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Acer dying back- what to do?
smbcameron
Posts: 2
My acer has lost many of its leaves from several of its branches over the last 2 summers. It seems to be growing new shoots from the base of the trunk. Any idea what may be causing this? Should I cut it right back to allow the new growth to flourish?
0
Posts
Welcome to the forum.
Most acers are grafted, so the shoots low down could be coming from below the graft, which means it won't be the same as the foliage above the graft. It's hard to tell from the photo though.
The most common reason for poor foliage is lack of moisture. Against a wall is always drier unless it's in the path of the prevailing weather, and you get enough rainfall to keep it happy. There's also a lot of planting on the both sides of the wall which could be keeping it drier than is ideal.
You can prune them, which might benefit it, and give you better coverage lower down/ Best to wait until it's dormant though if you wish to try that.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...