I was given an Acer Palmatum 'Garnet' a week ago, but it has some leaf
scorch[1]. Over the week it seems to be getting a little worse. I
suspect it's just not had enough water lately, and I've been addressing
that. It's currently still in the pot that it came in, but I am
imminently going to repot it into something bigger containing a mixture
of John Innes No. 2[2] and some gravel.

Anyway, what should I do with it in the current situation? Googling
for information on leaf scorch returns lots of info on what it is and
why it occurs but not much (as far as I can see) on what should be done
about it after the fact.

Can I assume from this that the best course of action is to leave it
and wait for next spring? Should I do any pruning? There's at least
one branch that has 100% dead leaves, so I was tempted to remove just
that one.

I am going on holiday for two weeks so it's not going to get watered
for that time, although what with the weather being what it is I'm
hoping that this won't be an issue.

[1] I've only just discovered what this is from googling. I'm no
export garderner as you can probably tell.
[2] It might be JI No 3 - I can't quite remember but whatever it is, it
is what the nice person at the garden centre recommended.

--
Chris

CT wrote:
I was given an Acer Palmatum 'Garnet' a week ago, but it has some leaf
scorch[1]. Over the week it seems to be getting a little worse. I
suspect it's just not had enough water lately, and I've been addressing
that. It's currently still in the pot that it came in, but I am
imminently going to repot it into something bigger containing a mixture
of John Innes No. 2[2] and some gravel.

Anyway, what should I do with it in the current situation? Googling
for information on leaf scorch returns lots of info on what it is and
why it occurs but not much (as far as I can see) on what should be done
about it after the fact.

Can I assume from this that the best course of action is to leave it
and wait for next spring? Should I do any pruning? There's at least
one branch that has 100% dead leaves, so I was tempted to remove just
that one.

I am going on holiday for two weeks so it's not going to get watered
for that time, although what with the weather being what it is I'm
hoping that this won't be an issue.

[1] I've only just discovered what this is from googling. I'm no
export garderner as you can probably tell.
[2] It might be JI No 3 - I can't quite remember but whatever it is, it
is what the nice person at the garden centre recommended.


Hello CT,

Congratulations, 'Garnet' is a nice plant. You should be aware that it
is vigorous and if you want to keep it in a pot it will be happiest with
occasional (every 2-3 years) root pruning. In the ground it will attain
13 ft in a cascading mound. It supports sun well.

Some leaf scorch is not unusual at this time of year, no action is
needed. Be careful not to over water, maples reduce their needs at
fall. Make sure the water is draining freely from the bottom of the
pot, if it's not that could add to the scorched appearance.

Normally don't prune, unless the shape really displeases you. If the
branch is dead, a scratch in the bark will be brown, not green. In this
case you can cut it down to living bark.

Don't repot until the plant has gone dormant. John Innes Ericaceous
compost is fine so long as it is very free draining. Most maple
people add grit, perlite, or pine chips to increase drainage. (Some
cat litter does very well for this purpose also, I believe the
Tesco Premium Cat Litter brand is highly recommended at about
30% volume).

-E

CT wrote:
I was given an Acer Palmatum 'Garnet' a week ago, but it has some leaf
scorch[1]. Over the week it seems to be getting a little worse. I
suspect it's just not had enough water lately, and I've been addressing
that. It's currently still in the pot that it came in, but I am
imminently going to repot it into something bigger containing a mixture
of John Innes No. 2[2] and some gravel.

Anyway, what should I do with it in the current situation? Googling
for information on leaf scorch returns lots of info on what it is and
why it occurs but not much (as far as I can see) on what should be done
about it after the fact.

Ignore it. The plant will drop its leaves in not too long anyway.
Chances are the damage is superficial - the tree sacrifices leaves first
to keep the main tree healthy in a drought.

Can I assume from this that the best course of action is to leave it
and wait for next spring? Should I do any pruning? There's at least
one branch that has 100% dead leaves, so I was tempted to remove just
that one.

The leaves may be dead but the branch is probably OK. The odd branch
might die back a bit but they change colour. It is easier to wait and
see which bits do not come into leaf (if any).

I wait until I know wood is dead before bothering to prune it - and may
take the odd crossing or unbalanced branch out to improve the shape/form
of the tree.

I am going on holiday for two weeks so it's not going to get watered
for that time, although what with the weather being what it is I'm
hoping that this won't be an issue.

[1] I've only just discovered what this is from googling. I'm no
export garderner as you can probably tell.
[2] It might be JI No 3 - I can't quite remember but whatever it is, it
is what the nice person at the garden centre recommended.

A bit of extra grit to help drainage.

