Acer Plant Struggling?

Lynn142 · October 2019

Does this plant need to be pruned and does its condition

look to be alright? It is still in the pot it came in last year so does it need to be repotted maybe?

K67 · October 2019

Acer is a tree not a climber so restricting it against a trellis and in a small pot isn't helping,

dappledshade · October 2019

Agree with K67.
Your pot does look a little on the small side too - acers do not like drying out.
Lastly, if it isn’t sited somewhere sheltered without cold winds blasting it and possibly too much sun (for a green leaved variety), the leaves can become scorched.

Fairygirl · October 2019

Yup - needs to be removed from that trellis and rleeased form captivity, or at least, in a suitable spot depending on the garden.
If you're potting on, make sure you don't make it too much bigger a size. Acers don't appreciate that, especially going into a wetter time of year.
It may be quite dry too- sites next to wall tend to be a rain shadow, and rian doesn't reach them properly. Again, that depends on the aspect.

Obelixx · October 2019

It's a case of wrong plant, wrong place I'm afraid. remove that trellis and free those stems than give the plant a thorough soak in its pot to make it easier to lift out and re-pot. Give it a pot that is sligtley wider and deeper but not more than a few inches and make sure you use a good John Innes no 3 copost mixed with some ericaceous compost. Plant at the same depth as before and water well.

Keep it in semi shade and out of biting and drying winds. Water regularly from next spring when new foliage appears and especially thru hot and dry spells next year.

Lynn142 · October 2019

Thank you everyone for your advice and suggestions to improve this acer - we hadn’t realised the trellis would restrict its development.

Lynn142 · November 2019

Following suggestions from yourselves, we removed the trellis, replanted the acer (at the front of photo) into a bigger pot in ericaceous soil and put it in the greenhouse where it still gets light and is protected. We also pruned the dead sections up to a new bud (as on burncoose.co.uk - dealing with dieback video) but the leaves had already gone very dry and most have fallen off. Does this plant look alright now or does it still need some TLC or do we need to just keep our fingers crossed?

Fairygirl · November 2019

I wouldn't put it in a greenouse. It should be outside

Allotment Boy · November 2019

Yes Acers need a period of cold to go properly dormant for the winter, remember where they come from (China & the mountains of Japan). It will sprout a lovely new set of leaves next spring.

Lynn142 · September 2020

Can anyone offer any advice please? As you can see, this acer is now bare and I have kept it in a shaded area but it doesn’t look good. I have seen other acers and they still have leaves so I despair as to what else I can do or is this normal in September?

Joy* · September 2020

Hello. It is a bit unusual for all the leaves to have gone so early. Has it been kept watered? What is the white stuff on one branch? Has your tree grown to this shape or have to had it tied to keep it narrow? None of mine have grown to this shape. They are much more open. It looks very dry too. The soil it is growing in looks fine but you could have filled the pot a bit more to give the tree more room to grow. Did it put any growth during the summer? There's not a lot you can do now apart from topping the soil up a bit, especially if you have taken some soil away - the trunk seems to have a darker colour at the bottom. Make sure that the soil doesn't dry out. Don't give up on it until spring. If it is alive, you should have leaves showing by March. Sorry about the barrage of questions! I love acers so would like to help you to keep it going!

Acer Plant Struggling?

Posts