Japanese red maple not budding out fully?

[Ben1124]

I rescued this Japanese red maple from Lowe’s toward the end of last season and nursed it back to health. Was mainly just suffering from leaf scorch, and some surface roots had dried out on one side from being exposed (I think it got knocked over at some point and no one properly fixed the situation). So I brought it home, added some good potting mix to it the surface and secured it in an upright position. It did okay for the rest of the season and survived winter.

A few weeks ago (early March) we had several days of unseasonably warm weather and it started to bud out. We then had several nights of freezing weather, and I brought into the garage each night for protection. It was humming right along, but the new buds seemed to have stalled out and are drooping now.

I don’t have a lot of experience with JMs and not sure what to make of the situation with this guy. Are these buds doomed? Or is this just minor frost damage and the buds will bounce back once Spring gets fully underway?? Could this be from the root damage last season?

I live in Louisville, KY btw which is zone 6b. Any insights or advice would be a huge help. Thanks!

 

[TomB]

The new leaves and shoots on Japanese maple are often like that, they should start to perk up in a week or two depending on the weather. Can vary from tree to tree. If they'd been damaged by the frost, you'd normally see more obvious signs (e.g. blackening at the tips). Keep it sheltered from frost, and wait.

Here's an example of a tree with leaves in a similarly droopy state.

 

[19Mateo83]

That’s just how they are on some cultivars. From the pictures it looks like a healthy tree. Well done on the rescue!

 

[rockm]

I rescued this Japanese red maple from Lowe’s toward the end of last season and nursed it back to health. Was mainly just suffering from leaf scorch, and some surface roots had dried out on one side from being exposed (I think it got knocked over at some point and no one properly fixed the situation). So I brought it home, added some good potting mix to it the surface and secured it in an upright position. It did okay for the rest of the season and survived winter.

A few weeks ago (early March) we had several days of unseasonably warm weather and it started to bud out. We then had several nights of freezing weather, and I brought into the garage each night for protection. It was humming right along, but the new buds seemed to have stalled out and are drooping now.

I don’t have a lot of experience with JMs and not sure what to make of the situation with this guy. Are these buds doomed? Or is this just minor frost damage and the buds will bounce back once Spring gets fully underway?? Could this be from the root damage last season?

I live in Louisville, KY btw which is zone 6b. Any insights or advice would be a huge help. Thanks!

You tree is fine. New maple foliage looks like that as it emerges. Should pick up as it matures in the next couple of weeks. Also, the tree may push new growth in the coming months. Sounds like it's recovering from some rougher conditions last year--sun scorch essentially defoliating the tree. That can take a bit of energy out of a tree.

 

[Ben1124]

Thank you all for your responses @rockm @19Mateo83 and @TomB !! Huge relief to hear this is normal for this species/cultivar.

 

[19Mateo83]

Thank you all for your responses @rockm @19Mateo83 and @TomB !! Huge relief to hear this is normal for this species/cultivar.

My red JM leaves coming out look the exact same

 

[It's Kev]

Mine’s also slow, I still only have 3 buds, just hang in there

 

[Relic37]

I've got green ones that have been fully leafed out for weeks. I've got red ones just now deciding to join the party, and not all at once. One will start leaves on one side and the other side may wait another week to 10 days before it comes along. The various cultivars are really all over the map as far as spring growth, but it's glorious to watch nonetheless.