Help my tree!

[Kate321]

I've got a problem with a 6 foot tree I planted about 4 weeks ago - The leaves on the branches at the top seem to be disintegrating, it's hard to describe but the leaves are almost see through and net-like. Has anyone seen this before and can anyone suggest anything to help me? I can't see any visible flies / mites etc.

[WendyS]

Difficult to offer advice without seeing it but if you can't see any mites or bugs under the leaves I wonder whether it could possibly caused by scorching if it's planted in full sunlight. If you're keeping the roots well watered, could you try misting the leaves with some kind of spray if it's not too high to reach and you're not in a hosepipe ban area? The garden centre where you bought the plant might be able to offer some advice

[Kate321]

Thanks Wendy - The tree is in direct sunlight but according to the tag this should be OK. I'll try spraying the leaves too, see if that helps.

If I spray the leaves with mite/fly spray even though I can't see anything on there will this harm the tree?

thanks for your help!

[Lonnie]

I think Wendy could be correct, I have a plant that showed similar symptoms, and today I was at a Garden Centre, and spoke to the person there, and thats almost exactly what he came up with, 'Sun Scorching'.

[Thunderbird+]

Hi Kate, Could you post us a little more information, it may help immensely to know what species of tree you have, some pests and diseases are specific to particular plants and this knolage may narrow down the cause of the problem and give us a clue on what treatment may be needed.
I agree, it could be due to scorching, from strong sunlight or high winds especially if it was grown in a more sheltered area previously or even if the tree had a fast ride on your car roof rack en route from the nersery.
Another possibility I'v been mulling over is 'leaf miners' (many species) they can be the larvae of moths, flies, beetles or sawflies. The tiny grubs feed between the membranes of the leaves taking out the green pigment as they go and can cause transparent lines or patches on the leaves.
Light infestations of leaf miners can be tollerated or dealt with by picking off affected leaves. More extensive attacks can be sprayed with 'malathion' If you do need to do this, be sure the dry and calm and stay upwind of any possible spray drift. All the Best T bird.

[Kate321]

Thanks everyone for your advice so far - The tree is an Acer with speckled / mottled green and white leaves.

I made sure that i gave it a good watering last night and i also sprayed the leaves with some standard tree fly/mite spray. I'll let you know if this helps.

If the problem is sun scorcing, how can i prevent this? I think this is possible as the top leaves are worse (almost see-through now) so presumably this makes sense what with the top leaves being closer to the sun?! Would spraying the leaves with plain water help sunscorch as suggested by Wendy?

Thanks again everyone.

[WendyS]

Kate - some acers, particularly the light green leaved varieties can be susceptible to scorching in very hot weather. I have a red leaved one in a large container pot which also suffers in really hot weather. I mist the leaves regularly and in prolonged scorching heat sometimes put a light covering of garden fleece over it to protect it but doing this to a 6 foot tree is not really practical. Unless you can relocate it to a shadier part of the garden I suspect there's probably little you can do to prevent the problem recurring.

[Kate321]

Hi wendy

What will happen if i don't relocate it to a shadier place do you think? Will the whole tree eventually die? If so i'll try to move it. But if its just a temporary thing just caused by this rare (and probably short-lived!) hot spell then i'll just leave it where it is.

[Thunderbird+]

Hi Kate,
The way I see it is, when a plant of any kind is moved from one place to another it sometimes takes a little time to settle in, not just to acclimatize but to 'sunatize' too.
Most Acers, with the possible exeption of some of the more delicate Japanese varieties, should be okay in sun or shade and if you are now sure it is scorch and not diseased, then I would think the problem is only short-term and will eventually sort itself out.
I feel I must say that spraying with water in bright sunshine is likely to make the problem worse, as the droplets of water on the leaves can act like tiny magnifying glasses and amplify the suns rays.
To summerise, If your happy with where it is, then I think given time it will addapt and out-grow these teething problems. Good Luck.

[Kate321]

Thanks Thunderbird - I didn't fancy asking my boyfiend to dig it up again!

I don't think its a Japanese variety or anything so i'll just see how it gets on now - if it is sun scorch there's no point in removing the bad leaves is there?

Thanks so much for all your advice by the way, much appreciated.

[Thunderbird+]

Hi Kate,
Yes I agree not much point in removing the leaves if its just scorch marks, at least part of the leaf will be still functioning!
If its Acer psudoplantanus ' brilliantisimum ' it should look like a million dollars when it gets established. All the Best.

[SuzySues]

My Acer always ends up with brown scorch marks on the leaves every year. I was told that I should only water it with rainwater as they don't like tap water. I haven't tried it as I don't have a water butt yet. Anyone else heard of this?

[jeanette3]

hi my acer also get brown leafs if think it is an insect of some sort when i notice it happening i spray the leafs with water with a few drops of washing up liquid in it after the sun has gone down it seems to work for a few weeks its a shame as my acers leaves start of pale green and cream then in the summer they turn pink then the trouble starts