Question
Hello,

About 5 weeks ago I noticed our young maple tree started losing some of its leaves (unusual for this time of year). Now, back from holidays, I noticed it has lost a significant amount of leaves (about 40%) mostly close to the trunk and on the smaller branches. The tree has never before been sick and usually has a very full crown with leaves. The smaller branches close to the trunk look all dry and withered, whereas before they were also full of leaves.

Apologies for the (probably) little information provided, but I don't know what else to look for. Any ideas and suggestions would be very welcome,

Thank you

Answer
Hi. The 1st thought that comes to mind is lack of water. Tree will stop sap flow to their leaves if the soil dries out.Scratch the bark with your finger nails. If it is still gree underneath the tree is still alive.Other than that it is really hard to say without more info. Use the 5-1-2 water formula. 5 gallons of water 2 times a week for every 1 inch of trunk diameter.Feel free to let me know how this works out. Thanks,Bill