Newly planted Red Emperor Japanese Maple has curled leaves.

[Burtonwells]

2 weeks ago I planted this tree after leaving it in its pot from the nursery for 3-4 weeks in the same location. It looked fine until last week. All the leaves on several branches have curled tightly. I planted it with topsoil, bonemeal and a little compost. I am in zone 8. We are having unusually warm weather with less than normal rainfall, but I have watered it almost every day. Any ideas what's wrong with my tree? Sure would appreciate advice on how to help it.

[applestar]

It's a good idea to make a moat around the rootball and water DEEPLY. Often the mistake is not watering enough when you water. There's this "rule of thumb" I came across ages ago that I generally go by for newly planted trees -- water deeply saturating the soil to depth of your finger every day for 3 days, once every 3 days for a week, once a week for a month, then once a month unless it rains at least 1" per week.

You do need to consider the moisture holding characteristic of the soil in the planting area, however, this is just mnemonic guideline.