Hmm... The orange dream wasn't looking so good today. Found the new spring leaves (which are still quite tiny) all shriveled up this afternoon. I assumed it was because of excess moisture as we just got thru one of the rainiest patches st. louis has seen in awhile. A cold snap followed but no frost, followed by the last 3 days without rain. I was surprised to find the surrounding surface ground cracked with dryness. About two inches below that was moist again though. The bed is on a slope in a railroad tie bed that I would assume drains well. Anyhoo, I am thouroughly confused whether its not doing well because of too much or too little moisture. sorry for the longwind but any suggestions welcome.
Hi, When most of the leaves dry up quickly, like in a day or two it's from underwatering. The leaves dessicate quickly due to the sudden lack of moisture. In my part of the country leaf tip burn during the hot summer months is normal. If the tree is healthy it will bounce back perhaps in the same season or the following season. I've learned that although maples are delicate they're very resilient. When it's a matter of overwatering or poor drainage the condition is slow to manifest itself. The leaves will slowly dry up. We then think the plant is not getting enough water so we water some more only to exacerbate the problem. Then more leaves dry up and then branches begin to die back. And, we water some more thinking the tree is still not getting enough water. Then, the tree's health may collapse and disease set in. Hope this helps, Layne
thanks, that helps very much and makes some intuitive sense. I guess in a way this is a good sign because it had rained heavily a few days prior suggesting that this area drains very well. There are still many unopened buds so I think longterm the tree should do fine. I did get one of those quickie moisture meters but unfortunately seems to be pretty inacurate or at leas challenging to use and several samples of soil from the same tree yield wildy different moisture readings. Looks like I'll be sticking to the finger if or until I get something fancier. My first spring has proven to be quite a learning curve. I too am impressed by the alternating delicacy and resilience of these trees. A dormant waterfall received last year was devoured by rabbits with just two tiny branches left. This spring it has grown buds from places I would have never imagine possible. Oddly enough though the first leaves have a distinct reddish tint to them not unlike a tree nelran posted in the picture gallery and very different from the waterfall I posted in the picture gallery. I'll post a pic if the pattern continues for help in identification. Gearing up for my first summer. Expecting lots of leaf burn given the st. louis weather ... Thanks again for all the help received so far on the forum.
