japanese maple

Question: Our Japanese maple has beautiful leaves but only on about half the branches. There are only a few leaves on the branches on one side of the tree. What is causing this? fungus? A root issue? The tree was planted about 4 years ago and didn't used to have this problem. What is the remedy?

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied May 22, 2023, 2:12 PM EDT
response: Hi,  We can't say for sure what could be causing the die back. You can examine the bark to see if you notice any boring holes from tree boring insects or any cracks along the bark.  You should prune any of the branches that don't have leaves and also add some mulch at the base of the tree. If you haven't been watering in times of high heat or drought, it can also be beneficial to do so. You would want to feel the soil to see if it is dry by sticking your finger down into the soil and you can have you garden hose on at a slow trickle to water at the base of the tree for about 20 minutes to thoroughly soak the root area. Since the tree has been there for a few years now, you may only want to add supplemental water in the summer or if it hasn't been raining sufficiently.  We don't see any indications of a fungus problem. If you would like to send other photos of the root area and the trunk, we may notice something else to be the culprit.  For now pruning is the best method for hopeful recovery.  Feel free to respond to this with any additional photos or other things you may notice.  Emily

responder: The Question Asker Replied May 22, 2023, 2:35 PM EDT
response: Hello Emily,Attached are some pictures of the bark on the trunk portion that is on the side of the tree with the problem. I do see some splitting of the bark near the trunk and on the main branch to the bad side of the tree.The soil is not dry. We do water when needed but that is rare and usually in the summer. The bark on the branches with sparse leaves looks identical to the bark on the branches with nice leaves so I didn't send pictures of that.There are very few branches with no leaves. We will trim those. There are many branches with a few leaves and the few leaves that are there look very healthy. Thanks again for your help.LynnOn Mon, May 22, 2023 at 2:12 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied May 23, 2023, 9:59 AM EDT
response: Hi Lynn,  It looks like the typical freeze/thaw bark split that Japanese maples can get from the winter. (See our webpage on Winter Damage on Landscape Plants - under frost cracks and sunscald). Sometimes it can cause the layers in the tree to die resulting in some dead branches. If you prune out the dead branches, like you mentioned, the healthy side may send out new growth to help compensate those lost branches.  Emily