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Brown and curling Japanese Maple leaves #644663

Asked June 02, 2020, 3:36 AM EDT

Hi, I have 2 Moonrise Japanese Maple trees that I purchased and repotted last year. Both of them leafed out and were looking beautiful this spring. Three days ago one of the trees had several branches and leaves begin turning brown and curling up. I don't see any insect pests on the trees. I've been using a moisture meter to determine when to water the trees. I wait until the moisture level is down to 1-2 on the meter, then water thoroughly and pour off any water remaining in the tray under the pots. Last year one of the trees was in an area with too much sun and the leaves scorched, but this does not look like that. The tree that is affected is in a location with morning sun, then afternoon dappled shade or shade. It's about 15-20 feet away from the second tree, which is so far not affected. Can you identify what is going on and what I should do about it? Many thanks! Sally Bornstein

Lane County Oregon

Expert Response

My first thought was water stress and even though you are monitoring soil moisture it may still be related to that. The symptom that I see in the image shows dehydrated leaf tissue. The plant is not able to keep up with the water demands of the leaf tissue. The reasons can be many and may occur together. Hot weather, lack of water in the soil, and/or damage somewhere between the leaf and the roots which can include cankers, crown rots or root rots. You will have to investigate a little more to determine the cause of lack of water into the leaves. Check the plant starting with the leaves and heading to the roots looking for damage or excessively dry soil.
Jay W. Pscheidt, PhD, Professor Replied June 04, 2020, 1:18 PM EDT

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