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Acer Tree Issues

Hi All,

I'm a total novice when it comes to all things gardening so I'm hoping someone can help diagnose and suggest how I deal with an issue on an Acer tree we have 

I've recently inherited it from my grandmother who is no longer able to garden and as such I don't know any history about it and I think it's been a bit neglected for several months.

It was potted, I had to remove the pot to fit it in the car and noticed it was pretty sodden which I'm wondering whether this could be a potential cause.

It appears that some stems are dead and others are partially dead (from the top down). Strangely some parts of the dead looking stems appear to be totally unaffected. I briefly did some research online and was wondering if it could be Verticillium Wilt?

I've attached some pics, is anyone able to say what the problem potentially could be and the best way of dealing with the dead stems?

Many thanks,

James 




Posts

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Yes, it does look like Verticilium wilt. There is no treatment, but thy can live with the problem. Best thing to do is to cut out the dead shoots.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Agree with the above ; but one thing springs to mind .........how big is your car???? ;)
  • Hi All,

    I'm a total novice when it comes to all things gardening so I'm hoping someone can help diagnose and suggest how I deal with an issue on an Acer tree we have 

    I've recently inherited it from my grandmother who is no longer able to garden and as such I don't know any history about it and I think it's been a bit neglected for several months.

    It was potted, I had to remove the pot to fit it in the car and noticed it was pretty sodden which I'm wondering whether this could be a potential cause.

    It appears that some stems are dead and others are partially dead (from the top down). Strangely some parts of the dead looking stems appear to be totally unaffected. I briefly did some research online and was wondering if it could be Verticillium Wilt?

    I've attached some pics, is anyone able to say what the problem potentially could be and the best way of dealing with the dead stems?

    Many thanks,

    James 




    That is a very big acer to be in a pot. It really needs to be in the ground.
    There is always a certain amount of die back during winter with acers which can be trimmed off, the last summer/autumn/winter has hit everything hard with far more die back than usual.
    I would wait until the plant is in full leaf, Your Gran's tree is already well on the way to full leaf, then trim off any dead stems back to a bud. Acers enjoy moist soil but do not like being waterlogged.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I have an acer with VW
    Some things I've noticed to look out for-
    I notice that on some young branches in spring there are marks between the nodes that look like black bruises. After a few weeks the leaves toward the ends of these branches shrivel and become crispy.
    Mine also has some die-back of branches each Spring. When I cut the branches off, if you look at the cut end and you can see black rings, that's a good indicator of VW.

    Mine has had it for about 8yrs or so.
    It's quite tucked out of the way so the damage isn't too obvious.

    I make sure I don't put any of it on the compost heap - anything diseased goes into the green waste bin for the council to reduce the chances of it spreading to other parts of my garden.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited April 2023
    I'm a total novice  
    did some research online and was wondering if it could be Verticillium Wilt?
    You need to be well past novice stage before you start self-diagnosing with online research.  It will only cause you angst.

    We can give limited ideas, but you really need someone physical to look at your plant.

    Your pics didn't shows the pot, but the acer was obviously happy in it in order to grow so big.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • Mine has it too. I have learnt the hard way never to mulch or fertilise--this really seems to exacerbate the problem. I've lost quite a lot of top growth over the years, so my plant is still a dwarf, but still alive and contributing. In good years it grows more than needs to be cut back...(!)
  • Paul B3 said:
    Agree with the above ; but one thing springs to mind .........how big is your car???? ;)

    Haha I think the angle of the photos make the tree appear much bigger than it actually is (it's about 6ft at it's highest point), I did manage to squeeze it into our Audi A3!
  • Hi All,

    I'm a total novice when it comes to all things gardening so I'm hoping someone can help diagnose and suggest how I deal with an issue on an Acer tree we have 

    I've recently inherited it from my grandmother who is no longer able to garden and as such I don't know any history about it and I think it's been a bit neglected for several months.

    It was potted, I had to remove the pot to fit it in the car and noticed it was pretty sodden which I'm wondering whether this could be a potential cause.

    It appears that some stems are dead and others are partially dead (from the top down). Strangely some parts of the dead looking stems appear to be totally unaffected. I briefly did some research online and was wondering if it could be Verticillium Wilt?

    I've attached some pics, is anyone able to say what the problem potentially could be and the best way of dealing with the dead stems?

    Many thanks,

    James 




    That is a very big acer to be in a pot. It really needs to be in the ground.
    There is always a certain amount of die back during winter with acers which can be trimmed off, the last summer/autumn/winter has hit everything hard with far more die back than usual.
    I would wait until the plant is in full leaf, Your Gran's tree is already well on the way to full leaf, then trim off any dead stems back to a bud. Acers enjoy moist soil but do not like being waterlogged.

    Unfortunately we don't have space in the ground for the tree but I think it looks larger in the pics than it is in real life (it's about 6ft). Sounds like trimming off the dead stems is the way to go, the new post it will go in will have lots of drainage hole (the old pot had one about half way up).
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