We have a poorly acer tree -- brown leaf tips and leaves dying off. It is in a large pot. Any ideas please?

Question

The tree is in a large pot in a semi-basement which gets the morning sun. We have tried not to overwater, and have added some ericaceous compost and fertiliser to try to help it along.

Answer 1

Acers should be outdoors, where they get natural rainfall and semi shade. If there are little bud tips on the branches, then remove the brown leaves. Hopefully it will recover by next spring.
Try looking up BBC.co.uk/gardening. I have found them very good for all sorts of problems.

Answer 2

Acer is not an oak, it is a maple of some type. It needs to be in the ground, it is probably root bound. Now how to you transplant it in the yard?

Dig a hole that is 3-4 times the size of the present pot and about 2x deep. fill the hole up with a mixture of the yard soil and some top soil, placing the tree in it so that the position of it is that what is above the soil level in the pot is above the ground when you plant it. Before doing anything else, fill the hole, new dirt and all, with water and wait until that has all soaked in. If the new dirt level is lower than the crown of the tree roots, fill it to that level. Then apply 3 or 4 inches of a mulch on the top of it to keep both weeds and weather away from the area. Water it regularly, you might want to ask a nursery.

What I do, and the nursery might not tell you this, is that if it is really rootbound, I will take a razor knife and cut slots down the side of the root ball, cutting some of the roots back.

You can use that compost to mix with your soil because your tree is familiar with it.

Answer 3

Don't know where you live, but light is most likely the problem. Acer is the genus of oak trees most nearly all of which grow outdoors. You may want to purchase a full spectrum light bulb and keep it on all day if you intend to keep it in a pot. Also, how long has it been in the pot? What is the size of the pot? How tall is the tree now? You may need to repot it.

Answer 4

Repot in new ericaceous soil in a decent size pot and water with rainwater only as acers do not like tapwater. Also it should be outside.

Answer 5

The tree probably needs to be planted outside in the ground. It may be root bound in a container. Many species of maple trees are easy to grow outdoors, and flourish under a wide variety of conditions.

Answer 6

It's fall and the tree is just getting ready for it, the sun isn't as hot as it used to be in the summer, just getting ready to hibernate! If you leave it alone it should be fine next spring. Just give it water little and often and let it be. Good Luck!

Answer 7

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Answer 8

It really needs to be outdoors, it doesn't make a good houseplant. If you have somewhere to plant it outdoors which is not to windy, I would plant it, if not, give it to a friend who has, and buy a potted palm instead.

Answer 9

the roots might be pot bound. The plant should be outdoors.

Answer 10

Not enough light, throw it away and try another type of plant that will survive in the shade.