How to revive Japanese maples with crispy leaves?

Cher54

2 japanese maples one red one green both have dry crispy leaves how do I know if they are to wet or not enough water photo of red & green

watered 3 times a week for 40mins in hot weather now watering 40mins once week cooler days & nite 24-28 day 8- 12 nite Thank you

MitchellMc

Hi @Cher54,

A couple of things will help narrow this down.

• How big are your Japanese maples (rough height or pot size)?
• What type of watering are you using such as a hose, sprinkler, or a drip/trickle system?

The reason I ask is that 40 minutes of watering can mean very different things. If it’s a hose or sprinkler, that could be a lot of water and may be over-saturating the roots. If it’s a slow dripper, it might actually be closer to what they need.

Also, just to clarify your temps, did you mean around 24–28°C during the day and 8–12°C at night?

For now, the most important thing is to check the soil rather than watering on a fixed schedule. Japanese maples don’t like to stay constantly wet or completely dry.

Try the “finger test”:

• Stick your finger a few cm into the soil
• If it feels moist → don’t water yet
• If it’s starting to dry out → give it a good, deep soak

Crispy leaves can be caused by both overwatering and underwatering, so the soil check is key to getting the balance right.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell