A person with knownlodge of botanic tell me that at this time of the year, beging of the fall in North Central Florida, I have to prune my dwarf red maple tree in about 1/3 of its total high. My maple I post about your knowlodge for advice, one month ago, is now in a shadow side of my home, and I'm giving lot of attention and water to my tree now, but anyway every leaf that is born inmediatly is burn and didn't grown anymore. I don't known what else to do. I have to prune it now? Please, I want to save my little tree. Any advice?
I'm not sure why your friend told you to prune this maple, unless perhaps it was to reduce the stress of water loss through the leaves. Ordinarily there is no need to prune dwarf maples, unless you are trying to shape the plant in some way. It's better to let them grow (for at least a few years) into their natural, graceful shape. The browning of leaves is a problem, though, and might be caused by a few different factors, including wind, drought, or heat-related stress. Sometimes the best thing to do is to leave it alone. You may need to water, but you probably should only do this about twice a week -- water deeply and thoroughly, and be sure the water is not pooling or collecting around the roots. Are the older leaves still green? If so, then the plant will probably be okay. It may have suffered some kind of root damage or other stress that is affecting the new leaves, but next year it should put out healthy new growth. For expert advice, you might try reposting your question to the Maples forum, here, and if you can, it would be helpful to post a photo of the tree.
