Hello everybody, I'm asking again for help. 1 1/2 years ago my
wife
gave me as a present a beautiful acer palmatum, with excelent
foliage,
perfect leaves.
During the first summer the leaves becomme dry, at the nursery
they
told me it was because of too much direct sunlight. For this
season I
preapared a frame with a net (we call them kiwi net, because it's
used
for this trees) for shadow. It worked great, and the leaves were
ok for
longer time (all spring and almost all summer too). Now my
problem is
the tip of the leaves become brown and dry, it doesn't affect the
complete leave (most of times), but they look ugly and affect the
look
of the tree (and I don't know how far also it's health). Can
anyone
give me reasons for that (pests, too windy, etc)?
Thanks a lot everybody.

Claudio Fierro Neudörfer, Chile.
================================================== ======

In Chile, you're approaching fall. If you live in the warmer
(northern) parts of Chile, even shade may not be enough to keep
A. palmatum leaves looking good all summer long.

It's almost certain that what you are seeing is nothing more than
worn out, old-age leaves. It will not affect the health of the
tree. You still may see some nice fall color with them, too, so
don't do anything drastic.

There may not be anything you can do to prevent it, because if
you keep the tree out of ALL sun or wind it's not going to
thrive, either. I'm in the same situation. I live at just about
the southern limit of where A. palmatum will survive. I have a
small one, but after midsummer it's nothing to brag on.

Good luck, but I wouldn't worry about disease or bugs. It's just
the Japanese maple's way of behaving.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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