Ashleaf Maples: first picture late June 2023, second picture mid-July 2022. I sprayed with abamectin in the spring of 2023 due to a webworm infestation.
Ashleaf Maple leaf detail from May 2020.
I planted this mail-order tree (also called Box Elder) from TN Nursery in January 2019. The ground at the back of the garden had been water-logged for several months due to regular rainfall. When I dug the hole to plant the spindly stick, it was full to the brim with water. After positioning the tree, I filled the hole with good soil but the soil seemed to form an elastic gel - I pushed down on one side and the other side sprung up.
By mid-March 2019, the top two-thirds of the tree was brown. Finally by around April, the tree had sprouted from the base and the new shoot was about a foot high. I snipped off the dead top.
In the meantime I had planted a small seedling that I found growing wild nearby, and it has grown very vigorously in its pot. I recently transferred it to a bigger pot.
In December 2019 I transplanted the potted Ashleaf Maple to the back of the yard, next to the one I purchased online. In early March 2020, the transplanted tree started to leaf out.
On April 2nd 2020, both Ashleaf Maples are doing very well. The locally found seedling on the right was significantly less green than the mail-order seedling on the left. The picture on the right is from May 10th 2020. Both trees are peaking over the 6ft fence.
By early July the two seedlings were still growing rapidly, but the upper three feet or so of the mail-order one had again succumbed to fungus. At that time there was no sign of fungus on the other one. By mid July both trees had severe fungus at the growing tips (at least I think it's fungus). This disease crinkles and distorts the leaves immensely so that they remain tiny - the undersides are covered in a thick white coating of what looks like transparent granules. I sprayed with Daconil (after trying insecticidal soap in case it was some kind of mite and the granules were eggs), but no effect.
Ashleaf Maples (early July 2021)
By mid April 2021, both Ashleaf Maples are flourishing.