Help me please, I planted this Maple last year it was growing fast and beautiful earlier, then all of a sudden 2-3 wks ago these brown spots appeared and the leaves are dying. I've found problems with everything else on here and other places, except brown spots like these. Nothing looks like these leaves. Could all the rain we're getting do this? The leaves near the bottom don't seem to be near as effected because they're somewhat protected. Thanks......
Your tree does NOT look to me like it is dying so banish the thought. I do not know the exact reason for the leaf spotting but there are many leaves NOT spotted as well. When I look at your 2nd picture of the whole tree from a little diatnce it looks quite healthy although one can clearly see 2 distinct colors - one light green and a bit washed out and the other just greener and more 'Katsura-like'. A few thoughts come to mind. The tree looks completely exposed to any harsh sun so perhaps it has not acclimatized itself to that exact location since you only planted it last year so this is likely its first year of leaf flush. Maples are fibrous surface rooters so I would prfer if you had much less grass around it with the dirt covered by bark mulch to shade against the sun and retain water/moisture. I assume from the grass bare spots that no grass fertilizer has been applied near the tree. I know the spotted leaves are unsightly but I think that may be temporary and is more cosmetic than essential. Good luck.
This time of year is when sun damage starts to show itself on the outermost leaves. Our hedge was trimmed a bit too short and the top of my Orange Dream is exposed to all day sun now. It is showing the same damage as what you have in the pictures. The leaf becomes very light yellow and the brown spots start to form. On my Orange dream it tends to happen to the less mature leaves, first 3 pairs from the tip. The more mature leaves tend to stand up to the sun better. I know Katsura and Orange Dream are two different trees, but they share many of the same characteristics, so I thought my experience with Orange Dream was worth mentioning.
JT1, I have had Katsura for few years and I recently acquired Orange Dream. I was told OD is similar to Katsura but I have found OD doesnt like even morning sun. It could be because its young but for me Katsura never showed this problem. Even now Katsura doesnt like Sun too much but its leaves dont burn. Also only outer leaves are kind of dusty. Inner leaves are green. I will wait few years and decide where OD goes. For now, I am going for a bright shade spot for it. Ajay
My Orange Dream is about 7' tall and 3' wide. The first year with the tree was not pleasant and I even started to regret buying it. But the second year the tree did amazingly well. The roots remain shaded, but most of the tree gets morning through mid-afternoon sun without a problem. I have found this tree likes good air movement too. This is my 4th year with my tree and I am very happy with it now that it's established and adjusted to our climate.
It's funny how you can find out how much water a maple likes by growing it in a pot. I agree your tree is not dying and a lot of rain could make the leaves look like that. Speaking of Orange Dream, mine has grown dramatically and is about 4' tall in a tiny pot. It must always be on the dry side even though I water regularly, looks great not a brown leaf or damaged leaf. My Katsura was never in a pot, but has been in two really dry locations and grew nicely until something snapped it off to a 3' stick. My point is that different maples thrive with different amounts of water. I have a Filigree that gets copious amounts of water and it is thriving. The outer leaves on your Katsura look good. Hopefully for you the rain will let up some and your tree can dry out. Maybe move it to a drier location next year. Or if it really starts looking stressed and it continues to rain, you could take it out and keep it in a container until next year. Usually you can tell immediately what is wrong with a maple when you take it out of the ground. The roots will tell you. If they look wet and wilty kind of like rotting, it's too wet. Kay
Hi, thanks for all your replies. I am so relieved it's not dying, I thought for sure it was. There's lots of dead leaves. So I posted a few more pics showing basically my only option to move it for more shade. It currently recieves sun pretty much all day & evening. I can move it back 2 ft closer to the shade from the cedars: (see photo) But, after digging the new hole, I found the dirt to be very dry, (see photo) not wet at all. I new our drainage was bad, but it's different everywhere. It hasn't rained for only about 4 days and now it will be dry and hot. Anywho should I continue replanting it now because it's going to be hot & sunny (hopefully) for the next 2 mths? There is new growth below (photo) I'm worried moving it now too. If I should replant now, what should I add to the dirt (bonemeal?) & should I use that root booster? Thanks so much again...........
The cedars are pulling all the available moisture from the soil, based on the photo of the soil and the number of roots. You may want to consider waiting for it to cool down. Also since the winter was so mild, many of the Japanese maples think its August and they have started their push of new growth early this year. The dead leaves will drop and new leaves will form in their place. September is a good month for moving things in my area. If you need to move it sooner, then wait for a cool down and cloudy skies. Be sure you keep the root ball moist and out of the hot sun. To reduce competition with the cedars you may want to consider mounding up the bed and planting the tree higher, so that the top of the root ball is at least 1/3 above the ground. Fill the area with soil around the ball creating a nice mound with a gradual slope. Then mulch. This will keep your tree away from the grass and mower/ trimmer.
I moved it in Nov and it appears to be doing well so far.....except it has whiteflies and I'm worried now if I blast it with the hose, I'll damage all the new l'il leaves. Is it ok, or another option. There was about 20+ when I shook the branches already.
