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Anyone familiar with Japanese maples? Mine is about 12 years old, but most of the leaves are wilting. I am watering, it is not helping....

http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc...owthread.php?t=38284

read there.... our friend Whiskey is even replying!!...

water won't help if it's not draining well... so be sure it's not soggy around the roots... check and see.....

there's more info in these links....

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&...ac7&biw=1347&bih=550

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Toots,

Without re-telling about J.M.'s should be fertilized lightly, needing soil consistently moist, (but don't overwatr, provide plenty of good drainage, remulch in the fall leaving a six-inch circle mulch free area around the trunk....the usual, since your tree is 12 years old I would suggest you contact a tree person who can more accurately solve the tree's problem.
If the drainage issue has not been looked at every year, and you, trying to fix the problem by heavy watering, then maybe that's where the problem lies.
Good luck, Japanese Maples are a wonderful tree that should be given as much protection as one can do.

Don't know where you specifically live,but here in W Michigan in early May we had 2 nights of a very hard freeze after the unusually warm spring and everything was fully blooming. I have 2 Japanese maples that most leaves turned brown and dropped, just like in the fall. Magically new buds have appeared and new red leaves are now out. Our nursery told us at the time to not do any pruning of branches until we see what happened during the growing season. Have patience.

Ditto what mamaspoon said. I, too, live in South Michigan and my Japanese Maple did the same thing. It was that darn frost, which did lots of other damage as well.