Sickly Acer

[May]

We have a very small flamingo Acer that we purchased earlier this year but after putting it into the ground it started to look really sickly whilst losing leaves and the ones it has left are withering and drooping.

My husband then dug it up and put it back in a pot as it was thriving when we brought it home. But, it still looks very sickly.

It seems as though the leaves have been stripped all along the branches and all that remain are at the top.

Has anyone encountered this problem before? Any ideas how can we turn it around and make it better?

[nightshade]

Acers do not like shade or cold draughts or overwatering/fertilising,
never had any sucess myself as they just curl up their toes here

[May]

Picky aren't they!

Ours was in a sunny spot but we've had so much rain just lately I wonder if that's it? Maybe we could bring it inside ...

[Paul mabbott]

Acer negundo, according to one site is of 'easy cultivation'! Acer negundo - Plants For A Future database report
I assume that flamingo is a non-green cultivar - these do tend to be weaker than green ones (reduced chlorophyll therefore less photosynthesis therefore weaker growth) and therefore the previous advice about avoiding shade is important. Otherwise Acers as a whole are not difficult to grow - we have a miniature reddish one which is heavily shaded but growing happily on about ten centimetres of water-logged soil!
Acer spp do suffer from a lot of pests including slugs &c - maybe growing it on in pots for a year or two to allow it to build up branches and roots would be a good idea before planting it out in a well-prepared site?

[May]

Thank you for that!

Well we do have slug fest going on in our garden at present so that's highly likely!

We've just brought it inside actually, we're going to try and dry it out because we think part of the problem is that it's become waterlogged with the sheer amount of rain we've had lately

[aeshna5]

I've never experienced mollusc damage with my Japanese Maples + I generally can't grow plants that they like as I won't use any molluscicides. These maples are certainly shade tolerant + sometimes variegated plants can suffer from sun scorch if they have no shade. If you can incorporate some leaf mould with the soil.

[steve_nova]

Unfortunately, Acer negundo and its variagated clones of which there are at least two doing the rounds under the name 'Flamingo' are often not very vigorous plants and often suffer from dieback. If they have a good healthy rootball and are sited in good loam soil, they can produce reasonably good plants but are usually best coppiced at least every other year ie back to either the ground in Spring or at least to heavy wood. This will encourage strong wand-like shoots with bigger than normal leaves.

Feed the plant heavily twice each year with an organic fertiliser. Autumn and late Spring should be good.

There is also a relatively new product on the market called Rootgrow which you can now (should be available) get from most garden centres. It contains five species of Glomus michorrizal fungi so one of the five should be a suitable partner to the Acer. Once established on the roots (usually after a couple of weeks from planting) you will get a far stronger and healthier rootball and therefore a better plant on top. You wont need any top ups either as it will stay with the Acer for the rest of its life.

Steve.

[steve_nova]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

I've never experienced mollusc damage with my Japanese Maples + I generally can't grow plants that they like as I won't use any molluscicides. These maples are certainly shade tolerant + sometimes variegated plants can suffer from sun scorch if they have no shade. If you can incorporate some leaf mould with the soil.

aeshna5 is correct in that leaf mould worked into the soil at planting is also very beneficial. If the leaf mould is taken from around a Sycamore, there may well be a suitable Glomus species for the Acer negundo which is in the same genus.

Steve.

[JeffH]

I planted a semi-mature (3.5m high) Acer negundo 'Flamingo' just over 6 years ago as part of a mixed copse of Acers, Birch & various other trees.

Although it was slow to establish itself it is now quite a handsome specimen of nearly 6m.

However, it has had no special treatment (other than regular watering during its first summer and being sheltered from the wind by some of the surrounding trees) and Acers are generally regarded as being suitable for most soils.

My only problems have been susceptibility to scorch on the upper canopy and a tendency to revert so, as with all variegated plants, one has to keep an eye out for any pure green foliage and prune it out.

If your plant has become waterlogged I'd say that could be the cause of your problems - it is said that more houseplants are killed by over-watering than by lack of watering! However, it's not usually a problem with garden plants but if the drainage in your chosen location was poor that certainly wouldn't help.

The only other thing I can think of (apart from the points made by the other posters) is what was the condition of the rootball? If it was pot bound you would need to 'tease' out some of the roots prior to planting in order to give it a good chance of establishing itself.

Finally, the planting hole is also important with any young trees/shrubs or indeed any plant. For trees a hole of at least twice the size of the rootball is recommended, with a good soil mix being used for infill - I'd suggest mixing in some leaf mould, bonemeal and, if drainage is a problem, some horticultural grit.

Good luck with it - I do hope it survives.

Jeff

[Ashridge_Trees]

Hi

Without sight of the plant, thisis hard, but it is almost certainly failing for one of two reasons (we grow a small range of acers commercially and not muc ellse gets them)

1. Failure to establish - this is just environmental - if the planting hole is not large enough and the soil you are planting in "contrasts" too much with the compost in the pot, the roots will never move into the surrounding ground. This generally happens when the soil is heavy. When it rains, the planting hole fills up and the roots drown (this also happens in particular to beech, yew, box and laurel when they are newly palanted whether container grown or bare rooted). If you replant, make sure the hole is at least twice as wide as the rootball, and if it is in a damp place, plant it "high" so some roots are above ground level and then bring the soil up to them.

2. Wilt. This is a fungal disease and it really gets Acers. If you peel off a bit of bark with a sharp knife, and the wood beneath has a red/brown tinge, then the tree is a goner. Nothing to be done but get it out and burn it.

Good luck

[May]

Sorry for the delay in replying to everyone who was so kind as to answer.

We have since brought the Acer inside and will give the Rootgrow a try, to try and get the roots up and going if that is indeed the problem.

It now has no leaves, but that's usual I suppose, what with the time of year, though our friends Acer is fully leaved still. Would a difference of a degree or two of temperature cause ours to lose all its leaves while there are others still leaved? It's rather cold in our village, we're pretty high up you see.

[aeshna5]

I wouldn't worry about the leaves having dropped, as it's a deciduous species; individual plants will vary when they drop according to a number of factors including location, weather, etc. At work I have a Norway Maple "Crimson King" which has an infection + many leaves have shrivelled + died on the tree + are not falling as healthy leaves would. Last year just one branch was affected + I sawed this off, now it's spread through the tree, so will have to come out at some point.