Question
I recently planted (about 2 mos ago) a red maple.  Although I wter it every day, I have noticed that the leaf color is starting to fade and in many areas turning green.  In addition, a lot of the the tips of the leaves are brown and curled.  I live in Charlotte and it is very dry and hot and although I treated the soil, it is primarily clay.  Also, please note that the tree gets sun almost all day.  Can you advise me as to what may be causing these symptoms?

Answer
Red maple leaves turning green can be normal for young trees. It usually means there is too much nitrogen. I would water every third day with 1 inch of water--place a pan under the tree and turn the sprinkler on and when the pan has 1 inch of water in it stop. This is called deep watering .Do this for a month and then water once a week. Water if it does not rain. If you have not done it mulch around the tree with organic mulch not more than 3 inches deep and not piled up on the trunk. This will help hold moisture.