The "bad" leaves show that the tree is drought-stressed. That is, chronic water shortage.

Are you sure? I always thought this was fungus. My roses get the leaves that look like this as well. I have sprinklers under the tree for the lawn. They have been going off every day all Summer for between 10 and 15 minutes. Do you think I need to water deeper? Thank for the help. Dave

My son just said. Could that be fertilizer burn? What do you all think? Thanks Dave

If you've been using lots of fertiliser on that grass, yes, that's a good possibility. Never use fertiliser unless a soil test indicates that it is necessary (which, in 90% of cases, it isn't!).

But also 10-15 minutes water every day won't help the tree, as that won't soak deep through the grass roots; the grass will take it all up. Better to water just once a week, but for an hour or two, so the water soaks down deeper.

Resin

It is Kentucky Bluegrass. It needs a lot of fertilizer or it looks not so good. I may need to go with organic fertilizer around the tree. How can I figure out if this is fungus or not? Also later today I will probe down a foot or Two and see if it is wet down there.

I see no sign of fungus anywhere; agree with jean001.

Your basic problem there is that California is not Kentucky - it might be better to try growing something Californian, that is adapted to the local conditions, rather than trying to grow plants from a much wetter climate. Then you wouldn't need to water at all.

Resin

hey dude ... hard name to forget ...

didnt i try to talk you out of that tree a few years back ... lol ...

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 ...

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 ....

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 ...

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 ...

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 .....

every post you have ever done.. is of that little patch of grass ... how about a pic of the rose garden ???

good luck

ken

I've been having the same problem with my autumn blaze maples at my summerhouse in Michigan. By mid-summer the ends of the leaves are getting dry and showing some signs of stress. I'm guessing that the sandy soil is a major factor of this. What are some things I can do to help prevent this next year? Should I try to work some peat moss ino the soil, or bring some good old black dirt topsoil from my house in Chicago?

"Should I try to work some peat moss ino the soil, or bring some good old black dirt topsoil from my house in Chicago?"

Neither. Some mulch (e.g. composted leaves) would be much better.

Resin

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.
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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

If I did not lag on the water I think it would have looked more like this.
Pics 1-3 Autumn Blaze

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