Hello Peter!RE: Japanese Maple leaves suddenly shriveling /wilting…(Latham, NY)I have a Japanese Maple, and it’s leaves are suddenly shriveling /wilting…everywhere, on all branches.Can you please tell me what the most likely cause would be as well as what I can do to try to save this tree?The tree has been established for many years, maybe 20 years or so, and has always done great.It was looking great about 3 week ago but, now, it looks almost dead because the leaves are all shriveling/wilting/drying up.It sits next to another Japanese Maple that about 3 weeks ago, looked pretty bad also. This other tree appeared to have dead branches with what appeared to be very tiny just budding leaves that had also shriveled and were all dried up, at the same time that the tree I am asking you about now, looked very healthy. On this other tree, I cut off all of the dead looking branches, really butchering the shape of the tree and leaving any growth that didn’t look to have dead branches/leaves. This other tree, seems to be doing very good, now…I thought about doing the same thing to the tree I am asking you about, (cutting off the dead looking branches/leaves), but, I’m afraid if I do that, the entire tree will be gone because all of the leaves appear to be dying/wilted.Is there anything I could do to try to save the tree?Thank you.Frank
If you have mulched around the tree, check to make sure that no mulch has been piled up against the bark of the tree. Smothering bark with “volcano” mulching causes a multitude of problems for trees and could cause the symptoms you describe. Also, if lawn weeds killer or any weed killer has been used near the tree, overspray or even just the vapors given off by weed killer can cause problems for Jap. Maples. If you have sandy soil, lack of deep watering could be an issue in spite of all the rain we’ve had. I’d suggest feeding them with a gentle organic like Espoma Tree-tone scratched into the soil. Jap Maples can suffer from borers (insects) so look for any pinhole size holes in the bark. If you find that symptom, treat them with Bonide annual Tree and Shrub Insect Control . There are also disease that can harm Jap. Maples so there is the outside chance that is a problem. Here’s a link to more on that...and another link. Give the stems some time to re-leaf…you can always cut them off later if they don’t.