The Husband Guy says that it sounds like too much fertilizer. however, he also said that 3-4 hours of sun is not enough. If it got very hot where you are, a container pot could dry out very quickly. At any rate, I suspect that transplanting it did more harm than good. Sorry, but I think you need to forget this one and start over. He says that where you are, in South Florida, you would not have to worry about the last freeze date and could plant much earlier than March.

That would be 'Oshio-beni' and it is a small shrub-like tree with a rounded canopy and a very low branching habit. Removing the lower branches to create a more "tree-like" appearance would NOT enhance the appearance of this particular maple cultivar, IMO. Exposure to the late freeze a large part of this country experienced around Easter could have had a pretty detrimental affect on this tree.......I'm not surprised the nursery was offering it at a bargain price. That plus its age and very mature size makes it a risky candidate for a 100% successful transplanting. I hope you got some sort of guarantee, as $1000 is a lot of cash to layout for what may best be a 50-50 proposition. If the so-called 'dead' twigs or stems are a pale or silvery gray, then they are indeed most likely dead. This can be confirmed by bending the twigs - if they snap cleanly and with a dry, tannish interior, they are dead wood. Also, viable twigs and stems will have distinct buds on them. Rubbing off a couple of buds will expose the interior, which should be succulent rather than dry and brown. All dead wood can/should be removed and there is really no restriction as to when this can be done. Other pruning (which I don't recommend for this cultivar) should wait until December or January when the tree is fully dormant but before the sap starts moving. My final suggestion is if you have never pruned a tree before, a Japanese maple of this age, size and potential value is not a place to start :-) Hire a professional or take some classes, preferrably those that emphasize Japanese maples, and from a very well-qualified instructor. As a 20 year nurseryperson and landscape professional, I've seen more trees and shrubs mangled - often beyond redemption - by well-intentioned but uninformed homeowners who do not understand how, when and why to prune. Know what you are doing before you start or leave it to the professionals.

I am just a homeowner and limited experience with queen, King, Foxtail, and other varieties. i live in San Diego….and know the total frustration of growning palms, citrus, and other trees that ’seem’ to struggle. First First…King palms and Foxtail palms and avocado trees MUST have ’acid’ soil 6.5 or so! Second, heavy clay is surely a ’death-nail’! Third…Southern California ’water’ is awful and is slow death to plant and people alike (chlorine, chlorimines, ammonia and other chemicals). And if you plant/desire to grow a King palm outdoors in full sun, i recommend digging a hole three times the pot size but not ’deeper’ and in that hole—a mixture of peat moss, compost, untreated wood chips, 10% native clay soil, and ’some’ outdoor potting soil. Why Why?….just my experience after $1000 of failures! Next…if you dont use ’treated’ water (bottled or a home system that doesnt contain ’salt’)…water only once a week about two gallon watering cantainer ’until’ established!!! You can ’tell’ if the palm has small slow growth on the center leaf-spike! Then continue only watering sparingly ’every week’ for all the Summer months. After, youll be happy and just forget about that palm and after six months buy a slow release fertilizer just for palms and do that every three months. Remember Remember…the Southern California water is your ’adversary’ so use it sparingly and cautiously and dont ’drown’ your King palms with that chemical water. It will ’adapt’ over time and wait for the short rainy Seasons and look glorious!

i never found them to be a long lived plant ... in my MI anyway ... i dont know how that translates to TX welcome to the forums .... we might need the pic to ID the specific type of Dianthus ... try loading it in a reply to this post ... ken