Q.How To Get Rid Of Dead Tips On The Plant?
I have a Japanese maple tree in a pot. I had it for over 1 year now and I keep the plant outside in the balcony on 9th floor (which gets a bit windy). Over a few months the plant leaf tips turned dry and dead-like. I water the plant regularly every week, and cannot decide if its because of overwatering, underwatering, not enough minerals, or the wind affects the tips? Please help.
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
You can rule out wind, so that is a start. You can test for all of the other factors, which will help you to figure out what is going on.
Water level should be tested down to about 3 inches into the top of the soil. It should be dry down to that depth, completely, before watering again. A meter may or may not be necessary:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-moisture-in-plants.htm
Testing nutrient levels and pH will help you to rule out nutrient deficiencies or overdoses. These articles will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soil-ph-plants.htm
Sometimes, overwatering can cause disease. This does not look like the case here, but preventative fungicides, or biofungicides can help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/using-fungicides-in-garden.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/organic/biofungicide-information.htm
This article will help you to care for the tree:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/japanese-maple/japanese-maples-in-containers.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/japanese-maple/japanese-maples-in-containers.htm