What causes the tiny white spots on my japanese maple tree?

Question

We planted a japanese red maple tree earlier this spring and it has been doing pretty good. But today I noticed little white spots on the tree, the leaves, all over. Is it something that I can treat?

Answer 1

White flies dont attack japanese maples but there is a wooley beetle that looks like a worm that will it is very small though the other posibilty is that it is a fungus that japanese maple trees get and it is devistating to them. take a white sheet of paper ( any kind) rub one of the white areas inside the paper (usually a leaf) if the paper is red afterwards it is an insect if the paper stays white it is the fungus. After that is established go to home depot and tell them you need either an A fugicide or B pesticide for your japanese maple depending on the out come of your paper test.

Answer 2

do NOT spray ANYTHING on a Japanese maple until you've researched it and KNOW it's safe for them....

... if the wrong thing,you could damage the tree beyond recovery....they don't react well to a lot of common pest sprays.....

http://plantpath.caes.uga.edu/Extension/...

any of these look like it?..

http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/pubs/diseas...

could it be from rain followed by hot sun?... burning the leaf?...

is it all of the leaves or only a few on one side or the top?...if this is suspected, it could just be scorch, tan spots from drying too much in hot dry winds... add a day of dry soil and you got spots....

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/...

more to read here...

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/...

hope something here gets you on the road to reseaching the problem... take a sample leaf in a baggie to a nursery that sells them or to the county extension office near you....to be sure!!!>..

Answer 3

could be white fly, leaving their eggs and nests around. try a mixture of liquid dish soap and water in a spray bottle and spray it on  both sides of the leaves. The flys will take offf like crazy because of the taste of the soap and the petroleum in it