1 yr old Filigree Maple Graft leaves severly sun burned to the point where there is not much green left and a few are even starting to fall off. I just bought the trees this year and this one actually came this way. Do I need to worry that it won't come back next year or is it possible it could get some new leaves this year? Do I need to do anything special or just continue to take care of it like I do the others.
In the spring (NOT now) transplant it to a location with light shade. That'll make a huge difference. It likes fairly dryish, sandy gritty soil, and doesn't need as much extra water as others, though when you move it, it will need more for a few mos.
I am experiencing the same thing with a filigree I bought from a nursery in a 5 gal pot this year. It is growing in on a well-drained slope and has been carefully watered. (This new one was a replacement for a filigree I bought very late in the season from a nursery after a terrible drought, so I wasn't totally surprised when it didn't make it through the winter. It looked pretty bad when I bought it, but the buds seemed healthy.) The only direct sun the new one gets is some late afternoon sun, maybe from 3-5 p.m. at the most, and its leaves are severely burned. I am hoping it will come out of it next year. I have another filigree I bought from a nursery about two years ago and it took until this year for it to start to look decent. It's funny, but I also have two verdis that I bought from a nursery and they are so similar to the filigree (to me), but the verdis just seem to take right off, both of them. I wonder if the filigree is harder to grow? Maybe an expert will answer that one. Kay Dye
If you're zone 5 in Illinois, it could definitely be the cold. Many Japanese maples really need protection or at least zone 6.
Hi, if it is of interest, I have a 2 year old grafted A.p. Filigree cultivar container grown and about 18 inches high, it leafed out in the spring, and that was all, it did not put out any new shoots at all, in all other aspects it is healthy, slight leaf burn at the the tips, but taking in account of the ferocious summer weather we had, I guess it is to be expected. I would add ,it is grown under a sun filter 1/4 inch gauge, which keeps the worst of the sun off. Ashizuru........... ps. I also have A.p. Virdis,grown in a simular situation, but I would add this tree has put on about 2' this year and is still putting on new growth, I have found that this cultivar is far more vigourous, and seems to take the sun far better.
