Leaves becoming like paper

[Nina]

I recently planted two small red maples back in the middle of May.* After a few weeks the leaves started becoming crinkled and felt like paper to the touch, rather than soft like leaves.* Now all of the leaves on both maples are like paper and crinkled.* We thought that it was just frost because we planted it too early.*

But now one of our smoke trees is doing the same thing.* We planted two smoke trees last year.* One of them is doing great, but one of them the some of the leaves are turning paper-like and becoming crinkled.* Is this some kind of disease, and how do I fix it?

We live in Northeastern PA

[Newt]

Hi Nina,

You had another post about shrubs but never answered the questions that were posted.* I'm wondering if this is the same problem on your trees.

Do you know which cultivar of red maple you planted?* Some have crinkled leaves as the leaves mature.* Take a look here for an idea.* Is this what you see?
http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/fo...3&d=1077157909

Some smoke trees will get crinkled leaves if they have powedery mildew.* Do you see anything like this on your tree leaves?
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/nurspest/powdery_mildew.htm


Anthracnose can cause browning of leaves and then they crinkle, but you don't mention any discoloration.

Do you have any pictures of the leaves?* That would be most helpful.

A couple of things that come to mind would be leaf scorch from the sun and/or lack of watering.* Planting them too deep so the rootflare doesn't show or placing mulch against the trunk canl also cause this problem.* You also don't say how/if you are watering.* Lots of questions still to be answered.

Newt

[Nina]

Hi Newt,

I can't see the first link you posted, it says access restricted.* However I did look at the second link and there is no mildew on the leaves.
The leaves are discolored though.* I forgot to mention that in the original post.* The red maple leaves have become brown as well as crinkled.

Here are some pictures:

[Nina]

Heres the red maple

[Nina]

Heres a closer look at the red maple leaves

[Nina]

Heres the bad smoke tree

[Nina]

Heres the bad smoke tree leaves

[Nina]

And heres the good smoke tree.
This smoke tree was planted at the same time as the other, and gets the same water and sunlight.* So I don't understand why this one is healthy and the other is not.

We water them everyday, since its pretty dry now.* Except on the days it rains.

The red maples are Japanese Red Maples

[Newt]

Well, you answered your own question.*

We water them everyday, since its pretty dry now. Except on the days it rains.

You are overwatering them.* Watering daily shouldn't be done unless you are in the desert.* Are you pulling back the mulch and poking your finger into the soil to see if it's dry about 3" down?*

*I also would love to see the base of these trees.* I suspect they are planted too deep and there could be too much mulch piled against the trunk.* I'm also wondering why one tree has some type of stake.* Generally trees aren't staked unless they are in windy sites or they are top heavy.* Your stake looks like it went right into the rootball as it's very close to the tree.* Here's how to plant, stake, mulch and water trees so you can check to see if you did it correctly.
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/pla...ees/f1147w.htm
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/staking.html
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az1298/

Newt

[backyardgardener]

I don't have a link to share, but in the PNW,* Japanese Red Maples also die due to a virus in the soil.* I've lost several mature trees to the soil virus.* My trees have recovered, but I had to prune them to where the tree was alive.* Sometimes down to the ground.

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