Too early for Sugar Maple leaf scorch?
whaas_5a
6 years ago
Bit surprised to see leaf scorch (this early in my zone) on these sugar maples I planted early this spring.
Thinking its more from the brutal winds we've had vs heat or lack of watering.
Anything else I should be looking for as signs of pests or fungi?
This is Fall Fiesta which should have larger, thicker leaves. The nursery has already mislabeled cultivars of two other plants I purchased so I wonder if I just have the species as this is a sample from two different plants in two different locations. Seems very odd for this particular cultivar.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years agowaynedanielson
6 years agoRelated Discussions
new sugar maple leafed out poorly. is this normal?
Comments (16)I'm still here, there just been a wholeeeee lot of life in the way the last couple weeks. bdrusse, This looks pretty normal to me for a first year spring planted maple tree in the open. I see this allot in the area on Red and Sugar maples. It varies some with cultivar (i.e. Legacy seems to adjust a bit better than some of the others), but that is just a gross generalization. We have two Sugar Maples. One Commemoration and the other Fall Fiesta. The Commemoration was planted toward late spring, and eventually developed substantial leaf burn. Eventually I ended up use gallon jugs (about 1.5 gallons of water) with a pin size hole to water slowly every other day through the worst and driest part of summer. That prevented the burn from getting any worse, and the following year, it was fine with normal size leaves. The Fall Fiesta was planted in the fall. The following growing season leaves were near normal size, was some very moderate growth, and no burn occurred during summer. All of which is to say your tree looks about as expected for the circumstances for the amount of time it had to grow roots before leafing. It simply can not support more until there is an increase in root mass. IMHO the burn you are seeing is due to the hot and windy days we have had for the last month, and not enough root mass as of yet. Our Sugar Maples have been frosted almost every year (I live in a cold spot) to as low as 21-22 degrees, and have not suffered apparent freeze damage, so I don't think that was the problem. Just keep taking good care of it, and it should be fine next season. And in way of FYI, don't expect fall color this year, and you probable won't have allot next either. It takes a few years after planting for them to develop something like color. Three years for our Commemoration, and last year our Fiesta appeared as though it would have, but high very dry winds destroyed the show. Also be aware there is one flush of growth a year in the spring. Mine start in mid-April, and shoot elongation is done by 3-4 weeks, thought the leaves aren't yet fully mature. Lastly, leaf size varies with cultivar. The leaves of our Fiesta are significantly larger than the Commemoration. Do you know if and what cultivar you bought? Almost looks like Commemoration to me, but it's only a guess. Arktrees...See MoreYoung sugar maple tree with Leaf scorch
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 MoreMaples and Leaf Scorch
Comments (3)I've grown potted/bonsai maples in full sun as well as under 50% shade cloth. In full sun, I was watering 6 times a day at the height of summer, and under shade cloth only 3-4 times. Hot winds and lack of moisture are a bigger threat than full sun for leaf margin burn, and trees growing in the ground would also benefit from windbreaks and extra watering. As maples grow virtually throughout summer, healthy trees which are in bonsai training can be defoliated (leave the petioles) in mid summer - this will induce a new crop of leaves which will also have a more intense coloring (than if the first crop of leaves were left till autumn).. depending on timing, they will also be of a smaller size Start tapering off the watering towards the end of summer, keeping the bonsai in a dryish condition pre- autumn (though not allowed to completely dry out) and this will also help to produce the most intense color Jack...See MoreDo sugar maple trees grow out of leaf scorch?
Comments (8)Although Sugar maples are native in TN, if you bought a generic, non named tree, you have no way of knowing if its seed came from TN, or somewhere like Ohio or Vermonet....seed provenance matters. It might do better over time simply by having a more extensive root system, but in your zone you are better off with either verifiable TN seed source, or a named variety like Legacy or the Caddo types that tolerate hot summers better....See Morewhaas_5a
6 years agowaynedanielson
6 years agowhaas_5a
6 years agowhaas_5a
6 years agowaynedanielson
6 years agowhaas_5a
6 years agowhaas_5a
6 years ago
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