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Acer in distress

HumbleBeeHumbleBee Posts: 105
in Plants
I don't know what I did to this poor thing :s ! It looks like it's been set on fire but this acer ('bloodgood') has been in the same position now for about 4 years without having this problem (it has shade most of the day but gets some sun in the afternoon). It was repotted 2 years ago and was looking very lush and healthy until a couple of weeks ago - then this happened very suddenly. If it's sun damage will the leaves grow back this year? Or will it look like this until next spring? :#  Should I cut off the leaves? 




Posts

  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    I think it's lacking water. The pot looks rather small. Have you scraped a bit of the lower stem with your nail to see if it's still green? If it is then I would re-pot it in a bigger container and give it a feed of liquid seaweed then keep it well watered.

    The leaves for this year are lost but it should be fine next year as long as it gets enough water.

    Is it windy in that spot? That can also make the leaves dry up like that. 
  • HumbleBeeHumbleBee Posts: 105
    Thanks Bijdezee I tried to scrape a bit off and as far as I can see it does still look green. It's in front of a hedge which acts as a windbreak so it does get some protection but I can move it to a different corner where it will be much more sheltered from both sun and wind. I've given it a good soak of water and will try and repot with some feed as you suggested - many thanks! :)
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    Bloodgood is one of the more vigorous Acers.  If you had your plant in the ground, it's roots would extend out as far as the canopy (same for most trees).  If you bear that in mind, then your pot is really restricting it's roots, and its ability to take up water and find nutrients.  

    In addition to the suggestions that you move it to a shadier spot, or move it into a bigger pot, I'd say put it in the ground if you possibly can (but only if it is well sheltered from sun and win).  
  • Joy*Joy* Posts: 571
    edited July 2020
    I had worse and kept my poor thing alive. Please repot it into as big a pot as you can afford, use ericaceous compost if you can and keep it watered and somewhere sheltered and cool. The best solution would be to plant it in the ground but you still need to keep it watered. Don't worry about the shrivelled leaves, I had one where the bark also withered, then when it did grow new leaves, the deer came and ate them. Mine live in Nurgul pots from B and Q which have a reservoir for water. You might get new leaves this year if it has more room to grow and has a cooler moister, situation. I have posted other hints in a discussion initiated by Margaret.forsyth3 which you might want to look at. 
  • HumbleBeeHumbleBee Posts: 105
    Thanks for the feedback Joy and KeenOnGreen - I don't at the moment have anywhere I can plant it in the ground but probably will do next year, so I'll try repotting it for now in my biggest pot and definitely look at moving it into the ground next year. Many thanks for the suggestions :)
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