Dried-Out Japanese Maple Recovery: Mulch, Water, Wait for Spring

New homeowner: severely dried Japanese maple. Watering, fertilizer spikes, Bayer fertilizer applied. Red sprouts appearing on dead leaf tips.

Prognosis: Good

• Green limbs = alive.
• Red sprouts = new leaves (but will drop with winter).
• Stop fertilizing for a year.
• Mulch 2–3″ to 2.5 ft radius (not on trunk).
• Water if dry.

Spring Expectation

Normal leaf-out expected. Current sprouts are premature; real growth comes in spring.