Need help for all experienced orange dream maple. my husband bought me an orange dream (mature, in pot about 6'-o" tall) about 2 months ago. The nusery guy told us that it likes shades, morning sun is okay. For the first two weeks we put it in indirect/filter sun betwee 9-2 then the top leaves started to dry out. We guessed it was too much sun, so we moved under the oak tree where it got filtered sun for about 3 hours. I noticed the top leaves (new growth) that were exposed to sun dried out, so were the lower layer leaves. So then i moved it into shade, get filtered sun less than 1 hour, that was about 2 days ago. Today i noticed the drying of lower leaves have worsened. The nusery also told us that it likes deep watering, dry between watering. We have been watering it for about once/twice a week. we lived in san francisco bay area. Does it like sun or shade? how much sun and watering does it need? is it too hot? why the leaves near the trunk are drying out? your advice is very much appreciated, i dont want to see my birthday gift slowly dying in front of me...
Re: Orange Dream ?? Hi, If the leaves are crisped, then it needs some watter. Maybe a transplant supplement such as Vita Start by Lily Miller. If the leaves are drooping and dying, then it is getting too much water and drowning. I do not recommend transplanting larger size [6' maples] in the heat of the summer. Last chance to save your maple is to strip all of the damaged leaves off of the trunk, water once deep and then see what happens. If it is going to survive you should see new leaves emerge in about 3 weeks. Good luck. Sam
From your description, moving the plant about, I assume your 'Orange Dream' is still in a pot. In the Bay Area the amount of rain in July is quite low. If you have followed the (bad) nursery advice on watering, then that's likely the reason for the leaves drying out. My suggestion is to water daily, a small amount, but daily. Regarding exposure, and for your area, avoid more than 2-3 hours of direct sun. Filtered sun under an oak should be excellent. Gomero
thanks for your reply. The plant is still in pot indeed since we dont know where it likes it best. Of course now we are glad we didnt put it on the ground. Bay area rarely gets rain in summer. I usually use moisture meter to measure the soil, water it when it's dry. I will try to water it more frequently. How soon do you think i will get noticeable results? Interestingly the lowerest and most inner layer of leaves turned yellow then dry and fell. Is it the habit of jp maple when it's lack of water? Other plants seems to be droopiy first then dry out.
Oneboxfish maple lovely costant umidity of soil and good dreinage ,morning sum and shade in afteroon ,(if possible covered of the dry wind!! )again PH of soil and rigth fetrilize ... kind regards
If, as assumed, water stress is the problem, then as soon as you start watering adequately the tree will stop its reaction to the stress. Plant response to (lack of) water stress is quite diverse. Everybody knows that hydrangeas get 'droopy' but that is not the only answer. Other plants show the stress with browning of the leaves beginning from the tips, maples show often this behaviour. Others behave as you describe, shedding the inner leaves first which makes a lot of sense since those leaves are the least productive. I have also seen some plants in my garden (I do not remenber which ones) just collapse due to water stress, and there was nothing I could do. Gomero
Here is more information of the growning of my Orange Dream. This is from the Island Specialty Nursery. As to my own tree which I bought from him last year. I just asked him about the shape and growth pattern of my tree... It is growing as expected for this cultivar. They are multi-branched and will grow as wide as high. Try to avoid cutting into Asian Maples. It opens up wounds for fungus to enter and if fugus enters before the wound heals the tree could lose a major branch or be entirely affected. I do some corrective pruning and have to take pieces for grafting but it is not without cost from time to time. We hear of about losses after serious surgery quite often but I know some people get away with it for a while, particularly with some cutlivars but it is to be avoided when ever possible. It will slow down considerably after it adjust to the new location. They tend not to keep that rapid growth up for very long. I would advise staking it until it firms up a little which will avoid the shrubby look which come from pruning and shearing. When the wood thickens you will have a nicely shaped plant and the think or dense centre will naturally thin out by self pruning. I know some real maple experts both here and overseas that only prune maples at certain times of the year under sterile conditions and only with there is no other choice...
