My acers dying?

Hi, my two acers look dead this spring. Only couple of branches have leaves which appeared couple of weeks ago, but the rest of those trees don't have any leaves and branches look dry. Could it be because of the cold winter? Or could it be because of a virus? Thanks

 

I'd suggest just struggling in the containers, not sure where you are but it hasn't been a cold winter generally in the UK and anyway Acers are mostly pretty hardy.

It might be due to something from last year, possibly they got dry or needed feeding???

 

That container doesn't look very big really .. having said that I’m no acer expert.
I did have one in a large pot last year but decided to move it into the garden where it seems to be happier.

 

I don't know whether it is this but them sort of pots tend to make a bit of a vacuum underneath when they are on flat surfaces , the water barely drains out of them. Its had it really it take years to get a good natural shape again

 

I'd get them into proper sized pots, but check that they aren't root bound. If they are, they'll need teased out ,and they'll need a good soil based mix with adequate drainage to keep them happy long term.
Cold winters are no problem for them, and it tends to be harsh winds when there's foliage present that has an obvious effect, but if they get frozen after being very wet, and that gets repeated, that can affect root systems when they're in pots. However, it's still highly unlikely, especially with the mild winters, unless you're a lot further north and east of me.
If they've had the opposite problem through summer by being dried out, they'll already be stressed, so that can have an effect too.

 

IMO you are never likely to get that one looking good again, most of it is dead.

 

Yes - I thnk it's doubtful that it's going to thrive. It could be cut back, but that may do nothing productive other than encouraging stems/growth from the rootstcok.

 

Thanks, all

 

I tend to agree with perki - we've had so much rain and the pot isn't on pot feet to help drainage, so it could be the roots have been sitting in a cold bath for months and they've rotted.