Japanese Maple with leaf woes

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cattymat Albemarle, NC Sep 07, 2015

Our Japanese maple has recently developed lacy holes in the leaves. I'm not sure whether it is getting burned or eaten. Can you help, please?

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DaisyPlantLady Reno, NV(Zone 6b) Sep 07, 2015

I've seen this before on Japanese Maples. I'm not sure what causes it but I would look for caterpillars (go out after dark and look at the bottoms of the leaves). The only other thought is if its hot and you are overhead watering, it might be suffering from leaf burn.

I don't think it is in danger of dying.

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tapla Bay City, MI(Zone 6a) Sep 08, 2015

It's insect-related.

Also, check for slugs at night, beetles - especially Japanese beetles, and sawflies, ........ but there are also other possibilities.

Al

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cattymat Albemarle, NC Sep 09, 2015

Thank you for your replies. For the insects - Would I treat the tree with sevin dust? Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

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DaisyPlantLady Reno, NV(Zone 6b) Sep 09, 2015

I wouldn't because pesticides are non-specific and will kill everything, not just the bad bugs. Your tree isn't in danger of dying and the damage is already done. The brown around the edges of the holes indicate to me that the bugs have done their work. If the damage continues to get worse or if the plant starts to deteriorate, you might want to rethink that.

After the tree has gone dormant, make sure to dispose of all the leaves from under the tree.

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tapla Bay City, MI(Zone 6a) Sep 09, 2015

You need to make an effort to identify the pest, determine if it's present in numbers too high to be acceptable, then find the least noxious method of bringing the numbers down to an acceptable level. ID is a critical step in the process because it's the only way to determine what treatments might be appropriate.

Al

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