Acer Ukigumo And Suminagashi Looking A Bit Sad! (56k warning)

Hi,

I'm hoping someone here can advise me on where I'm going wrong with my two potted Acers.

Starting with the Suminagashi, this looks reasonably healthy from the soil upwards to abut half way up and then the leaves start to look much smaller and droopier. I really like the shape of this tree, but there's a set of branches that come right out from the base of the trunk and these are the ones that look healthy while the rest are looking wilted and in need of "something". Would I be right in thinking that if I cut off the bottom branches then the top ones would then perk up? Could the bottom branches be taking away nutrients from the top?

Anyway, it is in a terracotta pot with about 2-3 inches of stones in the bottom and homebase enriched compost with a a few spoonfuls of bonemeal mixed in. I later realised the stones were limestone, is this bad for them, I read that Acers don't like lime? (different kind of lime?)

Here's the shape of it, and you can see the bottom part looks much more perky with bigger leaves.



Here's the bottom branches I mentioned.



Some wilted leaves at the top.



Some crispy leaves from the top, possibly wind damage?



A fairly new leaf that has started to wilt.




Next is the Ukigumo - I'm not sure what to make of this, it looks nothing like any of the photos of these that I've seen with all it's leaves bunching up in clusters and all kinds of deformed leaf shapes and colours. As I undrstand, the white leaves with green spots and pinkish edges is normal, however, I've got yellowish green leaves, and also some pure green leaves with a much thicker texture than normal that dont even look like Acer leaves really to me. Is it a mutant?

When the leaves first started turning yellowish green, a bit of reading suggested over watering, but I was watering it once every couple of days. I was giving it miracle gro every 2-3 weeks but I've stopped that now too. I let the compost dry out this week and it doesn't seem to have made any difference, the many of the leaves are still droopy and yellow, and many of them are going crispy and/or discolouring and dying, yet some of them look really healthy.

It is positioned so that it gets full sun during the afternoon, I read that the leaves go whiter in direct sunlight, but I just read on another site that they hate direct sunlight, so I'm absolutely stumped! There are no bugs or anything growing that I can see.

Here is the tree in it's pot.



Here's it's head.



A normal looking leaf starting to go brown.













Please let me know what you think the problem may be, thanks

 

Hi Dave-M: my friend Alex from Rome tells me that it is nothing to worry about too much since the trunk and branches have no damages and no black marks. Problem could be over watering, hot winds, damages from insects, full sun exposure. He suggests pine barks and better tutors.

 

Hi Dave
Your Suminagashi looks not too bad to me
The leaves from the base may well be from the rootstock and should be removed
Be careful with your watering (not to under or over do it) and I would leave off the fertilisers
Too much direct sun for an acer in a pot, or a drying wind, can cause leaf problems. Try somewhere shaded and out of the wind
You Ukigumo looks weird to me (meaning the length and frailty of the stem before you reach the leaves ) but the leaves could take a hint from my previous comments. Otherwise they are in not too bad a shape. The varied leaves is a common trait with this tree ... some on my own tree are completely white, and some completely green. I wouldn't worry about those variations at all
I grow very few of my own acers in pots so I may not be the best person to guide you. I prefer to let them do their own thing in the ground ...........
Good luck

 

Hi,

That's a fantastic garden you have in your sig, I'd love just a small corner of that for mine

But, yes, I think both of them can go in the ground, that will hide them behind the 6ft fence and rule out the wind problems I think. Thee od thing is, I have an orangeola in a the same kind of pot, same compost, same watering, on the same side of the garden and that's thriving, in fact the neighbours want to buy it off me (but they're not having it ).

Anyway, I'm not sure what you mean by the branches growing out of the rootstock, so here's a couple of photos, does this clear it up?





About the Ukigumo - Do you think it might be worth contacting the garden centre to see if I can get it swapped? I bought it online from Jacksons and I specifically asked them to pick me out a nice shaped one, but this seems to be anything but :hehe:

About the watering, is there a rule of thumb for this? I started off by watering once a day, then I went to once every other day and now I'm on once every 3 days or when the top of the compost dries out, is this OK?

Thanks, and sorry for all the questions

 

Japanese maples are cultivated 'true to form' by grafting onto a common rootstalk. In most cases the 'join' can be easily seen, but sometimes it has been grafted so well that it is difficult to distinguish. From your photograph it can just about be seen. Growth below the graft is from the rootstalk and should always be removed and it will almost certainly reduce the vigour of the grafted tree
Watering is a knack in itself and I would find it very difficult to explain without access to the plant itself. Some 'experts' suggest that a plant in a pot should be allowed to almost dry out and then be given a really good soaking, allowed again to almost dry out, then be really well soaked again (and by that I mean until the whole rootball is wetted, not just the top few inches)
I believe that in general terms the rootball should be constantly moist but not actually wet, and this is somewhat at loggerheads with the previous statement
How you water your plant is up to yourself, but if you can manage to keep the soil constantly moist and NOT wet then you have succeeded. Above all these plants need good drainage, and if your soil is very well draining then more regular watering would thus be necessary