Help! I recently planted a Shaina Japanese Maple in April; it's about three feet high and as been doing well. It is now early July and it is dropping leaves like it's Autumn!!! Background: We are in Southern New Jersey (Growing Region 7A) and have been getting a lot of rain and heavy winds (localized moving Thunder Storms) in sputs for several weeks. Then, for the last week, we have been in a heat wave, of 90-95 degree sunny weather. I watered the trees and I found a Japanese Beetle on it (probably came over from the new Bing Cherry Tree that's about 20 feet away, being ravaged by leaf-eaters, including Japanese Beetles that I saw.). I got worried and looked for advice on-line. Following up on my investigation for a good, safe insecticide, and being the novice "gardener" that I am, I bought sprayed liquid Sevin insecticide on it. There was no visible damage the following day. Then, when I saw several withered leaves on the mulch below the tree, I got worried. I got some liquid Miracle Grow Plant Starter and mixed a cap-full with 2 gallons of water, as per the instructions, and poured about a gallon into the soil around the base. There are Hostas and Lavender and other plantings in the small garden which were also fertilized with the stuff. That was two days ago. We continue to have a heat-wave of sorts, and today I gathered up easily a hundred or more leaves from under the tree, some withered some fresh and tender. I am worried I have poisoned it! I read some articles that say Miracle Grow (4% nitrogen) is OK, while others say NEVER use it. Please provide some thoughts as to what I might have done - am I a Shaina Maple Tree killler? p.s., the Bloodgood Maple that also received Sevin and Miracle Grow, and planted in May of this yea, has no leaf-loss.
More details about the defoliation needed to make possibly useful comments - whether it is oldest leaves only, what kind of damage they show etc. If it has been quite wet that might be a problem as Japanese maples must have excellent drainage. Another thing might be if the specimen came out of the shade and was planted in the sun, in time for the heat wave, and is getting burned.
Hi Ron, Thanks for offering some ideas- The type of damage I see is that most of the fallen leaves are small (about the size of a nickle or Quarter ) and appear to be very dry and withered completely, not just the tips- and these seem to have all come from the bottom half of the tree. One lower branch has lost all of the leaves and is now bare. (Do trees die from the bottom up?) Some of the fallen leaves are larger and look still fresh and green as well, not even wilted. It appears that leaves at the top half or top third of the tree are not at all affected and appear healthy, with even small baby leaves growing out. The Shaina Japanese Maple tree has been in that spot since planting it over a month ago. It receives full sun, from morning to very late afternoon/early evening. It gets hot there, too. Drainage may be an issue as the ground stays soggy after all the rain we have had. I also have about two inches of mulch at the base, from the trunk to the drip line, which keeps the ground moister as well. It was purchased from Lowe's (a Home and Garden center) and was in a five gallon planter. The tree had lost occasional leaves before, but nothing this drastic. It seems to be thinning considerably. My biggest fear is that i poisoned it with that Miracle Grow and it might die. (This morning I saw more fallen leaves, as each night I collect them to clear the ground). Please let me know if you need any other info, and thanks again for any ideas and suggestions!
Poke around in the rootball and planting hole to see if it is too wet. You do not want puddling etc. around Japanese maples.
OK- just checked and the soil is damp under the mulch. I dug a small hole with my fingers about 4 inches deep and it is wet. My guess is that it might be too wet??? I also saw more small leaves on the ground, maybe 40 or more small ones fell since this morning. The little leaves are just withering up and falling off. Another branch is now bare and very brittle. And rain storms due tomorrow. Ugh Here are some pics:
You definitely do not want wetness in the root zone of a Japanese maple. You probably need to dig it up and put it where there is better drainage.
pretty much our whole back yard got saturated from constant rain the last month (daily storms). Do you think the damage can repair? Also, do you suspect it is water damage and not the Miracle Grow fertilizer that's wilting the leaves?
One gallon of miracle grow solution won't have been enough to cause any damage, I wouldn't worry about that. As Ron said, the wetness in the rootzone is the worrying aspect, the likely problem being the lack of oxygen in the saturated soil slowly killing the roots. If the whole yard tends to get saturated the best bet will be to dig up and replant the tree in a gently sloping mound (or even a raised bed) such that the top of the rootball is at least 8 inches above the level of the yard. The sooner you get it out of the wet the better will be the chances of recovery. Note also that witches broom type Japanese maples like Shaina do tend to suffer more dieback than regular JM's, some have suggested this is because they have smaller root systems and are less able to cope with stress events. P.S. looking at the photos again it seems the tree might have been planted too deeply which will make the wet root problems worse. When planting Japanese maples (and most trees) always aim to match the soil level in its new home to the original soil level in the pot, or even plant slightly above grade. Also when mulching leave a few inches mulch free all around the trunk.
