Super growth on this one over the last 3 years.. now about 1.8m... lots of buds bursting but the leaves look contorted..no sign of aphids and it’s sat between 2 other similar sized trees that are perfectly fine so not a frost issue.. as you can see it’s budding out all over but the leaves look like their curling up..Any ideas ? White patches on the truck photo is sunlight bursting through
Good evening R. How has the watering been through March and April? The reason I ask is a similar thing happened to one of mine a few years back when the irrigation pipe I had running to it got blocked. I thought it was getting water, but it was not. And so the leaves started to appear as your Pixie are now. So IMO it is water deficiency over the last several weeks.
Thanks D..interesting..I watered it just as much as the trees all around it..and they are all fine..my gut feel is that this isn’t it..but I hope you’re right! Thanks again
I think that sort of cloque (or blister) can also come from frost damage, over fertilization, or lack of root acclimatization, especially on very bright red spring cultivars.
@emery Thanks.. it could be frost I guess but odd the two very close either side are fine.. autumn moon and Atropurpureum..all about 1.8m well established.. It’s been in the pot for 18mths, super growth last year and no fertilisation.. very strange
The witches brooms can be a bit finicky and more prone to environmental damage than normal JM's. Lol, edited because I spelt witches wrong!
Interesting thanks Maf, I did wonder whether it was correctly labelled as I read Pixie is a slow grower..but it’s definitely a broom, bolt upright form. I’m hopeful it will pull through, 2” thick trunk at base, sprouting buds from the trunk all the way up and strong nebari
Also frost pockets can be very isolated, and of course vary with height. Our Pixie took a bit of a beating though none of the maples immediately around had big issues this spring. Actually there's a 'Deshojo' next to it, that used to cloque quite a bit in the first couple of years after planting, but seems to have settled in now. With that thick of a base your Pixie sounds like it will pull through. Another example of the locality of frost, some years ago I planted a line of palmatum seedlings to mark the formal "entrance" to the Aceretum from the field. There are 11 if I remember correctly, most around 10-12 ft now, so pretty well established though they're completely exposed and have been hurt by the wind and drought of the last 2 years. Anyway, 1 tree in the middle of the line froze from top to bottom and is covered with dead leaves now, no visible damage on any others. Seems to be forming some buds, so hopefully will come back OK.
Thanks Emery..crazy! It will be the only tree that got hit bad..but it’s the most plausible explanation. A mixture of location, effort and luck has helped this year on the frost front..I can’t complain:)
a sure sign of lack of watering in the spring is when you see leaves start to dry and curl. This is a defense mechanism in the tree itself. It shuts off the tap to the limbs so it can preserve moisture in the root system. We have seen this happen with some of our new customers that just are not watching for the signs of lack of water. The good thing is the tree usually will rebound with a second flush of growth in late July / early August. If your plant is in a container, then best to leave it in a somewhat shaded area to help heal the tree.
Thanks, but this was not a lack of watering and no sign of leaves drying and curling. I think the frost sensitivity suggested by Maf and Emery is the cause on this occasion.
It could be : some species or cultivars don't react the same to light frost, especially if they're not exactly in the same location. In a small garden, a few metres away can make a difference : sun exposure, wind, a wall gathering heat in the day and keeping one or two degrees at night, soil and roots, etc.
Had to think about that tree while out for a bike ride. A couple of other scenarios which is that when the leaves curl up and dry it is something that is a result of 1 -2 weeks prior. A very common example is when one re pots the tree in spring when the leaves are pushing out and tampers with the root system while putting into a larger pot. The roots can not be touched or pushed apart, etc. as that can trigger this scenario. And back to the other cause being a lack of watering for a couple of days, and again the result is not noticeable until a week or two later even though regular watering had already resumed.
@emery by way of an update the tree is looking a lot better now it’s had its 2nd flush..I think you were correct about the issue being frost sensitivity..I had originally discounted that as everything around it was fine but I think it must have been that.. Thanks to all that contributed :)
