Grow Your Own Magazine

Sorry I know this isn't a veggie but didn't know where else to put it - and I am a complete noob so figured here would be good

Just received 3 year old bare root Acer through post and concerned as to exactly how to treat it. Plan is that it will grow in a lovely (quite huge) pot I've bought for my back garden. However I have several questions and wondered if you guys could help

1. Should it go into it's final pot now? The plant is little more than a stick and it would look swamped, is it best to pot in a smaller one then move or put it into where its going to live forever?

2. Does it need any special kind of compost or can normal stuff do - I've got massive bag of Morrisons that i've been using - should I be getting it something special?

3. I've read that they don't like wind and my back garden is, and will be, quite exposed for some time to come (new fencing not in then the trees/plants that will give shelter will need some time to grow). Any tips?

4. Weather - this weekend is forecast a nasty one. Should I be putting it out this weekend with frost forecast or leaving it til it seems a bit brighter? Should I stick it in the pot anyway then move both out (although this may give me a hernia as it's so big) once it is nicer?

Should have done my homework when I bought the bloomin' thing but it was a teeny bit of an impulse buy

Thanks xx

1. Don't put it in the big pot, too much space can actually lead to rotting the little thing!
2. Ericaecious compost is best as they like it on the acidic side (tho I put mine in 1/2 normal compost, 1/2 ericaecious and they're fine)
3. They are VERY ensitive to wind - it will rip their leaves and can totally destroy them, you must put it somewhere sheltered! Near a wall, near the house, between the bins?
4. If it is sheltered from the wind then this should be ok as far as temperature is concerned, however, if it's been in a greenhouse then it's not going to be used to the outside! Has it got leaves on it? If the leaves are fully developed then I reckon it's been in a greenhouse and you should harden it off, or keep it in a shed if there are cold nights.
HTH! Vicky

I have two which live over winter in the cold greenhouse. They are still there. I usually put them outside in May - our garden is rather windy too and if they go out too soon the leaves 'burn' at the edges and look rather sad. Mine are in John Innes no. 3 and seem very happy there. Pot up gradually. Ours are still in very small (but decorative) pots.

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Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

1 - pot up, not into final one yet
2 - well drained compost
3 - keep any eye out for leaf burn
4 - harden off gradually


I have an acer palmatum 'bloodgood' in a pot which is over 15 years old, it has only ever been in multi-purpose compost. Although acers prefer protection from the wind, and those trees with finer leaves will suffer most, mine take their chances, it can be a windy garden. If the leaves start curling and going crispy its probably wind-burn, not pretty but not terminal.

I've got some small ones growing from seed and they and the other 2 potted acers and 2 others in the ground, have been outside all winter. Just make sure the compost/soil isn't waterlogged.

- seed trees

- bloodgood (last summer with leaves!)

- wintertime

Oh one thing to watch out for, on the tender new leaf shoots, blackfly and greenfly! I spray them with a (squirt of ecover) washing-up liquid in water.

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Thanks very much everyone, she's now planted in a medium size pot and sat in my hallway while I figure out where she is eventually going to live. Back garden is SO windy that she can't go there - so she might get stuck out the front for a while.

Cheers for all the advice xx

I had a palmatum Bloodgood in a pot for about 15 yrs as well (about 5' tall) - and decided to give it some freedom 3 years ago by planting it out in my small sheltered back garden. It looked brilliant first year - then it died back to one teeny tiny branch, which is slowly recovering, but about 1' high.

I think they do much better in pots. Perhaps if you plant them out at a younger age they adapt better. It may have been that hot summer the year before last that did the bad deed. I planted one out last year which I'd recently bought and that also died back a bit. In future they're staying in their pots!

Fran

I'm reading this thread for my mum - she's eventually been successful growing an acer and delighted. However she is wondering when is the best time to pot on? She thinks it's probably around the Autumn - but any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Dee

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"A cat sees no good reason why it should obey another animal, even if it does stand on two legs."

saying about pots...mine is in the back garden in a raised bed and grows bigger every year...frost doesnt bother it nor the wind...sorry not sure bout the type

I was looking into getting an Acer, but was advised that they are shade lovers, and should not be positioned anywhere that it gets lots of sun. Does anyone out their have theirs standing in the sun, and if so, are you having any problems with the sun/heat damaging the leaves.

Acers are fully hardy - but they can be a bit fussy for no reason you can see. When they are young they can be subject to leaf scorch in the sun, or just fail to thrive for no apparent reason. Once you get them going they are just as tough as anything else. They are expensive to buy but the ones in this pic (top left, red and green) I bought as seedlings and grew on.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Wow! They're stunning Alice. You treat your acers how I wished I treated mine.

Our Acer 'bloodgood' stands in full sun for most of the day, no problem. The problem is me not repotting it to a large pot. (Oops )

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

Try planting it in the ground SBP. That's where mine go.

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From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Ahh, I've never been convinced we're staying somewhere, and so have kept them in pots.

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

i just bought one put it in the garden in part shade 4 weeks ago ,it seems to be doing fine ,should i feed it with anything?
john

hi, ive 3 acers now all doing fine, a little wind burn ,same every year
my question is ,what can i feed them with ??

thanks for any replies

This is a handy thread ... I just impulse bought 3 x Acers from QD for less than £2 each.

cheers guys.

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~ What do I think of Western civilisation? I think it would be a very good idea ~ Gandhi

i bought mine and shoved it in the ground, in april, near the pond (before realising it isn't evergreen, so it will have to move at some point).... it was about 8 inches high when i got it, it is now about 2 foot, and i just planted it straight in the garden, with a bit of compost, and feed the whole bed a multi purpose fertilizer when i remember ..... the original leaves got a bit of wind burn? round the edges, but the new leaves are lovely.

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