Question
Hello, I bought a Garnet Japanese Maple this summer and noticed that before I even put it in the ground, the tips of the leaves were drying up.  Now I planted it and it still has dried up tips.  I put it in a filtered sun area and my friend said that maybe I planted it too deep--that the roots need to breathe.  I'm on Cape Cod where I think we're a zone 5.

Thank you for your help!

Answer
The top of the rootball should have been at the same level as the ground surface. Sounds like more of a moisture problem.
Monitor water levels, as most maples have shallow roots close to the surface and need frequent watering, especially when they are newly planted. A heavy layer of mulch will also provide shade for the roots and help keep the soil moist. IF you have not done so I would mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inches deep of organic mulch not piled up on the trunk. This will help hold moisture around the roots.

Water with 1 inch of water per week--place a pan under the tree and turn the sprinkler on and when the pan has 1 inch of water in it stop. Do this if it does not rain for a week.

The tips of the leaves that were dry when it was planted will not recover and the edges of these leaves will remain dry. IF the new leaves dried then this is a sign of not enough water. This is common with newly planted trees--it falls under the area of planting stress. Planting trees in the summer when the weather is hot and drier is the worst time to plant a tree and the stress is much greater than if planted in the early Fall or Spring.