Bloodgood Maple

[sakuragirl1]

I purchased a Bloodgood Japanese maple on Sunday, and it already is experiencing leaf burn. What could be the problem, sun exposure or water? The nusury worker we purchased from stated our sun exposure should be fine, but I am worried it is the issue. it has full sunlight during the late afternoon, and i am in zone 9a i think. (Martinez California) It was perfectly healthy Sunday, and by Monday it was having issues. We water it everyday as it has been pretty hot. I read that salty water can cause leaf burn too, how can i tell if my water is salty? Could it just be transplant stress?

[David E. Ross]

Maples are marginal in mild-winter areas of California. Additionally, hot, dry summers can really stress them.

I'm a docent at Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks. We have five maples in our Japanese garden: Bloodgood, Coral Bark, red lace-leaf, and two green lace-leaf. They are leafing out only now. By August, they will start going dormant, showing significant leaf burn although they all get some shade during the day.

[John A. Keslick, Jr.]

1. How did you get the tree home? Was it exposed to wind?
2. How deep did you plant the tree?
3. The new growth in elongation has probably not hardened off yet. If you injured the roots a lot, this may be the cause. Pruning woody roots correctly is great, yet at the wrong time can be a problem.
4. CAUTION: Do not over water. Just water enough to moisten the non-woody absorbing roots which are in the upper 4" of the soil unless you planted too deep. The biggest problem during dry times is over watering.

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[Layne]

Hi,

Is your maple repotted or in the ground? If it's in the ground and you're watering every day that is too much. I doubt however that root rot will manifest itself so quickly. But, if your maple IS in the ground cut back on the watering.

If your maple is in a pot, how big is it and what is it made of? unglazed ceramic, glazed ceramic and plastic pots lose moisture at different rates. Smaller pots will dry out faster than larger/deeper pots.

If your maple was under shadecloth -- as is often the case at most nurseries -- moving to an area that gets more sun can cause leaf burn. Keep your maple *properly* watered and it should adjust by next year. What you have to remember is plants are like us with regard to sun exposure. If you're in an office all week and then go the to beach all day on Saturday you'll burn too. Same with plant leaves. They need to adjust to more sun exposure. Bloodgood is one of the more sun/heat tolerant Japanese maples so your location should be okay.

I have a Bloodgood in a plastic 5 gallon pot that gets direct sun from

10am to sunset during summer months and as long as I keep it properly watered it will show minimal leaf tip burn. Properly watered means keep the soil moist. Never allow it to go completely dry but, don't keep the soil too wet either.

Layne

[Emery Davis]

With all due respect to David, Japanese maples do just fine in your area. There are people who grow successfully in containers in LA also.

If late afternoon means after 4, it is unlikely sun is the problem. Bloodgood is very sturdy and doesn't burn that easily; it was selected for these characteristics. Of course it is possible that you don't have a real vegetatively propagated Bloodgood, but some sort of seedling. Check to ensure that the maple is grafted.

John is right, you are almost certainly over watering. If you water large amounts when the maple has sun, that could potentially cause leaf burn. Also wind is the main enemy of these plants, although a drive home with an open window is unlikely to have done much damage. I can't imagine tap water in Contra Costa county is so salty that it would damage the tree, anyway. Doesn't the main supply to SF go through there?

Planting depth could give eventual problems but not so quickly. Wind is most likely, and can certainly cause burn. Though a true Bloodgood should be reasonably resistant.

My advice is: if the tree looks like its defoliating entirely, take it back and buy a different one from someone else. And water maximum 2/3 times per week. Maples like dry feet.

-E

[sakuragirl1]

Thank you all for the great information!!! we did bring the tree home in the back of our truck, so leaf burn from wind would be a good guess. When i said we were watering everyday, it is about 1 quart of water a day which we thought would be ok. Is that too much? It is in a wood container, i think it's 18". I will cut back on the watering a bit, and just keep an eye on it and see if it gets better or worse. thank you all again for your help.

[Plant Info]

If, by "leaf burn" you mean crispy leaf edges, this could simply be a moisture deficiency due to transplant shock. Before you douse it with fertilizer -- particularly nitrogen -- give it some time to settle and grow sufficient roots to support the above ground growth. As with any plant, to avoid stress, make sure it gets 1" of water weekly, whether rain or or from the hose.

Good luck!

Suzy, Zone 5, Wisconsin

[mleblanca]

A quart of water is definitely not enough for any plant in an 18 inch container. Especially with the hot days we have had. A quart would evaporate in an hour. You should water the tree until the water runs out of the bottom of the

container. Then don't water again until the top 1-2 inches is dry. This is probably a fair sized plant if it's in 18 inches pot. The poor thing is drying up. Give it a good drink right away.

With the cooler weather it should adapt, but I would give it some shade if the temps get hotter within a couple of weeks

Emilie NorCal

[mleblanca]

One quart of water is definintely not enough water for any plant in an

18 " pot. The poor thing is drying up. Water the tree until the water runs out of the holes in the bottom of the pot. Then do not water again until the top 1-2 inches of soil is dry. A 1 inch mulch would help to keep the roots moist and cool.

Emilie NorCal

[Layne]

Hi,

Like Emery said maples do grow well in Los Angeles. I live in Los Angeles and all my Japanese maples are in containers. I know of a gentleman who grows maples, both in the ground and in containers in the San Joaquin valley area.

When you water containerized plants apply water till you see it start to drain from the bottom. Your wooden container should have drainage holes. If not drill some or find another container with adequate drainage holes. When the top inch or so of soil is dry water your plant. After a while you'll get the hang of how often to water your plant in the coming seasons. Right now with temps in the mid 70s I'm watering my 5 gal. maples about every 3rd day and my 1 gal. maples every other day. My maples get direct sun from about 12p to 5pm. When it gets hotter I'm going to have to increase the frequency of my watering. 1 quart of water every day *might* be the problem depending on the type of soil you have. Then again 1 quart may be too little water and not enough water is getting to the smaller feeder roots that are deeper in the pot. I'd advise you to get a good book on container gardening, or better yet get a beginner's book on bonsai. While you may not take up the hobby basic bonsai techniques like pruning, root pruning, and transplanting apply to good container culture. Sunset and Ortho books on bonsai are good and can be found at any garden center.

Riding in the back of a truck may have caused it depending on how hot and dry the air is and how long the ride was. I still think it's a watering issue. It's been my experience working at a nursery that over and under watering plants is the main reason for most otherwise healthy plants dying. 1 quart a day makes the soil on the top of the pot look moist but I'll bet if you stick your finger in the drainage holes you'll see the soil is dry because the water is soaking into the top layer and not getting all the way down to the bottom of the pot.

Also I'd like to address Emery's advice to look for a graft scar to determine if you may have a true to name Bloodgood. A tree having a graft doesn't always mean it's true to name and a clonal offspring. I have seen MANY so called Bloodgoods that were grafted yet were not true Bloodgoods. It is a sad fact that the Bloodgood line is seriously diluted.

Hope this helps,

Layne

[Emery Davis]

[]

Hi Layne,

Yes this is certainly true. I have a feeling we'd agree that Bloodgood is particularly notorious in this respect. I was referring to the peculiar practice of selling seedlings as genuine cultivars, which as I understand it is widespread in the US. Of course leading to further dilution of both names and plants.

Thanks for the watering advice, BTW. My plants are in a different climate, but I'm glad to know better how to deal with the very hot.

regards,

-E