buds are slowly swelling. I can't tell if there is swelling at the graft or not. I think there is buts hard to tell under all that tape and rubber band. I don't have it near a window though. How long does it take for a grafted Sugar Maple to leaf out after grafting. Maybe I need to move it near a window until I move it outside. Please let me know. Thanks.
...See More
Large section of sugar maple didn't leaf out (pic) - dying?
Q
Comments (3)
where are you.. and how bad was winter ... and whats that weird looking stuff near the soil line?? ... how big was it 3 years ago .. and who planted it.. and how??? .. and how did it get to your house??? and can we presume there are no apparent wounds just above the dead part??? there is no real reason .. a tree needs a single leader ... the rest of the tree sure looks OK ... its probably late enough... to not really suggest you need to give it more time ... just figure out how to get up there.. and cut out the dead part ... remove all the hanging weight.. before you go in for the surgical cut ... ken
...See More

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Bigtooth Maple, the West’s Native Sugar Maple

By Susan J Tweit

Plant Acer grandidentatum for cool shade, brilliant autumn colors and songbird habitat

GARDENING GUIDES 12 Japanese Maples for a Sunny Garden

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

The right maple in the right place shines in hot summer sun

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Great Design Tree: Japanese Maple

By Annie Thornton

Lacy form and fiery fall color make Japanese maple a welcome tree for garden or patio

TREES 11 Japanese Maples for Breathtaking Color and Form

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

With such a wide range to choose from, there’s a beautiful Japanese maple to suit almost any setting

MATERIALS Woodipedia: Maple Is a Marvel Around the House

By Marci Crestani

A heavy hardwood with lots of potential, maple appeals to modern sensibilities and won't break your budget

GARDENING GUIDES 13 Japanese Maples for Shade

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

A surprising variety of these understory trees is waiting to make a statement in your shade garden

TREES Great Design Plant: Acer Rubrum Brings Shade and Beauty

By Ellen Sousa/Turkey Hill Brook Farm

Red maple — a fast-growing, low-maintenance Eastern native — has spectacular fall foliage and early-spring flowers that feed pollinators

Video Gift Guide: 43 Finds for a Festive Home Bar

Shake up a party-ready bar with gleaming accents, dashes of red and enough glasses for every lord a-leaping

LIFE How Do You Make Your Tea and Coffee in the Morning?

By Victoria Harrison

A morning cup is a must for many, and preparation comes in many guises. We look at coffee and tea habits across the Houzz community

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Hibiscus Moscheutos

By Falon Mihalic

Crimsoneyed rosemallow is an ideal flowering perennial for wet sites and is ready to propagate now

Sponsored

More Discussions

Transplanting a stewartia Japonica?

4

Is it possible to supplement a plant with glucose?

16

Bursera Fagaroides?

4

Weeping White Spruce Growth

15

Dappled willow tree damaged by deer

3