Acer advice needed - dead / dying

ErinGoBrath · 04-03-2023 12:12AM #1

Hi all,

Im assuming my Acer is not going to recover from the condition it's in now? Usually the branches would be wine colored and have buds at the nodes but looks like some of it has already died.

Any value in trying to cut it back a bit to preserve any living parts or is it beyond the point of no return?

Have it about 4 years now.

Thanks!

looksee · 04-03-2023 10:44AM

Hard to tell but it looks pretty dead from here. I would be inclined to leave it for another month or so just to be sure, though the main stem seems to be gone.

You may find when you dig it up that the root ball never developed, which might be a problem of how it was grown initially or the way you planted it, but sometimes it just happens. Have a look and see did any roots venture out of the original 'plant pot shape'. Vine weavil can kill a plant rather suddenly like that but I am not sure that Vine Weavils attack Acers.

KLF · 04-03-2023 11:50AM

Coincidently there is this question in the Irish Times today

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/gardening/2023/03/04/your-gardening-questions-answered-will-my-acer-tree-come-back/

magicbastarder · 04-03-2023 12:56PM

are the branches flexible (probably alive) or brittle (dead)?

it's sitting in a corner there, which might be a rain shadow - does it get enough rainfall?

jaffa20 · 04-03-2023 01:12PM

Verticillium wilt possibly. I had one go the same way and have others in the garden, so i'm hoping they don't go the same way.

16-03-2023 12:47PM

I've killed an acer by over watering and another by overexposure to wind. Even though I'd heard acers are good in shade they're easier to keep healthy in sun, in my experience.

They prefer being in the ground than in containers BUT make sure not to over water. It looks like your tree is in a corner which may be a water trap. If you're starting again, dig a hole slightly shallower than the root ball so the base forms a small hill for water to run off. You may also need to amend the soil if it's clay. Dig a bigger hole and fill it with compost and sand and grit and fork a few holes through the clay too to aid drainage.

Acer advice needed - dead / dying

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