Several more leaves are wilted on the tree. Here's a photo of the closeup of the white coloration on the trunk. Does it look like Verticillium Wilt? Any help is greatly appreciated.

The maple seemed to be doing okay but now a few leaves have turned white and pink and they curled. Any ideas?

I'm no expert, but I think your tree is fine. Enjoy it!

Several more leaves have curled and some have fallen off the tree. I have several potted Japanese maples around the Eskimo Sunset Japaneses maple, could they be preventing the sun from drying the soil? I didn't water the Eskimo Sunset once this year.

Here's a closeup of one of the leaves that fell.

Should I be concerned?

Thanks again for the help.

The tree's condition is worsening. Many leaves have lost their color and more leaves are falling off the tree.

Please help.

What's the weather been like? Any severe heat? Extended drought or too much rain? From the photos it's not clear the tree is suffering so I would just suggest you go through the usual litany of issues that can affect a variegated leaf maple in midsummer.

We've been on the dry side recently. My tree looks much worse now. many leaves have completely lost their color and are falling off. Does it look like it has a disease or it related to watering?

Stuart, I don't have any good answers for you and I have been hoping someone else would jump in with their opinions. It doesn't look like any maple disease I am familiar with. It looks more to me like a combination of excess heat combined with some water stress but if the tree is important/valuable to you (and aren't they all??), then maybe calling in a certified arborist for a health assessment would be a good idea.

Since it is getting to be late in the season and the tree will be dropping leaves soon anyway, I'm not sure I would do so now but perhaps wait to see how the tree looks in spring.

This is tree was beyond finiky for me. Mine did that late before and no idea why. Had a fantastic site.

whaas, did your tree live?

Have you given the plant a good soaking? Looks like it needs water to me. It's young and the rootball probably hasn't spread out much to absorb water.

Sure did, not sure what it's up to now

Hope your trees turn out to be ok. It may be still too early due to the cold spring so far. Would appreciate if you can provide an update when new leaves start to emerge. I just ordered an Esk Sunset from Lucile so very much interested in your experience. Thanks.

Thanks for the concern :). I'll definitely post an update.

Congrats on your new tree.

Thank you. It is coming next week. Look forward to your update...

This is a tree that I would certainly place with some afternoon shade. Although the leaves do darken or "green" up in summer, there is still enough variegation or lack of chlorophyll to cause sunburn or leaf scorch.

Thanks for the info. This will help me decide where to put the tree. Is this tree suitable for growing in a container, similar to Japanese maples? Would it take root pruning? I have limited yard space so was thinking about growing it in a container.

From my experience with this tree Full sun will give it the best color. It will need more water for sure but it's worth it. Too much afternoon shade will dull the vibrant colors. My tree is planted in a location where it gets Full sun until about 2 pm and then it gets dappled light. The parts of the leaves that get the most sun are the most vibrant. Also the entire tree has been bending towards where the sun is because full sun is not far from the tree. If I had to replant this tree it would be in the full sun location.

The reason my tree suffered is because I didn't water it at all when we when we had a drought last year.

Vivian, I'm good friends with a Nursery owner who grows tree's in Oregon and he grows Esk Sunset in containers and they do well. That's where I bought mine. He recommends Full Sun for this tree.

Stuart, Thank you for sharing your experience. So I may have a perfect location for it, full sun from morning - ~ 2-3 pm, so it'll get plenty of sun but still have some shade in the afternoon. Since it will be potted, I can move it around to get some experience in our climate.

Glad to know that your friend grows Esk Sunset in containers. With a small lot, I ran out of space to plant in the ground. Any time I need to plant something (eg, conifers or maples), something has to be removed. At least most of these trees we love grow well in containers:)

Sounds good Vivian. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my Esk Sunset Buds out.

Just an FYI but full sun in summer in Oregon (where the wholesale growers are) is very different from full sun in Long Island or Illinois!! Even in my very far north (less sun intensity) location and with our quite cool summers, Esk Sunrise can scorch in full sun. Virtually all other sources and most of the literature suggests partial or at least afternoon shade in hot summer climates.

Vivian's morning sun then afternoon shade location sounds close to ideal.

Thank you! I’ll provide update after this growing season. Now just patiently waiting for spring to come.

Update: Well I think my tree might be dead :( :(. I'll know positively in about 1-2 weeks. It's got big buds but no leaves. I scratched the bark and it's a yellow or light green. I think it should be a dark green.

Keep fingers crossed. It may still be ok since this has been a cold spring across Midwest and east coast. All my maples in ground just start to show the slightest swollen buds. Pls keep us posted.

Well the tree's dead :(. All my Japanese maples have leafed out and this one is just buds. The branches are dry and there's no green when I do the scratch test. I didn't water this tree for the last 2 years. I guess it wasn't established or needs more water than other Japanese Maples. I hope to replace it with another one in the future.

Sorry about that. I received mine from Lucille a couple of weeks ago, as always, really nice sized for a 1G. I potted into a 5G container and will plant in the fall or next spring. I found out some trees came from west coast already leafed out due to their mild winter and spring. These trees easily get sun burns even with just morning sun. So it is better to wait until fall or next spring to plant. I will watch for its water needs in the container. Hope you will get another one soon.

There's 1 branch at the very bottom of the trunk that's still alive where you can see the variegated leaves. The main tree is dead though. Gardengal, You definitely don't think it died from Verticillium wilt? You think it was water related?

Thanks

stuart, IME, VW typically takes out the entire tree so it would be rare (but not unheard of) for that to be the issue and still have some spring growth occurring. The only way you can confirm that is to take a sample of the dead portion (one of the lower growing, smaller branches) to your extension office or plant pathology lab for a diagnosis.

We have had "Esk Sunset" for about 10 years. In early spring 2019, a trusted and skilled arborist, whom we have used for many years, pruned the tree for shape. In the spring, just after the tree came into full glory, large sections began to show sudden onset of wilt, which looked like Verticillium. These sections of the tree were all around pruned branch stubs. By mid to late summer, the die back had ceased. I removed all the dead material. In spring of 2020 and throughout the rest of the year, the tree grew back into a beautiful specimen and the wilting never recurred. Now it needs a little trimming for shape again. I will do it myself and sterilize my pruners before and after each cut. I suspect there was contamination on the arborists equipment that introduced the problem into the tree.

Ed