? about fried maples

[tahoe]

within a week of a scorching two days all the leaves on my maples dried up
five of the trunks are still green from the soil halfway up
four of them even have new leaves

should i chop the tops off above the last green node now, or do nothing til spring?
any advice will be appreciated

btw none of these are over a quarter inch at the base
but i still like them

 

[Alex DeRuiter]

I have a similar issue -- two my my maples (one Trident and one Kiyohime) have now dropped almost all of their leaves. I emailed my teacher about it, so I'll let you know what he responds with.

If they're pushing out any new growth, that's definitely a great sign. What are they planted in? I've added sphagnum moss on top of the substrate on ALL of my trees, and this has greatly helped in keeping the top from drying out.

I would say don't chop anything since they're already stressed.

Don't worry, they're all worth saving. Not just for the sake of the tree, but also so you know what to do and how to approach situations like this.

I'll report back when I hear something.

 

[JudyB]

Same scenario here, between the wind damage and the heat issues. I think you just need to wait it out. That's what I'm doing, don't think you can do much other than that. But I hope all your trees are ok. (and mine)

 

[edprocoat]

I lost my first and only maple to the heat, probably a combination of all the mishaps including being nearly defoliated by hail and then finished by the heat. It dried up and wilted what was left of the foliage, when I noticed it starting to stress form the heat I moved it into the shade but we had strong hot winds which did not help at all. I had read where the green leave varities wire more heat resistant than the red leafed ones, so I will probably never attempt a maple again. Just too hard too watch a nice tree wither and die.

ed

 

[MACH5]

That's a shame Ed. Where you're located you should not have any problems growing Japanese maples except offering them some protection during Winter. If you were in Florida I'd say perhaps think about growing something else. Sadly it seems, there were a series of unfortunate events that lead to the demise of your tree. No doubt these maples present a challenge when it comes to keeping their leaves in good shape all the way into Autumn. They need shade and lots of water in Summer, and protection in Winter. IMO there are few deciduous species that are quite as beautiful and refined looking as the Acer Palmatum, particularly in Autumn and Winter time.

I guess my point is don't give up on them just yet. Remember that when doing bonsai, part of the training is killing some tress on the way

 

[Paradox]

Ive been experiencing much of the same. My little maples have been baking in the 100+ heat index the last few days. They have all lost a few leaves despite my daily checking, watering when needed and the humidity tub I've got them sitting in. I think the humidity tub (clear plastic storage box filled with water with river rocks to keep them up out of the water) did help keep them from losing all their leaves though. Can't wait til the heat waves are done.

 

[tahoe]

thanks all
between the heat and wind, i lost all the foliage off a bald cypress, an oak, and two bougies
the bc and the oak have some growth, but i'm pretty sure i lost the top of the bc and a branch or two of the oak
what surprised me was how my seiju elm came through relatively unscathed