There has been no noticeable growth and many of the branches look to be dead. They snap easily and have changed to a silvery grey colour from their usual shade of dark brown/red.
I have performed a scratch test of the trunk to see if it's green underneath and at the base of the trunk near the ground it looks like this:
As you can see it's green and looks to be alive. However further up the trunk (and above a bulge which I assume to be a grafting point?) the trunk looks brown and there is no evidence of any green colour underneath the bark:
Here's a close-up of one of the branches:
And here is the tree in it's entirety, not looking too happy:
I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts - is there any hope of this Acer recovering? If there is, what (if anything) can be done to improve its chances?
I didn't see this thread originally, but if I had, I'd have recommended you prune that right back. It was far too much to expect that to establish while carrying all that top growth.
They will grow in sun, but they need their feet to be in the right soil and conditions. I think all you can do is prune back everything that's dead, and hope that there's some green, healthy tissue. I don't think that's going to make it though.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I think all you can do is prune back everything that's dead, and hope that there's some green, healthy tissue. I don't think that's going to make it though.
That's what I was trying to avoid as it's a lovely shape. I may just replace it if cutting it all back is the only way to save it.
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... and it doesn't look good I'm afraid!
There has been no noticeable growth and many of the branches look to be dead. They snap easily and have changed to a silvery grey colour from their usual shade of dark brown/red.
I have performed a scratch test of the trunk to see if it's green underneath and at the base of the trunk near the ground it looks like this:
As you can see it's green and looks to be alive. However further up the trunk (and above a bulge which I assume to be a grafting point?) the trunk looks brown and there is no evidence of any green colour underneath the bark:
Here's a close-up of one of the branches:
And here is the tree in it's entirety, not looking too happy:
I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts - is there any hope of this Acer recovering? If there is, what (if anything) can be done to improve its chances?
Thanks in advance!
It was far too much to expect that to establish while carrying all that top growth.
They will grow in sun, but they need their feet to be in the right soil and conditions.
I think all you can do is prune back everything that's dead, and hope that there's some green, healthy tissue. I don't think that's going to make it though.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Many thanks for your reply.
could you please post an update since it has been a year again? Would love to see how things progressed! Thanks