My very first post. I finally bought a Japanese Maple, (Acer palmatum Emperor I)first ever, scared to death I might kill it. I've read so many informative posts here I hope someone can help me. The leaves have brown, dried up crispy edges and spots on every leaf even in the new ones. I planted it in a large pot, on 6/15/2010. I live in Southern California so it is in a spot on my patio that only gets direct sun a few hours per day, the rest of the time indirect bright, water meter indicates soil is moist not wet, root ball is moist, is shielded from strong wind. It has new growth, but it is still very puny. I read on a different site that places where there is a lot of sunshine can have very alkaline soil which could mean a build up of salt in the soil in the pot, which can lead to dried up crispy leafs. I planted with combination potting soil/garden dirt. I added Miracid this past weekend. It was suggested to add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to 5 gallons of water and let set overnight then use the water to "rinse" the soil. I'm not sure I understand how this works, I guess the vinegar leaches salt out of water? Does this sound right? Also, don't hate me, I bought it at Home Depot, maybe it's bad quality or has a disease? Hope not.
Canty, There are a lot of things that can affect leaves like that. The most important thing to do is not over-react. I think your plant looks fine. New plants usually go through a period of stress. If you got it at Home Depot you have no idea how it was treated before you got it, so don't blame yourself. If the plant has adequate moisture and is not being cooked by hot afternoon sun, it should be OK. Crispy leaf ends can happen because of drying winds, heat stress, too little water, too much water, fluoride in city water, etc. etc. - there are many possibilities. My recommendation is to stop doing ANYTHING extra to the plant. Keep it watered well but not over-watered. No fertilizer, "soil washes" - nothing else. You might try giving it a little more shade if its getting hot afternoon sun. Mosrning sun is best. Just let it settle in and it should be fine.
Thank you Kaitain4! I feel much better. I think I'll try shading it a bit more in the afternoon to see if that reduces the "crispy leaf syndrome". Appreciate the wisdom.
Canty, I agree with Kaitain4 100%. The plant looks like it should be fine. When watering the tree, the best time to do it is in the early morning and make sure you water the base of the plant rather than spraying water on the leaves. This may sound silly, but I have had several customers come to me with maples that were scolded from watering the trees leaves during the hottest part of the day. Good luck with your maple! Tim
Will do Tim! Thank you now I feel even better about attempting to grow a Japanese Maple. I bought at Home Depot because they were inexpensive (relatively) so I thought it wouldn't be a huge loss if I killed it. However, once potted, I found myself too emotionally invested to not care about its fate. Is that crazy or what? I know they grow slow, so my only regret is not having done it sooner. If I succeed in getting this lovely tree to thrive, I intend to purchase another one, but maybe treat myself to a better specimen. I'm truly enjoying reading threads about other folks maple tree issues and am starting to understand why there is so much passion in maple collectors and growers. So glad I found this site.
