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The problem with acers
Please help,
We love acers but they never seem to work in our garden. We have had a few different types, and while they are always grown in pots, we have also tried different positions. They all seem to start to curl and brown off.
At the moment we have an acer butterfly which was bought last year. It is in a pot in a protected position (in a corner under a small roof extension of the shed). It gets full sun from 3 o'clock for the rest of the afternoon.
We have noticed that once again the new leaves are curling and browning!
We would really appreciate some advice as to the best way to grow acers in pots. Do you need ericaceous soil? Please, please help us rescue our butterfly!
Thanks 
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Acers normally require part shade and an acid soil. They will even survive in dense shade and seem to thrive better in them aspects
I would repot in ericaceous compost and place in part shade and see if that promotes growth
They are also very slow growers
Browning could be wind damage
I hear a lot of talk about acer growing conditions and I'm no expert but they mostly don't like strong winds, strong sunlight or a lack of water. I don't know much about their happiness in alkaline soil but mine have grown beautifully in neutral soil, I did think the acid soil was a bit of a myth but I'm no expert, plenty folk here are
There were plenty of Acers in the grounds at Pershore - alkaline clay if I remember rightly! But they were in sheltered, shaded spots growing around other trees and shrubs. Probably quite humusy soil.
Full sun next to a shed sounds like it could get a bit hot and dry... Growing them in pots means they're under additional stress too... I would give them a shady spot near other vegetation (creating humidity), a good sized pot, ericaceous compost probably a good idea and why not if they're in pots anyway