Question
In the fall of 2005 we had two Autumn Flame Maples planted by a professional nursery.  They are about 4.5 inches in diameter.  Up until about two weeks ago all was well.  Now one of the trees has some branches where some of the leaves are turning red and it is mid June!  The nursery suggested that it could be do to too much or too little water.  I water our lawn 3x week 45 minutes in that zone.  I removed some mulch and checked the root ball and it is soaking wet.  I plan to lay off on the watering until I hear if that is causing the problem or not.  Help please.

Thanks.

Answer
I agree it sounds like too much water. I would water less-a new tree needs only about 1 inch of water per week--place a pan under the tree and when the pan has 1 inch in it stop. If it rains do not water for a while. Watering is important during dry conditions. The root zone should be moist not soaking wet.