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Acer help

PuckersPuckers Posts: 9
in Plants
Hi all, last year I brought 2 acers from Lidl for 99p each  :open_mouth: I've asked them what type they are and got told they only supply Acer Atropurpureum, Emerald Lace, Orange Dream, Little Princess, Phoenix and Kat. Ive repotted them and they are doing great but i have no idea if they need training or anything let alone which they are. The photos here are from when I got them last year and I'll add photos of them today. Any help would be much appreciated   :)
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Posts

  • PuckersPuckers Posts: 9
    Both today. Do I stake them to stop the dropping? Sorry about the garden having work done  :s
  • FireFire LondonPosts: 14,174
    99p? wow.
  • PuckersPuckers Posts: 9
    Fire said:
    99p? wow.
    I got one as the sign said £4.99 but when they scanned it they was 99p so I said scan it again and I'll pick the other up on the way out  :smiley: last ones they had.
  • raisingirlraisingirl East Devon, on the Edge of Exmoor.Posts: 5,573
    Acers are generally small trees - up to 4m or thereabouts. I think Phoenix is actually quite a big tree - up to 8m or so. They shouldn't need staking or pruning, but they look like some are putting on lots of new growth. You possibly need to repot those into bigger - deeper - pots with a soil based compost - usually something that says "John Innes 3" on it is best for young trees in pots - and hopefully they'll settle down a bit. Are you planning to keep them in pots? Don't use 'multi-purpose compost' - they grow too fast and too soft. You want slow growth so they develop (usually) an elegant shape.

    If you intend to plant them in the ground, then it would be a good idea to do it soon if you can (especially 'Phoenix' which I'm not sure will be naturally happy in a pot). They need shelter from cold winds and they don't like to be blasted by the sun all day. Some don't like morning sun - usually the ones with very finely dissected leaves - and some don't like evening sun - usually the ones with variegation. You need to do a little research on which is which to get them sited to best advantage.

    They are lovely trees - lucky you at that price  :)
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first” 
  • autumngloryautumnglory Posts: 255
    Pretty sure the second one with the lime leaves is orange dream. 99p is brilliant!
  • PuckersPuckers Posts: 9
    raisingirl said:
    Acers are generally small trees - 8up to 4m or thereabouts. I think Phoenix is actually quite a big tree - up to 8m or so. They shouldn't need staking or pruning, but they look like some are putting on lots of new growth. You possibly need to repot those into bigger - deeper - pots with a soil based compost - usually something that says "John Innes 3" on it is best for young trees in pots - and hopefully they'll settle down a bit. Are you planning to keep them in pots? Don't use 'multi-purpose compost' - they grow too fast and too soft. You want slow growth so they develop (usually) an elegant shape.

    If you intend to plant them in the ground, then it would be a good idea to do it soon if you can (especially 'Phoenix' which I'm not sure will be naturally happy in a pot). They need shelter from cold winds and they don't like to be blasted by the sun all day. Some don't like morning sun - usually the ones with very finely dissected leaves - and some don't like evening sun - usually the ones with variegation. You need to do a little research on which is which to get them sited to best advantage.

    They are lovely trees - lucky you at that price  :)
    Thank you. I'm planning on leaving them in pots, I need to get some bigger ones and I'll have the space For them when the garden gets done. I'll see get them sorted soon.

    I've seen people train them and wasn't sure what I needed to do with these. I've had a look on Google and tried to match them to which they are  :)
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy North London Posts: 5,014
    edited April 2018
    It depends on what you want them to do. Most Acers have a beautiful natural habit but if you need to keep them in a defined space or want a particular shape you can train them. You can wire stems (as with Bonsai) or you can tie them to supports to get the shape you want. Structural pruning must be done in winter when they are dormant. Minor shaping can be done mid to late summer. Do NOT cut now in spring when the sap is rising or they will "bleed". I agree with @raisingirl on advice regarding potting up.
    AB Still learning

  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 27,628
    They look like normal acer shapes to me, some upright and some hummocky.  I agree about bigger pots and better compost. 

    Regular watering needed and a top dressing of fertilsier every year so choose pots deep enough to leave a gap of 5 to 8cms at the top so you can water generously and leave it to soak in without washing away compost.   8cms allows space for a mulch of chipped bark, clay pellets, gravel or slate chippings which will keep down weeds and help retain moisture too.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • PuckersPuckers Posts: 9
    autumnglory said:
    Pretty sure the second one with the lime leaves is orange dream. 99p is brilliant!
    Thank You 😊
  • PuckersPuckers Posts: 9
    Thank you everyone. All advice taken   :)
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