Bob Hobden wrote:
"Dave Hill" wrote
I have a very good Acer palmatun disectum which is around 8 years of
age, and it has had one stem die back this spring and a second now
looks as if it is going the same way, its in a 15inch pot, good
drainage.

I had a rather nice old one die during a hot summer when I forgot to water
it, and it was planted in the ground.


No reason A. palmatum planted in ground will need to be watered in our
climate,
unless it is planted in sand... It may have been something else as done
it in.

Dave, when was yours last repotted? Is it possibly rootbound?
Did it get hurt in a late spring frost?

Some dieback in winter and spring is normal with these plants. Dieback
in summer, with blackening branches, can be a sign of verticillium wilt.

Cut off a dead stem, and cut through it at a small angle. Look for
characteristic
discoloration (gray or brown streaking) underneath the cambium.

If you post a pic of it somewhere, that might help identification of the
problem.

-E