| We planted a small Japanese red maple this spring. It was doing well until two weeks ago. The leaves seem to be curling and drying at the tips and the tips are turning yellow. We water it twice daily. Are we overwatering it? Why is this happening? It gets plenty of sunlight. Thank you for your advice. |
| Watering twice daily is excessive, even in the hot weather. Your maple is showing stress from overly wet soil conditions. It's better to water deeply but infrequently to encourage deep root growth. A constant source of water will keep the roots up near the surface as they gasp for air. Gradually wean your tree off of frequent waterings. Start by reducing the watering to once a day, then once every two days, then once every 3-4 days. Water deeply when you do water to encourage deep roots. It should take about two weeks of gradual reduction in watering. You can continue to water your maple every 3-4 days for the rest of the summer. In the fall water once a week until the tree goes into dormancy. You can water every 10 days until the ground freezes. Best wishes with your maple. |
