Acer Tree very unhealthy

starbuck88

Hi,

I am not a gardener by nature, I am very new to looking after my own garden and plants. 

I have what was a lovely Acer, I am worried it has verticillium wilt. I've attached photos for you to see what it all looks like.

This is what it looked like after I bought it and immediately potted in a bigger pot.



This is what it looks like now 3 years later...



I know, I am ashamed.

One of the main trunks? appears green the other is all dark brown, the one that is all dark brown doesn't have anything growing on it...





I have already pruned off all the completely dead branches.

Here you can see a stub where I have pruned off a dead branch, but you can see very slight green colour to the right hand side of it...



this entire side has nothing growing on it, as the trunk? moves up it turns from brown to green, I cut back some of the branches and there is green inside...



Close up of the Dead? side.



On the other side that's growing (poorly) there are all these spots, what are they?



Again on the 'good' side you see green branches and then there is a redish colour branch?



The following is a branch/shoot that has come off the side near the base, nothing was growing on it so have cut it to see inside and it is mostly green inside..



Last picture, of all the current leaves on it...



Can I save it? what should I do? Is the bad side done for? What should my next steps be? I bought it as it had lovely bright red leaves and now they are a dull red, will the colour come back when it's healthy again?

I am a total noob and I am ashamed it has come to this.

Thanks in advance.

Fairygirl

Wind/sun/drought damage - or a mix of all of them probably.
Shade, shelter and damp is what they like best. 

Unfortunately, Acers are better potted on very slowly, so you'd have been better keeping it in the pot it was in until the following year or so. 
If there's green coming from below the graft point, that's from the rootstock it's grafted onto, not your plant. If you can remove the dead stems, taking care not too go right back into green growth, that will help. The end result may be a very lopsided plant, but that can be corrected at a later date too - ie autumn. If you can move it to a shady spot too- that will help in the first instance. 
Has it ever had the compost/soil refreshed? 
Potted plants need a little layer removed each year or so, and replaced with fresh.
It should also be planted in a loam/soil based compost, not just multi purpose compost , or compost alone. 

starbuck88

Thank you...I am confused by this... "If there's green coming from below the graft point, that's from the rootstock it's grafted onto, not your plant." What does that mean? I Wasn't lying when I said I was a noob   

I haven't changed any of the soil it is in but fertilised it the other day and put the mulch on top. I would like to get erecacous? and do a mix with john innes 3? would that be right? What would then be the best way of doing that?

Would it be best bringing it inside over winter?

Sorry for all the questions?

Fairygirl

No need to apologise, and sorry - I should have clarified 
Some plants are grafted on to a rootstock. It's often done to control the growth rate and eventual size of plants - like some apple trees.
That means the plant you want, has enough vigour to grow well, but won't become a huge tree which will take over your garden 
Most Acers are grown this way. If you look at the trunk of the plant, you'll see a knobbly bit. That's the graft point. Below the graft, is a bog standard Acer, and if the top plant becomes weak, the original rootstock can take over 

If you can get some JI3 and ericaceous compost you can mix them together. Make sure the pot has good drainage too- even when plants like moister soil, they must have good drainage. Check that the hole/holes in the pot aren't blocked. You can cover the hole with some broken pot [crocks] if you have them, or - use a bit of porous material with  a couple of small stones to lift it slightly. That allows water to drain, without all the soil escaping as well. 
Don't put it inside. They're extremely tough plants. It would be worth taking a look online at a few sites which show how they grow naturally. They come from Japan etc, and it will let you see the kind of climate that suits them best. They grow extremely well up here in Scotland, as we have a climate that suits them very well. The better you can replicate their ideal conditions, the better they grow

Fairygirl

I've just taken this pic to show you what I mean
This is a young plant, bought last autumn. You can see where the little graft is - it's green below the joint. There's a tiny little red 'bud' sprouting just above the joint.


Incidentally - I haven't potted that into the glazed pot. It's still in the 6 or 7 inch pot it came in, and is surrounded by gravel, just to give it the appearance of being in there.

You can see it's just coming into growth just now, with it's orangey red foliage 

starbuck88

Thank you so much for your help so far. I really appreciate it. Your new one looks lovely! Post a pic when it's grown a full canopy!

So they need some sun just not full mid day sun, need to be sheltered from the wind and soil needs to be slightly acidic, well draining so roots don't rot but kept moist.

I'm not sure I have a suitable spot Can I build a mini greenhouse out of poly tunnel type material to put it in?

Also how come it has grown big leaves already? 

Fairygirl

Hi again - sorry, I went outside to get on before the next lot of rain arrives!
They don't really need sun - dappled shade is the ideal. If you think of the kind of light you would get from a tree canopy that isn't too solid, that would be the ideal. 
If they're in the right spot they can cope with some sun, but excessive sun is damaging, especially if it's full on strong summer heat, and for a long time. A west facing aspect is the ideal. 
No - don't protect it with polythene. If you tuck it in against those other pots, and maybe against that fence [depending on the aspect] they will give it some protection. Other plants are very good for protection against sun and wind 
They don't desperately need acidic soil- this is another myth, but it would be good to mix with the JI to give a freer draining medium. It's also a good idea to put the pot up on feet of some kind. They don't need to be posh, purchased ones - little blocks of wood, or pieces of brick are fine. 
Plants generally want to grow, and it will have had enough energy to produce some foliage. It's about keeping your plant in good health all year round that matters,  so that it will continue to grow and thrive. 

starbuck88

Thank you ever so much, I really appreciate it. Really do! Hope you had a good day in the sun before the rain comes!

Fairygirl

No problem. Hope yours picks up a bit. 

It's been lovely here today,some sun and very little wind. 

starbuck88

So I did the scratch test and that brown looking side is totally dead  

I've cut it off, is this right?





Do I need to maybe get a knife and make the stump of the old trunk/stem angled?