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Acer help

jamesdbrown1jamesdbrown1 Posts: 6
in Problem solving
I’m on the lookout for some friendly advice please…I have an Acer that was in the ground but due to a move I dug it up and potted it. I’ve been in a rented house for 18 months so it has remained in the pot and doesn’t look healthy. I’m due to move in the next couple of months so will be able to put it in the ground again soon. Will it recover? should I do anything to it, perhaps cut it right back?
Any advice is welcome…thank you.

Posts

  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    It looks like it has had too much sun, it has leaf scorch which is very common in Acers, not surprising giving the Summer we have had. Keep it in the shadiest spot you have, away from strong winds and and frost. Make sure it is kept moist. It should still be OK if you take these precautions now.

    I would say no to any pruning, for now. In Winter, when it is dormant, you can cut off any branches that are definitely dead. It's usually very easy to tell, as they are very pale compared to living branches.

    Wait until the weather cools down, and plant a bit later in Autumn. Try to find the shadiest spot you can, and ideally protected from winds and frost. Prepare your planting hole, and fill around the root ball with ericaceous compost. If we have a dry Autumn and early Winter, then water it regularly (but try only to use rain water. Tap water is not so good for them).  We have transplanted quite a few Acers from pot to ground and back again. They are quite resilient about this.  It's excess sun/wind/cold/wet ground which is the killer.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Keep it shady, plenty of water. Ideally rain water,but if not possible,then tap water. Mine are in pots,(apart from one) they have moved several times with us. Because of the very high temperatures, the lighter coloured ones are under the shade of a eucalyptus at the moment. Watered at least every couple of days. Yours looks like it might be suffering from either wind or sunburn. They are Japanese woodland plants, really not keen on either of those things. Don't prune it now, late winter, early spring,is pruning time. The pot does look at little small, but don't worry about that now.
  • jamesdbrown1jamesdbrown1 Posts: 6
    Thank you, very helpful
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Yes good advice from other posts. When you come to plant it it will want some sun as it's a red leaved variety.  If you plant it in deep shade it will tend to go deep green. As already said they are woodland plants and ideally want dappled shade. 
    AB Still learning

  • jamesdbrown1jamesdbrown1 Posts: 6
    Thanks all for the advice. It’s now in a more shaded spot and I’ll find a spot based on your advice when I put it in the ground.
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