Emerald Queen Maple has leaf problems please help?

[SandyJ]

Hi, I have planted several (8) Emerald Queen Maple trees. They are all around 20' tall and in full bloom. I have noticed that the leaves are very sparse and the leaves that it does have have something wrong with them. I have put up some photos to show you. Can anyone please tell me what is going on and what I can do to help this tree?

Thanks so much

[img]https://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x329/SandyJ031667/IMG_92782.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x329/SandyJ031667/IMG_92742.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i1176.photobucket.com/albums/x329/SandyJ031667/IMG_92762.jpg[/img]

[bullthistle]

You live in the desert which I'll psume is sandy soil but the trees are tall so they are older so just maybe the soil has become depleted since they were planted. In the fall dig a six inch deep trench around the drip line and add either manure or compost and throw in some 10-10-10 fertilizer. Now the bugs in the leaves I don't think that is anything serious except when trees are stressed. You should see a difference next year and if you can prune back the top by three feet or so as well as some selective pruning.

[SandyJ]

You live in the desert which I'll psume is sandy soil but the trees are tall so they are older so just maybe the soil has become depleted since they were planted. In the fall dig a six inch deep trench around the drip line and add either manure or compost and throw in some 10-10-10 fertilizer. Now the bugs in the leaves I don't think that is anything serious except when trees are stressed. You should see a difference next year and if you can prune back the top by three feet or so as well as some selective pruning.

Thanks so much Bullthistle. I forgot to mention that we just planted all these trees last fall. We purchased around 80 trees from a tree farm in Idaho for our ranch and so they were all anywhere from 12 to 20 feet tall. We planted them all in Sept of last year. We have had a wetter than normal winter and spring as well as summer. With alot of water running this year and my husband did let the spring runoff do the watering of the trees down the drive. That might be how the soil got washed as we live in the high desert and most of these trees are all planted in very good 6 to 8 ph soil. When we planted we mixed in thirds, native soil, miracle grow tree soil, and peat moss. I will do as you suggested with the manure this fall and also trim the trees back once they have lost their leaves. If you can think of anything else I sure appreciate your help. I would be so sick if we lost these trees after paying so much money for them

[bullthistle]

Yes you did pay a lot. You should have pruned them back before planting but make sure none are sitting in water. Did you tamp down the backfilled soil with the end of your shovel? Might be good to go back and do it. I guessed the wrong senerio. The only thing I can think of with that happening so fast is air pockets so tamp down the soil. I wouldn't worry about the leaf damage.

[SandyJ]

Thanks so much, will go Tamp away....thanks again.