Japanese maple is losing leaves

Incorrect watering / waterlogging

If the Color the leaf tips brown and finally the whole leaf dries up and falls off, so there is often an inadequate water supply behind it - the tree shows drought damage. However, the same damage can also occur if the humidity is too high or if there is too much moisture. Waterlogging appears, which is why an exact explanation of the cause is necessary. So don't pour straight away if your Japanese maple is apparently too dry - first of all, carry out a cross-check.

Wrong location

Furthermore, the untimely fall of leaves can also be due to the wrong location. Most Japanese prefer maples a sunny locationHowever, some cannot tolerate direct sun - especially no midday sun - and react to this first with leaf tip dryness and then with leaf loss. A soil that is too firm can also lead to an insufficient supply of water and nutrients, so that transplanting or replanting loosening the soil can bring relief.

In the case of potted maples, a plant container that is too small means that the roots cannot develop and spread properly. As a result, the tree is not supplied with sufficient water and nutrients and reacts to this with loss of leaves. You can counteract this cause by moving to a larger pot with fresh substrate.

Diseases / pest infestation

Furthermore, many diseases or a pest infestation results in a loss of foliage: especially in the case of an infestation with Spider mites, but also with scale insects or aphids, leaves can be lost in the event of severe infestation. In addition to these and more harmless diseases, however, in some cases there is also a more dangerous fungal disease behind the undesirable phenomenon.

Verticillium wilt

Early shedding of the leaves is sometimes also a sign of dangerous and dreaded Verticillium wiltwhich in most cases unfortunately leads to the death of the tree. So far, there is no effective fungicide against this fungal disease; the maple can sometimes still be saved by planting it out and pruning it vigorously.