I have several paperbark maples that are just a couple years old, less than 18" tall. I acquired them as dormant bare stock early in the spring and have been growing them outside since. One didn't make it, and the rest have consistently shown this browning. One was transplanted and the others had some watering irregularities so I chocked it up to that, but I want to be sure there isn't anything to be worried about here. These are the most difficult to get of the plants I have and I'm proud of them and want to take as best care of them as I can and I'm concerned this will continue to get worse and kill my little trees. The one pictured is the largest, but the other two aren't much smaller. The first thumbnail has a bug on it that I frequently see on the leaves and I originally thought it was a harmless springtail but after looking it up it looks nothing like it. The picture isn't great, but they look kind of like the mouth of a smiley face, an up-turned banana, and I see them mostly on the underside of the leaves. Besides this, I haven't noticed anything awry and the plants continue to put out new growth. Is this problematic? If it's something diagnosable, what can I do to treat it? I can take more pictures if needed. Any advice is appreciated and thanks in advance.
Good morning @RookiePresent, now I know you have lost one griseum seedling, but that is not unusual, as these can be very difficult to get into full trees. Looking at your leaves there maybe two things going on here from leaf spot from aphids or possibly grubs from Bagworms. The photo is not ideal in identifying tbh. As you have only several small trees I would check underneath of each one and rub out any insect you see to start with. I don’t think you need to spray. Then ensure your seedlings get enough water through the dry period and keep an eye out for any more attacks. This should be dealt with ASAP. I would also check any other plants nearby. IMO I don't think you have any serious problems at all. I would be interested to hear T @Whachamacollit thoughts, as he is having wonderful success with his griseums. D
I will make sure I keep up with the water and to not let any bugs hang out on the foliage. They are with other young trees, I'll check them all thoroughly for bugs as well. I've not heard of bagworms before, but I'll look into it and familiarize myself with what kind of damage they can do and will keep that in mind as a possibility. What kind of picture would be best for looking at this? This one tree is hit the hardest with spots, but the other two have very minor spotting as well so I could include that in a 2nd round of pictures if it would be helpful. Thank you!
Sorry for the late reply, but I have an update. I've uploaded better pictures of mostly all the bugs I find but some of the leaf damage is clearly visible as well. There were many bugs that I couldn't identify, they were all over the paper barks and my red buds. An apple seedling nearby had aphids too, so I decided to just start spraying them with an insecticide on the tops and bottoms of leaves and initially wiped all the leaves down. Since then, they seem to have stabilized. I also think too much water was a factor, too - probably the main issue, actually. I'm treating them accordingly, but if someone else sees something else, please let me know.
Good morning, if you over water or under water then the tree becomes stressed and more prone to not being able to fight off insect attacks. Of course they will still come, but a healthy tree is able to get through this. There is nothing you can do this year with the damaged leaves. They will drop probably sooner than the Autumn, but do not worry as it is a deciduous tree that will produce new leaves again next Spring and this time you will be on the lookout early to protect them. D
