Autumn Blaze Maples Not Turning Red: Temperature, Moisture, and Branch Vigor

Three-year-old Autumn Blaze maples in south MS not coloring well and having leafless branches may be due to:

• Insufficient cool fall temperatures for pigment development.
• Soil moisture extremes (too wet/dry).
• Dead branches—scratch bark: green = alive, brown/brittle = dead.

Care

• Mulch 2–3 inches (not against trunk); pine straw is good.
• Water deeply during heat/drought.
• Protect bark from string trimmers/mowers.

Color may improve with cooler falls; dead branches should be pruned.