Red Sunset Maple distress - Ask Extension
My builder planted three red sunset maples last fall. They didn’t get water other than rainfall until early April when we moved in. The trees are pr...
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Red Sunset Maple distress #875147
Asked June 28, 2024, 4:33 PM EDT
My builder planted three red sunset maples last fall. They didn’t get water other than rainfall until early April when we moved in. The trees are pretty bare with many leafless branches. Do these trees look like they will come around or are they destined to be unkept looking? Any suggestions for treatment?
Oakland County Michigan
Expert Response
Good Morning,
Your tree could be suffering from a few things, but I suspect transplant shock and lack of water.
Have you checked the branches to see if they are flexible and not brittle? You can also take a sharp knife or use a fingernail to gently scrape a small piece of bark off of several small twigs. If the exposed twig is green, the branch is still alive. It appears in the photo that the tree has many buds on it, some quite large perhaps nearing leaf out. Take a close look at the buds to see if they are green (alive) or black (dead).
The late season freeze caused trees to struggle. As trees leaf out in the spring, late freezes can severely damage or kill buds and new leaves. This will cause a tree to use stored energy to re-leaf so this can result in a slower second try, or fewer/sparser leaves.
Take a wait-and-see approach for the tree. Make sure the tree receives adequate moisture and look for growth. If your lawn is fertilized with Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium (N-P-K), your tree does not need any additional fertilization of N-P-K.
ygwrongtree.pdf (montana.edu)
Watering Young Maple Trees – Maple Leaves Forever
I hope this helps. Thanks for using our service.
Your tree could be suffering from a few things, but I suspect transplant shock and lack of water.
Have you checked the branches to see if they are flexible and not brittle? You can also take a sharp knife or use a fingernail to gently scrape a small piece of bark off of several small twigs. If the exposed twig is green, the branch is still alive. It appears in the photo that the tree has many buds on it, some quite large perhaps nearing leaf out. Take a close look at the buds to see if they are green (alive) or black (dead).
The late season freeze caused trees to struggle. As trees leaf out in the spring, late freezes can severely damage or kill buds and new leaves. This will cause a tree to use stored energy to re-leaf so this can result in a slower second try, or fewer/sparser leaves.
Take a wait-and-see approach for the tree. Make sure the tree receives adequate moisture and look for growth. If your lawn is fertilized with Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium (N-P-K), your tree does not need any additional fertilization of N-P-K.
ygwrongtree.pdf (montana.edu)
Watering Young Maple Trees – Maple Leaves Forever
I hope this helps. Thanks for using our service.
