Hi, The tree was doing well all summer. About a week ago the leaves on 3 branches looked dry and curled. It's in a fast draining potting mix and the tree was watered 1-2 times a week during the summer. Any idea what's going on with it? Thanks
It looks like all the affected branches are low down and/or heavily shaded? If so, it might just be natural die-back. The maple may have decided these branches are not contributing enough in terms of energy from photosynthesis and cut off support for them. At the top of the second picture you can see some small white twigs that this has likely happened to in previous years (albeit on a smaller scale). Certainly nothing to worry about at this stage, just keep an eye on it - if the damage were to spread to other areas of the plant then it would need re-evaluating.
