I planted an Acer palmatum a year ago spring. It has healthy leaves in spring then they all curl and turn brown in summer: not a pretty sight. I feed and water regularly. It gets late-morning and afternoon sun. It doesn’t get very hot, maybe in the 70s to low 80s on average in summer with an evening fog rolling in from San Francisco Bay. Any ideas?
Acer palmatum sometimes displays this foliage problem. According to Japanese Maples by J.D. Vertrees and Peter Gregory (Timber Press, 2009), root weevils can cause this type of damage. Also, Verticillium wilt as well as other fungi can cause leaves (and often branches) to die. Leaf scorch seems to me the most likely cause, and your fertilizer may be contributing to it: Vertrees says excess nitrogen in the soil can lead to leaf scorch, as can watering so that the leaves become wet in the hottest part of the day.
I recommend that you contact the Alameda County Master Gardeners for more information and a more specific diagnosis.