Did I kill my Japanese Maple Crimson Queen?!!!

17 years ago

Help,

I planted a 3' Crimson Queen Maple on the west facing side of my house back in the spring. It was getting leaf scorch from the afternoon sun and the 100+ temps we were having so I decided to move it closer to the house so it would get only about 2-3 hours of direct sun and then filtered sun. After the move I noticed some of the leave on the very end of some of the branches were dying and falling off.

Did I make a mistake? I am giving it plenty of water and trying to coax it to live but am not sure what to do.

Any suggestions? Should I just wait and see? Move it again?

I really don't want to lose this beautiful tree. HELP......

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Comments (6)

pfllh
17 years ago
NO, don't move it again or you'll lose it for sure. Keep watering. Turn the water barely on and let it soak to the roots. When no sun is on it, water the leaves too.
The problem is transplanting it when you did. Any plant that gets sun with the heat we've had will go into shock. Trees need to be done when the temps are cool, especially if transplanting.
I hope you can save it.
Lynn
squirrellypete
17 years ago
Just to give you some hope, a friend of mine was moving out of state and basically offered me her garden. She had a beautiful 6 foot tall Bloodgood Maple that I decided to take a chance on even though it was the wrong time of year to move it. It was already summer and that thing looked like hell the rest of the year. Figured it was dead for sure. Kept it watered just the same though and the following spring every limb leafed out as if nothing had happened. That was 3 years ago and now it's about 10 feet tall.

Now what I did is far from the ideal time and way to transplant but I discovered these trees can be very tough. Even if it looks dead I usually don't give up on something until after the following Spring.

Squirrellypete
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Hi PR, Ive never tried to grow a Japanese maple, but if youÂre thinking of trying again, IÂm gonna chime in here! First of all IÂm going to agree with Dan and TreeBarb that it sounds to me like it got WAY too much water after it was planted and over winter. When plants are dormant over winter, they use very, very little water, so itÂs quite possible the roots were starting to rot even before it came out of dormancy this spring. As long as the soil stays damp when the plants are dormant, theyÂll be fine. So if you decide to try again, I recommend watering it in very well when you plant it and then donÂt water again until the soil, down near the bottom of the original root ball, is starting to dry out. I wouldnÂt do any supplemental watering at all over winter, and if weÂre getting much snow/rain, IÂd divert the down spout water away from it. When itÂs actively growing, water only when the soil is drying--and then water slowly and very thoroughly. People loose way, way more plants (of all types) from overwatering than they do from underwatering. If somethingÂs underwatered, itÂll look pretty sad, but wonÂt usually die. If somethingÂs overwatered, the roots rot and it dies! So, if in doubt, donÂt water! It looks like itÂs in a pretty protected corner, but IÂm wondering, since itÂs on the west side, if it might not be getting too much heat, even if itÂs shaded from the sun. And the tree you asked about thatÂs shading it looks like a honey locust to me. PaulinoÂs carries them, but I donÂt know what sizes or what the prices areÂor even if they have any left this year, so you might want to call to check it out. Also, if you go to PaulinoÂs to look at them, go in to the front desk and ask John Smith (Yeah, really!) who the best/most knowledgeable person would be in the nursery to ask about them and then go looking for him/her (John can call them on the radio to tell them youÂre looking for them!) John is pretty good with most of the stock too, and can answer some of your questions, but if they have a good nursery person right now, they can probably tell you more. Tell John, Dee sent youÂno, I donÂt get a kickback! But if you want the really, really best info here in Denver about growing them, go to Timberline Gardens on the west side of town and ask for Kelly GrummonsÂtell him Dee sent you! Tell him exactly what you did in your original post here about when and where it was planted and how often it was watered and ask him what to do if youÂre gonna try again. If Kelly canÂt help you, nobody can. I donÂt know if he carries them or not. He may not since theyÂre generally considered pretty hard to successfully grow in our dry climate, but even if he doesnÂt sell them, he can give you the best advice for trying to get one going. And he would also be great for recommending something else cool to try if you decide to go that way. If you go there and if youÂre at all interested in perennials, Kelly has far and away the most comprehensive selection of perennials in the Denver area. Good luck, and let us know what you decide to do and how itÂs working out for you. Welcome to RMG! Skybird
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I bought a healthy Crimson Queen Lace-leaf Japanese Maple 4 weeks ago. After about 2 weeks I noticed that the leaves started wilting/drying and curling. When I touched the leaves they just fall down. This tree gets a lot of direct strong sun for 4-5 hrs per day. The soil in my area is very clayish. I dug a little soil around the tree to see if tree is drowning or suffocating and I saw that there was pool of water around it. Looks like the soil in my area is not draining but retains all water. Would this property of soil drown the tree? Do I need to move it somewhere else. Is it enough if I remove the tree add a little soil under it to increase the height and replant it in same place ? I also tried to break some small branches and it looks like some are brittle and they easily snap. The bark looks green. Please advise on options. I don't want this beautiful tree to die. Is there a test to tell if it is alive.
tsmith2579
14 years ago
Lynn gave the best advice. Water it really well. Then run a hose to the trees and let the water barely drip day and night. You may lose the leaves but hopefully it will recover like SquirrellyPete's did.
nmentz
10 years ago
I am having the same problem. I planted mine where it gets northease sun but a lot of wind. I planted it about 4 weeks ago and my problem is I don't have a spot that doesn't get a lot of wind. Or should I water it more?
bulzi
10 years ago
I have had similar plant deaths with Japanese Maples. When ever I buy a maple it will not be planted in the ground until December,January or February, it will remain in the pot till then(It maybe potted to larger size). I have found to have better luck caring for them in pots March thru November. There are about 15 waiting outback for this coming 2013 winter, left over from last year.

All the maples that I am planting are in FULL SUN all day. Nothing to break the wind from them. They appear to be more rugged than most think, even me. Leaf burn...yes.

My basic soil preparation for planting is mixed in a wheel barrel ; 1 part peat , 3 part manure, 5 part compost and a little of surrounding soil. It may vary. Peat moss is probably the most important #1 part of the mix.

Did I kill my Japanese Maple Crimson Queen?!!!

Comments (6)

pfllh

squirrellypete

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