Re: Japanese Maple in parking strip

Not an expert on maples, but here are a few thoughts-
Lack of water?  Japanese maples are not drought-tolerant.  Their ideal growing conditions are said to be "moist fertile soils, with good drainage," the complete opposite of Berkeley parking strip soil.
Lack of water will cause leaves to turn brown and drop.  
Armillaria?  Maples are particularly sensative to this fungus - which is present in California wherever oaks used to grow.  There may never have been oaks there, as much of Berkeley used to be grassland. You could examine the trunk at the root-collar zone, and see if there is any mycelium present.  It has a distinctinve sickly-sweet smell.  Another way for testing is to plant a very susceptable tree, such as a fruit tree.
Phytophthora? Normally is encouraged by wet heavy (poorly draining) soils (like adobe clay), during warm weather.

You just missed the monthly plant clinic at the UC Arboretum - first Saturday of each month, in the morning.  You could take a dying branch up there next month and have it examined.

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On 7/30/2005 at 7:18 AM barbara sargent wrote:

>The city planted a Japanese Maple (don't know the specific variety) in our
>parking strip three and a half years ago. We watered it for two summers as
>instructed and it looked very good this spring. Then, in June, I noticed
>that several entire branches and their leaves were brown. I didn't think
>this could be from lack of water because we'd had such a wet spring. Now
>those branches are quite dead. The tree almost looks like someone sprayed
>Roundup on it and I can't believe that to be the case.
>
>What could be wrong with it and what should I do about it? Do I remove the
>dead branches and water it? I was led to believe that it wouldn't need to
>be watered after the first two summers.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Barbara - in Berkeley
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