Trident Maple leaves drying at the edges

[arctic107]

My Trident maple's leaves are drying up on the edges. I was originally thinking that this was due to fertilizer burn, but a post here seemed to suggest that it may be a problem with the roots. I water it every day until water comes out the bottom of the pot. Something that I've noticed though is that the soil doesn't seem to drain very well. Is this a problem with the roots?

 

[Dav4]

Without knowing where you're located, what/how you feed your trees, and what your soil is composed of, you won't be able to get truly accurate responses- possible causes include fertilizer overload, living in a hot and dry climate +/- poor water quality, being root bound, low moisture at the root zone on a hot, dry, breezy day, etc.. With that being said, It's almost September, and most deciduous leaves will be a bit ragged now, and your tree doesn't look all that bad. I'd be planning a re-pot during your next re-potting window either way.

 

[arctic107]

Thanks for the reply, Dav4! I live in/near Washington DC. I had been feeding it 4 capfuls of Neptune's Harvest Fish Emulsion fertilizer in a 1 gallon watering can full of water every 2 weeks.

Sounds like a good idea on the repotting!

 

[Dav4]

Thanks for the reply, Dav4! I live in/near Washington DC. I had been feeding it 4 capfuls of Neptune's Harvest Fish Emulsion fertilizer in a 1 gallon watering can full of water every 2 weeks.

Sounds like a good idea on the repotting!

I feel comfortable saying there's no way you've over fertilized, either.

 

[BonsaiManic]

I'm also curious about the soil composition. Does the substrate stay wet until the next watering? Or is it only slightly moist by that time? How loose or compacted is it?

Thread 'Introductory soil physics'

Oct 3, 2016

Questions about soil physics come up all the time and I find that I repeat myself a lot on this topic. I'm going to try and write a reference for folks to refer to on this topic. I'm expressly NOT going to offer you any advice on what soil you should use in your garden, whether you should use organics or inorganics, or anything on that line (that's where these soil threads go south). Instead, What I'm going to do is offer some basic information on which you might base your own choices. I'll try to do this at a high level, but this is related to my profession, so it's easy for me to go...

• markyscott
• Replies: 330
• Forum: Soil, ferts, and chems (insecticides/fungicides)

• 
• 

This is a great thread to learn about the science, the cause and effect of substrate composition. It has really opened my eyes to why and how the root zone is so important, and how many variables there are. It even helped me to realize how different the needs are for individual species. Maybe it could help you too.

 

[eugenev2]

I'm pretty sure that looks like leaf scorch. Has your temperatures often been over 25C/77F and by over i mean closer to 30C/86F? because that would do it. Watering more frequently in these situation could help, but i've found it could lead to other issues if you aren't careful, not to mention that at some point the tree simply cannot draw up water fast enough.
Personally i get my trident maples some shade netting, 40% should do unless you have more extreme temperatures than mentioned above, that way you should be able to stick to your normal watering methods

 

[arctic107]

Yes, the temperatures this July have been well over 86F. It's worth trying the 40% shade netting out; I'll look in to some rods that I can drape the 40% shade cloth over!

 

[JudyB]

If your substrate is open and draining well, you may need a layer of chopped sphagnum on it to keep it from drying on the top and keep it cooler. It has been a hot on this year, and maples do like some shade during hotter weather, although tridents do better with more sun than any other maple. Looks like normal end of season leaves for this time of year, unless you are @MACH5 lol, or keep your trees in perfect conditions during the hot sunny months. If you defoliate that can give you better leaves at seasons end, you can do tridents a couple times in the summer in your area. Just make sure your last defoliation gives the leaves time to harden off before frost. Also that looks like a lot of foliage for your roots to keep up with in that pot size, that could be part of the issue, which isn't really an issue as you're in the development stage with this tree.

 

[Dabbler]

Now do you water twice a day or only once a day?

 

[arctic107]

Now do you water twice a day or only once a day?

I only water twice a day when it gets really hot. It's supposed to hit 100F this Wednesday!

 

[arctic107]

If your substrate is open and draining well, you may need a layer of chopped sphagnum on it to keep it from drying on the top and keep it cooler. It has been a hot on this year, and maples do like some shade during hotter weather, although tridents do better with more sun than any other maple. Looks like normal end of season leaves for this time of year, unless you are @MACH5 lol, or keep your trees in perfect conditions during the hot sunny months. If you defoliate that can give you better leaves at seasons end, you can do tridents a couple times in the summer in your area. Just make sure your last defoliation gives the leaves time to harden off before frost. Also that looks like a lot of foliage for your roots to keep up with in that pot size, that could be part of the issue, which isn't really an issue as you're in the development stage with this tree.

Thank you for this! This is actually my first year keeping a Trident Maple so I was unsure if the leaves looked the way they did because of something that I did or didn't do this summer. You all are giving me a lot of comfort I'm the tree!

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Interesting…. From my perspective looks like damage from powdery mildew. Only the Vine Maples get it this time of the year due to our summer dry spell. Often get it from wet leaves after night fall, especially with high humidity. Tridents don’t get it here until later in the year when the rains come.

Leaf scorch looks different on our tridents. More concentrated.

Here are two images of powdery mildew on a vine maple.






If it rings a bell, try to keep the leaves from getting wet when watering. Can’t stop the Rain Gods from wetting them though. 3 TBSP of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide diluted in a quart of water can knock it down for a bit. Straight 3% might also, but never pulled the test on that. Do in the mid morning to mid afternoon

Best
DSD sends

 

[arctic107]

According to drought.gov, I've had the 57th driest July in the last 130 years and it's been the 59th driest year in the last 130 years. Outside of a few rain showers (only 1 of them being a heavy downpour), the only time the leaves have gotten wet was when I misted them with my hose (in the morning or between 1 and 2pm on very hot days). Do you think it has been too dry for powdery mildew?

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Looks like what folks are calling leaf scorch could perhaps be bacterial leaf scorch. Something we rarely see. Check this site out.

Bacterial Leaf Scorch Tree Disease- Arborjet

Understand the causes and symptoms of bacterial leaf scorch and how Arborjet can help treat it.

arborjet.com

Best
DSD sends

 

[arctic107]

Looks like what folks are calling leaf scorch could perhaps be bacterial leaf scorch. Something we rarely see. Check this site out.

Bacterial Leaf Scorch Tree Disease- Arborjet

Understand the causes and symptoms of bacterial leaf scorch and how Arborjet can help treat it.

arborjet.com

Best
DSD sends

The leaves aren't really browning as shown in the pictures of bacterial leaf scorch (thankfully).

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Yes, that is true.. That’s not a maple in the images. Maples often are lighter to begin with.

Looks from further research it could be either. But most likely heat scotch based upon your input. Fingers crossed

If it progresses after you’ve shaded the tree, then it’s the bacterial type

Best
DSD sends

 

[zita]

i think eerything is fine and would expose it to full sun with enough watering.
Cut it back very strong next year.