Leaves becoming like paper

[Newt]

Backyard Gardener, I wonder if you are referring to verticillium wilt, a soil fungi.* Other possibilities could be fusarium, a soil fungi or pseudomonas, a bacterium found in soil.

Newt

[Sweetpea]

Nina

Japanese Maples. especially dwarf thin leaved cultivars are understory trees.* Meaning they should have protection from all day sun. Nature never meant for them to be speciman trees. They require a more consistant moist soil.* They can be*killed or*badly damaged by a late spring frost, both tree and leaves.* A comment about the mulch under the trees. Is it dyed? and is*it a hardwood product?* Smaller ornamental trees do not do well*with dyed wood products.* A better choice is chopped leaves or finely chopped cedar, sometimes called "woody fines".

If the*trees were purchaesd from a big box or discount store there could be a lot of reasons for their appearance. If the trees were purchased from a local nursery or grower then contact them and inquire as to any problems they may be aware of with that stock.

Watering?*Do you have an inground*watering system? Knowing how you water and when could provide clues.

Prune off a*piece of stem and check to see*if its alive. It will have a*bright*green ring under the bark and the*inner part of the branch will be white. Prune off*any damaged leaves now.*Keeping them on will draw energy from the tree.*Lastly, have you taken a leaf to a nursery or your county extension service. They may be able to give you more accurate information when they can examine the leaf. Good luck and hope you are able to save your trees.