What could be wrong with this vine maple? It was transplanted in the fall of 2019 from a sunny location to our home in North Albany where it receives ...
Knowledgebase
vine maple small curled leaves #753295
Asked June 01, 2021, 2:24 PM EDT
What could be wrong with this vine maple? It was transplanted in the fall of 2019 from a sunny location to our home in North Albany where it receives quite a bit of sun also. Last year the leaves were small, but we thought it was just adjusting to its new home. This year they are small, curled and red on most of the tree. But the last leaves to emerge are larger, green and open. We didn't see anything on the underside except a small spider on one. It gets quite a bit of sun and we are giving it plenty of water. We do not use herbicides.
Benton CountyOregon
Expert Response
Thanks for reaching out. I have a couple of additional questions to help solve this mystery.
Tell me more about the transplanting process: How big was the root ball dug around the tree? How was the new planting hole prepared? (dimensions, any amendments, etc.) How deep was the tree placed in the new hole? At the same level as in the previous location or is it lower in the hole? How long was the tree out of the ground before you replanted it?
How are you watering the tree? Soaker hose, hand water, sprinkler, etc. How much water/how long are you watering and how often?
Follow a branch that has the affected leaves from the leaves down to the base of the plant. Do you notice anything unusual? Any cracking, sunken areas, or small holes?
We were not able to get a root ball of soil because it came from an area where the soil is very loose and just falls away. The plant was about 7 feet tall with two main trunks about 1 inch in diameter. We did get lots of roots and kept them moist and covered with soil and plastic until it was planted the following day, which was in the fall of 2019. We dug a hole at least twice as big as the roots and added quite a bit of compost, some aged manure, soil from its original location and some purchased top soil. The soil in our yard is very clayey so we are trying to improve it with compost whenever we plant. The tree was planted at the same level as its original position.
There is an unusual spot on one trunk where the bark was damaged, and the other trunk has a couple of small cracks on the south side, possibly from sun damage. The tree was mulched with bark dust and now with wood chips. My husband mostly hand waters it about once a week and keeps the soil moist, but we are gone all winter and rely on rains for irrigation until we return in April.
A few smaller branches that leafed out later seem to have larger healthy green leaves that are completely opened, some on one main trunk and some on the other. We don't see any holes or anything that looks like insect damage. It has a few seed pods forming.
Could it be a fungal disease?
On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, 06:47:45 PM PDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Thank you for the additional information. I'm not seeing any of the characteristic signs of fungal issues. I do think this is likely a combination of transplant shock and possibly damage that is inhibiting water & nutrient flow up from the roots to the leaves.
There isn't much that can be done except give the tree good TLC during these dry summer months. If you haven't done this already, double check that the tree is receiving enough water by digging down 6-8 inches. Page 13 of the pdf version of OSU Extension's Selecting, Planting and Caring for a New Tree has information on how deep and how often new trees need to be watered.
It may be that the tree can recover from the minor bark damage but that is hard to predict at this point. Either way there are no treatments that need to be made.
