Without a photo to confirm, it is impossible to say precisely what may be wrong, but I'd seriously suspect some transplant shock, possible leaf scorch and perhaps less than ideal watering. None of these issues is particularly serious and the tree should outgrow its current appearance and leaf out well in spring. But this is all speculation, absent seeing the exact appearance of the tree.

Can you supply photos? If not, can you supply details as to siting, soil condition, watering?

gardengal48

not sure what you mean by sitting. it's planted in ground with i think north exposure. because of our clay soil, a soil amendment with fertilizers was added and as for rain/ watering, we've had much too much of that.

P.S. i'll have to work on pictures. thank you.

Siting has to do with the location and exposure....and you've sort of explained that :-) Amending the planting hole when dealing with clay soils always raises red flags, especially when dealing with excessively wet weather. Could you describe what was involved in the planting of this tree exactly?

i'm often told that red clay is generally good soil for planting however, it requires additional nutrients including additional lime to counteract the harsh acidity. so bags of amended soil are sold to add prior to planting. not sure of the analysis. as per fertilizer, i also added the usual 10-10-10 for balance and a garden soil bought locally with added minerals. other than that, the tree was watered for establishment. we're actually more prone to drought here however, have had more frequent rains with a surprising surplus not requiring the usual water restrictions. as far as the excessive water, erosion is more of a general concern which wouldn't affect the placement of this tree. thanks

It is rather widely recognized that amending any planting hole is unnecessary and most often, counterproductive. It has to do with soil interface issues and drainage and extensive field tests have determined that trees and other plants will establish faster and elongate root systems better when the planting hole is backfilled only with the indigenous, native soil. If amending is absolutely called for, amending the entire planting area (or at least the expected root spread) is recommended over and above individual planting holes or alternatively, apply any needed amendments as a top dressing.

When dealing with clay soils, this becomes even more critical. Providing a rich, amended growing medium within a clay-based planting hole results most often in a bucket effect. When it rains or you irrigate, the water does not percolate through the different soil textures properly and drains poorly, resulting in overly saturated soils and lack of oxygen immediately surrounding the roots. It is preferable in any clay soils to dig a very wide but quite shallow planting hole, set the rootball so it is slightly above the existing grade and backfill again with only the removed soil, mounding it up slightly to cover up to the top of the rootball. This will eliminate any potential drainage issues, which can be very problematic for Japanese maples.

Japanese maples also prefer acidic soils so unless your soil is extremely acidic (The only immediate concern I'd have is if you dug a narrow planting hole in your clay and added a lot of amendments. Dig down alongside the rootball and check to see how moist the soil is or if you can, how well it is draining. If excessively wet, I'd seriously consider digging up the tree and replanting, following the above recommendations. Poor drainage in heavy clay soils can be the kiss of death for a Japanese maple.