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Damaged Acer
DYL
Posts: 67
I bought my daughter an Acer so she could plant her first tree, which we did last weekend. I think it was a 'Garnet'. 
One week later and it's look in pretty poor condition! We dug a hole twice the size of the pot, added compost, added bonemeal and covered with a layer of mulch. This is how it looks now.
Unfortunately there was a frost a day or two after and I'm not sure if it's that which has caused the damage, the way we planted it, or possibly too much sun. I have watered but certainly haven't gone over the top.
Do you think it should recover with time?
0
Posts
Acers prefer a slightly shaded, acidic soil so bonemeal is perhaps not quite right as a fertiliser as it is alkaline. That damage looks like either frost/wind or sun damage or a combination of them. I'd move the mulch away from the tree trunk - just leave a clear ring not touching the trunk. It will probably recover but avoid leaving any water on the leaves if more frost is due.
Bit of shock probably. Ladybird's advice is good DYL, and I'd also add that you need to keep it well watered. Your ground looks very dry there. Often, lack of water in spring is what leads to leaf tips drying out - even more than a cold, drying wind does.
It's quite a decent sized plant, so it can be a little harder to establish in a new site, and the conditions probably haven't been the best for you unfortunately. It'll be fine though.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The same thing happened to one of mine the first year it was planted. Every single leaf fell off it and it got a lot of those dead bits at the end of the branches. It's been better since though!
As fairygirl said it probably hasn't taken up enough water, it's roots haven't had chance to spread into the ground yet. The dissectum types suffer more with scorch than the broader leaf ones.