Thanks Maf- I am very happy to hear that I probably didn't poison the tree with Miracle Grow! I also appreciate your suggestions about re-planting the tree in a slight mound, which I will do, but wonder when this should be done. The tree is obviously stresses now, so I wonder if it is safe to do it right away or wait? If wait, then how long would you suggest? It is summer and from what I have read , plantings should be done in Spring... but I am such a novice at this! On a happy note- I did see only a few newly fallen leaves this morning. I am hoping that the tree may survive, but worry that I am getting too damned attached to the thing LOL.
Yes, spring is usually a better time to replant, but if the ground is waterlogged the maple needs to be moved asap before the whole root system dies. Also the planting depth needs to be corrected without delay. If you take care and a few precautions it won't harm to move the tree at this time of year. Don't move it when the sun is hot, pick a cloudy day or wait till late afternoon/early evening. Have everything ready including soil for the mound and tools so that you can replant as quickly as possible after digging it up.
I agree with your decision and MAF's recommendation. Consider doing it in the morning. Put the tree in the shade as you are preparing the planting sight. Place old towels on the top and sides of the root ball and wet with cold water to dampen / saturate the towels. This will keep the roots from drying out while you are working on building up your planting beds. This may require widening the beds, as you want a gentle mound and not a sharp mountain that will erode away exposing the roots. Other surrounding plants may need to be replanted, to prevent them from becoming too deep as you build up the bed. If the tree was container grown, consider using a root rake on the outer 1/4 of the root ball along the top surface, gently raking outward. This will soften the sharp outer edge usually found on a container grown root ball. By doing this, it allows the roots to settle with the surrounding soil, rather than having an exposed lip of surface roots when the surrounding soil settles. Best of luck! Fixing the problem and providing adequate moisture (but avoid over watering too) should allow secondary buds form in place of the lost leaves. In about a month you will find new leaves forming. I do not recommend fertilizing a stressed tree. Protect the tree from pests as they tend to prey on the weak and this season has been terrible for pest, disease, and any hints of a drainage issues become very apparent with all this rain and heat. I never had to use insecticide (and I am someone who never ever wanted to), but this year I declared WWIII on the pests. I can't stand to loose some very old specimens that are special to me and I was pushed to a point by leaf hoppers that I had to stop the devastation. One that was hit the hardest was my Shaina.
Hi JT1 and others; I feel so grateful to all of your replies and for the expertise you share in the care and nurturing of my little tree and for future projects. I have learned so much and enjoyed your sharing of stories and information and tips, and your community spirit. Indeed, I am so very fortunate to have discovered this UBC resource message board and want to express my gratitude to you all. Thanks ! p.s., good luck with your WWIII - the lil buggers will loose I bet :)
I understand completely but we all need to be concerned with the well documented problem of the collapse of the (NAmerican) bee population. And it is very likely the the use of pesticides is the culprit. http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2013/06/22/the-harvard-scientist-linking-pesticides-honeybee-colony-collapse-disorder/nXvIA5I6IcxFRxEOc8tpFI/story.html
Thanks for sharing that story, I have read similar findings in the past. I was aware of the risks, but used them anyway (shame on me). I tried to be as strategic as possible with my application and used great care. It' all comes down to a calculated risk. But with all the precautions I took, I am sure it's always possible that there could be cross contamination. I guess when I said I declared WWIII on the bugs, some could picture a bug bomb going off in my backyard, but that wasn't the case. Regardless, I was wrong in my choice, but I did save some irreplaceable Japanese maples that can't be replaced in todays market.
I agree with the reasoning behind the soon to be introduced two year European ban on neonicotinoids, better to test first before releasing poison into the ecosystem. When that two years is concluded we should have ample data on any potential links between this class of systemic pesticides and colony collapse disorder. For anyone who has a supply of this type of pesticide and is wondering if they could use it on maples while maintaining a clear conscience, I would say yes you can; as long as you wait till after flowering time in the spring. As long as there are no flowers and no pollen there is no chance af these chemicals reaching the bee population. Typical flowering plants such as roses would obviously be a different story. Whether the neonicotinoids would affect ladybirds and other beneficial insects that predated upon aphids that had ingested the neonicotinoids I don't know (I have a hunch they would), but that is a different story and a different conversation. Anyway, this discussion is pretty much off-topic for the maple forum, and I suggest anyone wanting to further discuss neonicotinoids or other pesticides please start a thread in the hortforum area of the forum. Discussion of pesticide use that is specific to maples is ok, just not more general discussions. Thank you.
