Thanks.. yeah, the new sprout has grown about 6" in the last week and is growing more and more by the day.. but it is kind of laying out right now because it's so weak it won't even stand up straight.. so I'm going to have to stake it.. but I don't want to break it and set the tree back even further. Many of my bur oak saplings (I think they're 3 years old before transplanting) are just sprouting now... so I'm thinking the big one really just got shocked. The reason I haven't worried is that it hasn't sent up any sprouts or anything from the base and it's still juicy green under the bark... so I'm at a real loss. I've been out doing lots of watering and fertilizing (our soil is classified as a Psamment Entisol, which basically means Sahara Desert sand.. though with a little black soil in the top foot).. it is very deficient of all nutrients.. and I had never fertilized until this year. The white pine given to us as a housewarming present in 1999 was growing about 4-6" per year... two years ago I mulched around the base and last year and again this spring I fertilized it and it put on about 2 feet of healthy growth to the top.. so I think I'll continue to work bone meal into the soil in the falls and regular slow release stuff in the springs. The same goes for the apple tree given to us.. half of it died and for a few years it only grew about 1/10th of an inch... but I fertilized it last summer and again this spring.. it's put on over a foot of new growth and it looks healthier than ever. I've learned in this soil, you can't over fertilize (in the burning sense... but not in the 'running down to the water table' sense) and you can NEVER over water. I accidentally let the sprinkler run all night once... there wasn't one puddle.. the only response was a nice flush of lush green growth on the grass there. I have to water the vegetable garden every day it doesn't rain... it's a challenge... but anything will grow in it since the roots can grow unfettered.

It is amazing. Speaking with the farmer behind us he believes his corn is about 2 weeks behind because the rainfall has come down in very short periods and mostly run off. On top of that most of the large rain producing systems have gone either north or south of us so far. It all evens out in the end so of course last night and today we got pounded with rain. On the bright side I will not have to water it for a while. The mulch now does look kind of weird compared to the way everyone else piles up mulch to the trunk. Hopefully as it grows I can expand the mulch ring and keep it not as deep so that it is more flat and does not draw attention to the flare as if it disappears into a hole of mulch. Thanks for all the advice and I will keep an eye on the tree the rest of the summer and provide updates. My hope is that the tree is putting a lot of energy into creating new roots so that way it can take up nutrients and plant itself firmly in the ground since it is in a very windy location. Then in the next couple of years it can start adding height. Kimberly, keep me updated if your tree retains its leaves. Mine have been red for a few weeks and none have dropped. My hope is that they will stay on for some time and then those branches will leaf out again next year. Do you have pictures of the tree? I would be interested to see if it looks the same as mine posted. I hope I can ask one more question: When a tree is stressed and drops leaves early, does that branch also die? For example, on the couple of branches that all the leaves are red, do the leaves just die off or does the branch usually die off and need to be cut out the following year? My thoughts on the landscapers/nurseries that sell the trees are they are much more short sighted that what we believe. I think it is not much about selling you another tree down the road when the one they put in dies. I think it is about the process of putting it in. They came with a 2 Â 2.5" caliber tree with a large root ball and a bag of mulch. They left with nothing. I would think that once they dig this big of a hole, plant the tree and use some to backfill, they would be left over with quite a bit of clay from deep in the hole. Instead of taking it away they just pile it on top of the root ball, cover it with mulch and leave empty handed. If you think about it, and they had to take away just a few buckets of soil from each tree they planted, this would create a problem for them with what to do with it. It is much easier on their part to plant wrong that do what is right. It is too bad because if they would have just left a pile of the soil that was not needed, I could have found a use for it.

hey dude ... hard name to forget ... "didn't I try to talk you out of that tree a few years back ... lol ..." Yes probably so. Everyone said it was to big for that spot. And I said all the trees in my neighborhood are this big and bigger. "a quick check of the zone info indicates its a 3 to 7 .. and you seem to be zone 9 .... its no wonder you are having problems ..." This is California everything grows here!:) There are thousands of maple tree trees all around and they look great. As mine did just a few weeks ago. I either got behind on the watering or over fertilized around the tree. "how big was the tree when planted [rootball size]... how deep do you figure the roots are ... how much water do you think is actually getting down to the tree roots, before the ambient air and the grass.. suck it all away .... dig a small hole.. and actually see what if any water is 6 inched down ...." 15 Ft. Tall. It came in a very large plastic container. Iv' e been soaking it good yesterday and today. I'm going to clear the grass away around the tree and mulch it. I should have done that a long time ago. "IMHO .. no science here .. all leaves that turn color in late fall .. and even those that dont ... are dead.. and diseased ... that is kinda the whole point of falling off ... its just part of nature .... i would NOT consider any treatment .. organic or not ..." I have seen these Autumn Blaze trees around here and they are a beautiful Red at the end of the year when everything is done right. "is there any impact from the blacktop on the tree ... like the road being on the south or west side.. and cooking it from below... while the sun cooks it from above... maybe that is why only highly hidden leaves perform properly ..." No this is happening all the way around from top to bottom. Just the leaves right on the trunk are perfect. "how long has it been there... is it fully 'established' ... it might be a maturity issue ... i think of trees in terms of hundreds of years.. not along the lines of.. i planted it 2 or 3 years ago ... and it is failing me .... perhaps color will come.. with patience and proper water ....." about 5 years ago I planted it. and mulch and a water meter I should be ok. "every post you have ever done.. is of that little patch of grass ... how about a pic of the rose garden ???" See below. And you can find many of my post over at the Rose Gallery and the GW Fruit and Orchard Forums. "good luck" Thanks to you all for your help! I believe you guys are right. This is not fungus. The ground has felt hard there for a while. I should have known. I think it is a combination of not enough deep watering. The root zone got too dry and than the miracle grow Burt it. I will have to wait till next year for the tree to all turn the Autumn Blaze color. At least you guys help me figure out why this keeps happening around this time every Summer! You would not believe how healthy and Dark Green it looked just a few weeks ago. But we have had a long hot dry Summer here. And we got very little rain in the Spring. And here I thought the tree pretty much found water down there somewhere. I did not realize it would totally dry out down there. Thanks Again All! Dave Here are the roses pics requested. Here is a link to a couple of Thousand more pics if your interested. http://www.fototime.com/inv/F0A2F4D624CDA2A Here is a link that might be useful: My Fototime Album

I would say you didn't water it nearly enough. i've planted a couple blaze maples just like yours. during the 2012 drought I was out there every night soaking each tree for 15 minutes from a full blast hose. probably 60 gallons per tree, per night. every night. all summer. this year the trees are growing like weeds. huge full growth. every other day they push new leaflets out. probably 2' of growth already this year. an autumn blaze maple is part silver maple - which is basically a swamp tree and thrives on constant water. I used to have a silver maple sucking off my septic system it grew to 50' tall & wide in 10 years. no joke.