Acer in trouble - please help

KatG

Hi my usually beautiful Acer which is usually bright green this time of year is instead orange/pink as it often is in Autumn. Several branches look like they’ve died with dried up leaves. The leaves which are alive/pink in colour have strange dark patches on them. Any ideas? It got a bit dry 2 months ago but I can’t believe it’s that as it was not that hot then and it’s got that dry in the past and this hasn’t ever happened before.. I would really appreciate some guidance. 

amancalledgeorge

I'll point to the obvious and say that the pot looks quite small for an Acer of that size. Maybe try repotting it with some loam based compost mixed with ericaceous to see if it will bounce back? They are tough plants but are all too quick to show their displeasure as we all  find out as some point. Give it lots of water and some ericaceous feed to help it out.

KatG

Thanks can I repot this time of year, and any recommendations about how to do this?

KatG

Do you think there’s a good chance it will not survive?

treehugger80

it'll be fine, it looks like a bit of pot bound but also it might have been hit by cold weather and potentially frost

amancalledgeorge

You can't afford to wait if it is starved for nutrition. You'll be fine to repot all year round. As long the root system is healthy can't see why it won't survive...have a look on YouTube for any repotting tutorials, there's not much to it. Just remember to use ericaceous compost as acers love acidic soil. Mix with some John Innes 2/3 enriched compost if you intent to keep it in a pot. I got a huge ceramic pot from B&Q to repot my Acer a couple of months ago for £22. Give it a try