Hello, I have two japanese maples - shojo namura - that are both suffering from dried up leaves. I have been watering them regularly and they were planted in fresh topsoil - just bought them in July. They are in full sun. Should I move them to a better area now or wait until their leaves fall off? I haven't noticed any new growth on them and am afraid they won't survive. Thanks for any advice!
Shriveled leaves usually means water loss; that is, water is leaving through the leaves faster than water is being replaced. Hot temperatures and dry wind are reasons one is losing moisture. Not being able to replace moisture could be due to roots aren't able to pull water from the soil. A new planting, damaged roots, or dry soil. You say you are watering regularly, so dry soil isn't the problem. July and August are bad times to be planting trees because of dry and hot weather. Direct sun can also burn the leaves. Its the first of September. Leave the tree where it is. It shouldn't be too long until the hot weather breaks. You might try erecting some sort of screen to block direct rays from the sun until then.