I have a Japanese Maple Tree in my back yard. The tree is about 5 years old and 12 feet tall. This year when the leaves came out the tips of all the branches are dead. These dead branches snap off easily. Also a big piece of bark at the bottom of the tree fell off. Leaves are out now and they look healthy. The tree is in my backyard and in mostly full sun all day (have heard that might not be good) The back yard is fenced with 6' privacy fence. I don't believe the bark was rubbed off by an animal. Note in 2006 we had a cold snap and it got down to the low 20's after the leaves had come out and they all died. It was about June before the leaves came back out.
I may be remembering incorrectly (I'm from st. louis also) but I thought the "killer frost" was spring 2007. I too had some die back on the larger maples. I would just cut back anything that's brittle and clearly dead. The bark that fell off the bottom is more concerning however... (I'll leave advice regarding this to the experts)
where is the name of your maple?please reply because some cultivar are sun resistence and if possible send a pics.
