Wind Battered Acer

I have an acer which has taken a beating from the wind and is looking rather windburned. My question is what should i do? Will it recover? or do i need to move it to a more protected area in my garden. It is presently in a central position in my garden roughly 80/90m2.

 

Lets see a pic

 

"do i need to move it to a more protected area in my garden"

I think that is your best plan. IME they hate wind, and will look wind-burnt year-after-year otherwise.

Is it one of those diddy ones? Like Acer palmatum dissectum, or somesuch?

 

Hello,

I am with Kristen on this-they cannot stand the wind at all, and will always suffer in an exposed spot. I would move it as soon as so it can reestablish before the autumn winds come.

 

here are some pics i think i will move it in the autumn as there has been no improvement
http://www.dropshots.com/rach1974#date/2008-07-22/19:10:16

 

Just saw the picture, oh my gosh, the poor thing, he wants to be moved.

 

Hi Rach,

If you are careful you can move it now. Its a toss up as to which is worse-the damage which will get worse every day or the move. They grow slowly anyway.

 

I would move it when it's dormant, they can be quite fussy and the shock could kill it. As I found out to my cost.

 

Oh dear!

I moved three of mine and they did get a check but didn`t die on me, fussy so and so`s these maples.

 

They also like a bit of shade.

 

Can you put a wind break around it? I've got some layflat clear plastic tubing (which is about 2.5 feet in diameter) which I use to protect newly planted shrubs. Would that be any help, or just be an eyesore in your garden (until you move it in the Autumn)

 

I have seen worse
I have just planted out a couple of dozen plants in a fairly windy location. Four of them just bought from Holland, and the rest grown from seed
They have suffered greatly from the winds that were prevalent for a few weeks after they were planted
Nevertheless, I want a little 'forest' of Japanese maples to walk through into my wildlife garden
So ... I am planting a windbreak of native species ... ash, beech, oak, alder, willow and a couple of sycamore, hawthorn, and plan to move a sorbus and maybe a Scots pine in autumn
OK ... this is in a meadow, and I know you can't do that in a garden setting
But my point is ... can you provide some shelter in a similar way? The tree looks like it would look exceptionally well where it is in a few years time, and they do become more resistant after they settle in for a few years
If not ... don't try to move it until it is dormant. Better safe than sorry

 

When would it be dormant?

 

October/November?
When the leaves have fallen off and the plant begins to sleep for winter

 

Ahh........ i never even knew the leaves would fall off.