On Fri, 17 Apr 2015 20:44:39 +0100, Jeff Layman
wrote:

On 17/04/15 19:43, FrankB wrote:
I have a Japanese Maple which has been healthy throughout last year. But
this spring it became noticeable that a number of new top stems have died
back. I've now cut these back to main branches. I've no idea what killed
them and we haven't had that cold a winter to cause that amount of dieback.
New growth has already started lower down the main stem, and at the moment
that looks healthy and vigorous. But I'm wondering whether the symptoms
could be early signs of verticillium wilt although there's no sign of the
new growth wilting so far?

I don't know much about Japanese Maples but recently learned that vw is the
main threat to growing them successfully.

A few years ago I had an Acer palmatum 'Shindeshojo' which started to
die back on one of its main branches. I cut the branch back as far as I
could to where it joined another branch - not to just below the dieback.
It looked unsightly for several years, but now you'd hardly notice, and
it is spectacular.

This year the half-dozen A.P. varieties I grow were all ok, except for
dissectum "Crimson Princess". That seems dead to about 10cm above the
graft (it was about 120 cm high, and only planted about a year ago).
I've cut it back to about 5 cm above the graft, but doubt it will
survive. I have no idea why it has died back, but won't put another A.P.
anywhere near that position.

I've had this happen with maples. I've learned not to cut them back
too early. I have a small one with some very dead twigs butin the past
I've found that they shoot out again from the first bud on live wood

A friend and I looked at some acers priced £10 at Tesco last week. I
said I had no intention of buying any more acers. The next day I went
to Tesco to do food shopping and saw a very good looking one, named
Shindeshojo as Jeff's is. I thought it a bargain at £10 so now I am
waiting to see how it does. I have had a Shindeshojo before but lost
it!
Time will tell but I don't know the die-back solution.