Plant Doctor Archive

Ailing maple

Question I’VE enclosed a leaf of my maple, Acer palmatum ‘Shindeshojo’ which has been looking sick recently. Can you help?

Answer  JAPANESE maples often get this look in early autumn after a dry summer. Auckland had very little rain during autumn but a lot of wind, which can quickly desiccate tender foliage.

But don’t worry. New growth next spring will be as fresh as ever.

The best way to try to avoid the problem again is to apply plenty of mulch around the root system to conserve soil moisture in summer, water during prolonged dry periods and, if possible, provide as much protection from strong wind as possible.

Weekend Gardener, Issue 174, 2005, Page 28