Acer / maple issue

Hi there,

My wife is the one with the green fingers but since she is Japanese and my native language is English, I'm the one who gets to post the questions!

We have some Acers which have been grown from seed. They are now a variety of ages, up to about five years. My wife noticed last year that the largest one had some brown / blackish discoloration on the bark, starting from the top. Since these twigs / branches were dead, she cut them off. As new leaves have come, so has this 'disease', the result being that there was only one branch with leaves on it, the others having either died or the new growth drying up. yesterday, we sadly had to dig the tree up.

Today, she has noticed that another tree is going the same way. This tree is at the other end of the garden. Her feeling is that whatever the problem, it is spreading from the top rather than coming through the roots.

The ends of the branches and their leaves are dying first and it is spreading back towards the main trunk.

She has planted quite a lot of Acers and is becoming increasingly concerned for their well being.

Grateful for any advice and/or suggestions.

Many thanks,

Rex

 

Hi Rex, I have had a lot of problems with frosts and my acers this year. Leaves have definately suffered with them shriveling from their ends. I wonder if this problem has stopped now we are seemingly free of frosts? I say 'seemingly' because the frost isn't so obvious as it could appear during the night and gone when you get up. You would then think it wasn't frosty at all. I'm hoping the leaves will regenerate but a couple of potted acers look really rough.
Just a thought.