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Acer Tree - Dead or Alive?
rvk6x7rq4km5ltsG2F
Posts: 8
Good afternoon Gardeners,
I’m in need of some desperate help.
I’m in need of some desperate help.
End of Spring/ early summer I purchased an Acer tree. On the tag it said it liked sunlight and shade.
I thought it would look really nice on my balcony and for a good month or so it really was growing fast and well.
I would say within the last 2 months I started to notice the tips of the leaves going brown, shrivelling a little and leaves falling off. As the months have gone by, nearly all the the leaves are off! I’ve looked at the new shoots coming through too and sometimes they look green but I’ll go back days later and they’ve even turned black.
I googled why this might and there was advice about re potting, maybe root rot if over water or the sun was too hot/ too windy.
I repotted into a bigger pot and put some Acer feed I brought from the garden centre. The dirt did feel very damp so I added dry soil to the pot to help dry it out and deliberately didn’t water it (only watered slightly in). I even moved the acer into the corner of the balcony where I know it’s gets little sun and mostly shade.
I literally have no idea what to do. There’s barely any leaves left. I’ve taken some photos so you can see and if anyone can help me figure out how to save this tree I’d be super appreciative of the help!
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Posts
There are many possibilities that could be the cause.
They prefer a compost that ideally is on the acidic side, so ericaceous compost is ideal, but ordinary compost shouldn't cause any significant problems.
For plants in pots, you need a soil-based compost. Not the fluffy multi purpose compost for seeds, cuttings, pot plants etc.
I'd have used John Innes (ideally ericaceous) compost. If that's not available then JI No2 or No3.
By itself, JI doesn't drain well, so I'd mix in at least 30% by volume of horticultural grit and a few handfuls of multi purpose compost to lighten the mix a bit.
If your tap water is hard, it won't really like that. Rainwater is ideal, but may not be available to you.
The pot must have good drainage.
When you pour water in at the top, it should start coming out of the bottom in a few seconds.
The pot must also be raised off your balcony floor a little with pot feet, or anything you have to hand that will keep it off the ground a little otherwise it could suffer from root rot if it's sitting in wet compost all the time. Roots need oxygen every bit as much as they need water.
Seaweed extract is great for them as they don't need lots of extra nutrients, but seaweed is full of great stuff that acts as a good tonic for all plants.
Only use it once every 2-3 weeks during the growing season.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
It doesn't look too horrendous to me, this time of year most acers start to lose leaves or show some scorch especially if they're dissectum varieties like the one you have.
Taking it away from direct sun is a good decision as their leaves are far too delicate to enjoy hot sun. In their native environment they are understorey trees so they have larger ones above them to filter the sun.
All you can do is overwinter it making sure it doesn't completely dry out and hopefully next spring it will grow healthily once more. They can look so dramatic when unhappy but they're not too easy to kill.
Compost is no use long term, as already said.
The ends of the leaves are certainly quite fried, but that can also be from waterlogging, just as easily as from sun/wind damage, or being dried out. They also don't like going into too big a pot from the one they're already in, because they can end up sitting in wet conditions for too long. In the ground, it's often easier to get the drainage right.
The best conditions for them are cooler, damper soil, out of sharp winds, and with dappled shade. It's why they grow so easily here where I am, and in the west , generally.
@Pete.8 has given good info @rvk6x7rq4km5ltsG2F . It can be difficult when reading info on the internet, because it can be confusing, and info doesn't take into consideration the huge variations in conditions, let alone growing on a balcony or similar.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks again everyone!
Keep the soil watered if needed while it settles in
Your tree is very much still alive but not entirely happy atm
Good luck!
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
We’ve been in to our new build estate for 1 year now. I have no clue what the Earth is like although our neighbour said their garden was awful. They told us they had to have their grass re-turfed 3 times because the Earth underneath was mainly rubble and stones etc and the grass just kept dying…
I was thinking to just buy all the things you suggested in your post, dig a huge hole and fill it with the dirt that the Acer will love more… I have some Acer feed I purchased at a garden centre so also fill the hole with the new dirt with some of that, but our garden is mostly shady :S so I’m worried it might be too shady/ damp for the tree… but I feel like this might be the best shot for the tree rather than my balcony anyway!?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
If the ground is really dire, and I can understand that as I've experienced it many times, the other alternative is to make raised beds which you can then fill appropriately.
The garden won't be too damp or shady unless you're surrounded by 40 foot trees, tall hedges, it rains 24 hours a day every day of the year, and the soil's solid clay.
Some photos of your site and a rough idea of your location will also help with suitable advice
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...