Acer Alarm !!

Bought this Acer Going Green , 3 months ago . Actually I think it's Acer going belly up again ! I planted it in a container in ericaceous compost and have kept it lightly watered. . It is in a very sheltered place on the patio , getting sun until mid day then shade. Photo below shows one branch dieing off , and the rest of the leaves are looking a little sad.
Any remedies / ideas ? Should I prune it back now to a third of the size ?

 

No @HarryS dont prune it will bleed. They can be abit temperamental, the recent heat may have done it no favours either. Not exactly sure what the problem is but give it a little more time to settle in

 

Harry, it would be better off planted in multi purpose compost,

 

No.....never mpc in my opinion. Always, always a john innes. Erocaceous not essential but better so ericaceous JI.
Also, "slightly watered" is not enough. Water until run off esp in hot weather. Acers in pots need plenty of water at these times

 

Japanese maple/RHS Gardening
Just been gleaning some facts from the RHS site ...

"In cultivation for over three hundred years in Japan. "
3 months in my garden !
"Plant in a loam-based compost, which allows good drainage "
I'll re plant in JI 2
"maples bleed sap from pruning cuts"
Thanks @mowgley , I will just remove the dead branch
I would think my site is good for maples , very sheltered from prevailing winds and only gets the sun until mid day. The couple of very hot days we have had this week should not have caused the leaves to curl ?

 

Update , sickly Acer "Going Green"
The new Acer I bought in March started to suffer from leaf die back - see first post. Now it is full of bright green new growth , while the original shoots and leaves seem to be fading back.
Not sure what the next stage will be as it is not recommended to prune the old shoots . I will wait and see !

PS I am cleaning my mucky patio later today

 

I wish my patio was as Mucky as yours @HarryS

 

Your site is perfect for acer. Morning sun and sheltered. Remember they do come from a coolish place .. A dead branch doesn't mean the death of the plant. I had one with a dead branch in the middle and it was alive until I removed it as it was in the wrong place and I have airlayered quite a few. I still have 3 left.