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Acers
Jessie Cotton
Posts: 5
I have an Acer which I have had for 15+ years, it always looks stunning but this year it is looking rather sad, I have it in a large pot on my patio and until now has always looked healthy, it is looking woody now and has very little leaf cover, what should I do, I don't want to lose it after all this time
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Posts
Have you tried refreshing the compost? Feeding it? Watering it? It may just be pot bound and starving by now if it's been in the same pot and compost all that time.
Check also for pests such as vine weevil grubs eating its root system or maybe a fungal infection such as verticulum wilt? You can treat the former with Provado but the latter is terminal and you'll have to destroy the tree to prevent it infecting other plants in the garden.
It has not always been in the pot, I put it in my hydrangea bed originally, but because this was quite open I don't think it liked being there as my garden get quite a bit of wind because of where I live. I also have a rhodedendrum area, which is sheltered as it is beside a conifer hedge, is it worth me trying to plant it in this area and when is the best time to do this. How will know if it has that disease, what do I have to look for
It may help and would certainly mean it was less likely to suffer from hunger or thirst. Plant it now in a well prepared hole and use plenty of well rotted garden compost and manure when you back fill. Water it well before and after planting and keep it watered for the rest of this summer until the autumn rains start.
It may be that when you dug it up from the hydrangea bed you disturbed its roots and robbed it of its finer root hair follicles which are the ones that take up up moisture and minerals so give it sprinkling of mycorrhizal fungi (from good garden centres) on its roots when you plant it out as it encourages healthy root formation and access to beneficial micro-organisms that will help you acer thrive.
Will give it a try, as I said, it has been in the container for quite a few years and it has been ok, this is the first year since I had it that it has looked poor. Hopefully a new home and some TLC will help. Thank you