Acer Help

joshsidney0750015 · 7 March

Having had this acer covered for winter I was looking for some advice. Should I cut the dead branches off now? Is it a good time to feed it? It has been in its existing pot for over 10 years…
Does it need repotting?
Thanks is advance

Silver surfer · 7 March

Now is the perfect time to snap off the silver dead twigs.
No need to secateurs or scissors...just use your fingers.
Very therapeutic.

I will leave advice re re potting to other with more experience than me.
We always grew our Acers in the garden..not in pots.

Fairygirl · 7 March

I often have them potted - usually just for growing on, but also because I moved many times in a few years, so it's a good way of keeping them in that situation.
However, if that has been in that pot all that time with no new soil etc, it's not going to be particularly happy. It doesn't look great as it is - it's very bare in terms of branches. If it's not getting adequate moisture in that corner, that won't have helped either. It's often dry in that sort of site, due to the roof and walls preventing rain getting in well enough.
If it's staying potted, it may need a bigger one, but you'd need to remove it to see how large the root system is, and if it's pot bound, which is also quite likely. If so, the roots will need teased out before replanting, and the pot should be an inch or two wider, but not really any larger. If the roots have room , just replace the soil mix.

I tend to use soil for mine that are potted, but my soil is clay, and is well amended so the drainage is good. I usually add a mulch regularly if they're staying there, and that can be compost or bark. If you need new soil, and yours isn't suitable, you can buy ready made products which are ideal for shrubs. They're soil based. If you look for John Innes products [they're readily available everywhere] and just pick one that will suit Acers, that would be the best solution. J. Innes is merely a formula, and there are various types. Making sure the drainage is right is also important. They love loads of moisture, but they don't want to be waterlogged.

joshsidney0750015 · 7 March

Yes I took a quick look at the rootball in September time and it is very much potbound. It is quite neglected as it is from a relative that wasn’t able to look after it at all. Is it best to repot now or wait till it is in full leaf? Hoping it will recover this year 🤞🏻

Fairygirl · 7 March

I'd do it now. That will give it time to settle in and be happy once it starts to come to life properly. Keep it in some semi shade so that it doesn't have to worry about too much sun, especially if there are frosts to come where you are. That will also help to prevent it drying out. I'm not sure why it was covered through winter though - they're very hardy shrubs.

Mine are showing signs of life - which is early for here ,but there's been no winter, so it's not totally surprising. It's an ideal time to re pot shrubs or trees.
Fingers crossed it will come away nicely for you, but it'll take a while depending on the site and your climate etc. You can prune it in future to get a good shape, but it may not be too attractive for a good while yet

Paul B3 · 7 March

One other point here also and not related to pot size etc,.........if that outside light is left on all night your Acer (being a photoperiodic creature) , may appreciate regular intervals of relative darkness for optimal growth .

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