Question
I planted a lace leaf japenese maple in my flower bed in May. We notice that the tips of the leaves are turning brown. This started in one area of the tree and appears to spreading throughout the entire tree. It also appears that the red leaves are turning green. My wife spoke to the nursery that we bought it from and they told her that all of their japenese maples are doing the same thing, they think it is the humidity and told us not to worry about it. I looked at some similar trees in other neighborhoods and they seem to be fine. What is the cause of the problem and is there anything I can do or is the nursey correct in telling us not to worry about it? Thank you.

Answer
The brown tips/edges is often due to a root issue such as water imbalances- most of the time the soil may be a little on the dry side. Just keep soil moist, not overly wet. The color change can be related to the environment (light, moisture, temperature) where the tree is planted or sometimes the variety of the tree can influence the color during different times of the year. These trees generally prefer some level of shade on them.  I would seriously doubt an infectious disease going on here.

Steve