Hello, I have a lovely little Maple that we bought just over a month ago in it's planter. A few weeks ago, I noticed a couple curled edges on some leaves. Quite rapidly, they all started to brown and curl (with no yellowing or wilting in between). Some of the leaves are half green and half dead-looking. The fully crispy leaves have not dropped.(you may see missing ones from the top in the picture, but I picked those off to see if that would help) The progression of browning started on the top leaves and is sweeping downward to the last few bottom branches. It's branches and trunk are firm and green still. I have been watering it every day in this supreme heat wave (the planter it is in has a drainage hole, so it's not sitting in water). The Ferns and Coleus that share the planter with it are happy and healthy. It lives on our deck, but gets late afternoon shade. I'm a novice gardener and have been searching online and I just can't seem to find a clear answer on what's going on. I've narrowed it down to tow things, I think, but I can't tell the difference. Is this Leaf scorch, or Verticillium wilt? or neither? I cut it's wood to look for marbling, but it just looks like wood to me. Please have a look at this poor little tree and tell me it's not going to die... or if it is, what from? Can it be saved? Thank you all for your help!
Did you purchase the Acer in the pot with the forest beneath growing already there and well established? Looking at pic 4 you seem to have a wonderful growth of shrubs ferns etc all growing nicely and your tree is suffering because they are starving your acer of water oxygen,nutrients etc everything is competing for the water and your tree is losing. We have seen this many times in this forum where people keep their acers with a vast array of plants/shrubs growing in the same tub/planter,they don't like it. The condition of the trees branches looks ok at present,nice and green and suple but they will dry out more over time because they are not getting their required amount of moisture,the other plants are draining all the water and leaving your tree to suffer. Re pot the tree or remove all the other plants and replace with new growing medium, personally i would re pot the tree.
Hi Roebuk, Thank you for your reply. Yes, it came with all the foliage underneath. It was purchased from a potter's nursery only just over a month ago and it was all very happy together. I would certainly try removing the greenery if it may help the tree. I would prefer to save the Acer.
Do you have a shady area where you can put it to recover? Many of these nursery maples are grown under shade. Putting it in the sun for most of the day may have been too much. I'd give it all day shade, water it carefully (not to much... do a finger test first), and see if it will bud out again or at least stop browning.
I think it got too hot while trying to acclimate itself to the new environment. The glass in the railing and the sun exposure with the hot city patio environment was too much for the tree to handle. It was too sharp of a contrast to the growing conditions at the nursery. The tree reacts to the sharp change in conditions like a tree going through transplant shock. maplesmagpie offers good advice to follow for recovery and future growing conditions. If the buds are healthy looking (should be green fading to pinkish red as they mature) then you should be fine and the tree will leaf out in a month. If this variety (i assume is Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum') does not work out, then I recommend Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn moon' or Acer palmatum 'Summer gold'. They have a better chance of surviving the tough growing conditions. Purchase in early May to give it time to adjust to Summer conditions slowly.
+1 ! You can repot the other plants after removing them, but it's also a good opportunity to show us the tree's roots in July as mentioned in another thread. If you use a slightly larger pot and complete the new space with a 90/100 % draining mix (very coarse grit, or even better pozzolane or pumice 0.7/1.5 cm), add a bit of potash and some chelated-iron based fertiliser -not too much, I'm sure it will recover. Also a good opportunity to use mycorrhyzae (however you spell that!) as suggested in another recent thread.