Regards,
Martin Brown

"Martin Brown" wrote in message
...
CT wrote:
I was given an Acer Palmatum 'Garnet' a week ago, but it has some
leaf
scorch[1]. Over the week it seems to be getting a little worse. I
suspect it's just not had enough water lately, and I've been
addressing
that. It's currently still in the pot that it came in, but I am
imminently going to repot it into something bigger containing a
mixture
of John Innes No. 2[2] and some gravel.

Anyway, what should I do with it in the current situation? Googling
for information on leaf scorch returns lots of info on what it is
and
why it occurs but not much (as far as I can see) on what should be
done
about it after the fact.

Ignore it. The plant will drop its leaves in not too long anyway.
Chances are the damage is superficial - the tree sacrifices leaves
first
to keep the main tree healthy in a drought.

Can I assume from this that the best course of action is to leave it
and wait for next spring? Should I do any pruning? There's at
least
one branch that has 100% dead leaves, so I was tempted to remove
just
that one.

The leaves may be dead but the branch is probably OK. The odd branch
might die back a bit but they change colour. It is easier to wait and
see which bits do not come into leaf (if any).

I wait until I know wood is dead before bothering to prune it - and
may
take the odd crossing or unbalanced branch out to improve the
shape/form
of the tree.

I am going on holiday for two weeks so it's not going to get watered
for that time, although what with the weather being what it is I'm
hoping that this won't be an issue.

[1] I've only just discovered what this is from googling. I'm no
export garderner as you can probably tell.
[2] It might be JI No 3 - I can't quite remember but whatever it is,
it
is what the nice person at the garden centre recommended.

A bit of extra grit to help drainage.

Regards,
Martin Brown

CT,

I am surprised that no-one has mentioned wind burn. You have some very
good explanations he http://tinyurl.com/lh95h2

Regards,
Emrys Davies.

On 2009-09-07 14:58:05 +0100, "CT" said:

I was given an Acer Palmatum 'Garnet' a week ago, but it has some leaf
scorch[1]. Over the week it seems to be getting a little worse. I
suspect it's just not had enough water lately, and I've been addressing
that. It's currently still in the pot that it came in, but I am
imminently going to repot it into something bigger containing a mixture
of John Innes No. 2[2] and some gravel.

Anyway, what should I do with it in the current situation? Googling
for information on leaf scorch returns lots of info on what it is and
why it occurs but not much (as far as I can see) on what should be done
about it after the fact.

Is it in a windy area? They don't like a lot of wind and/or wet roots.
Make sure it can drain well.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon

Emrys Davies wrote:

I am surprised that no-one has mentioned wind burn. You have some
very good explanations he http://tinyurl.com/lh95h2

Yes, it could be wind burn too, but as the tree only came to me a week
or so ago, I'm not sure of its history.

It looks like I'm best off leaving it in its current pot in a sheltered
corner of the garden until its time to repot.[1] I have the JI No 3
and some small pebbles & grit to mix in for drainage when the time
comes.

I also read somewhere that covering the pot in some bubble wrap will
help protect the tree from frosts.

Thanks to all for the advice. If only I'd stumbled across urg when I
was having tomato problems )

[1] Just a slightly larger and nicer ceramic pot rather than the
plastic one that its in now. I suppose I could just place the current
pot inside the other to make it look nice!

--
Chris

Sacha wrote:

Is it in a windy area? They don't like a lot of wind and/or wet
roots. Make sure it can drain well.

Yes, it's in a sheltered corner and it drains well when I water it.
How much water should I be giving it this time of year? I'm assuming
"not much".

--
Chris

CT wrote:
Sacha wrote:

Is it in a windy area? They don't like a lot of wind and/or wet
roots. Make sure it can drain well.

Yes, it's in a sheltered corner and it drains well when I water it.
How much water should I be giving it this time of year? I'm assuming
"not much".


Just enough to keep the soil slightly moist. How much water will
depend on how much sun and wind it's getting.

Keep in mind that 'Garnet' likes a bit of sun, and the more you
give it the better colour it will have. Too much shade and it
will fade to a rather pedestrian green.

It is true that some palmatums are quite sensitive to wind, which
will cause scorch. But others aren't. For example I have Mirte,
Shishigashira, Chitoseyama, Osakazuki and others growing in full
sun and full wind, they are doing just fine. We're not on the
shore mind, but on a crest where we get quite high gusty winds.
Honestly I think wind is more of a danger in winter when it's
very cold, it can cause bark injuries.

About protecting the pot. First, don't pick a pot that is much
larger than what it's currently in. (Lack of roots in the pot
extremity cause the soil to compact and can lead to eventual
drainage problems). Japanese maple roots freeze at -14C (IIRC) so
if the air is colder than this for an extended period protection
will be necessary. Otherwise the most important thing is to make
sure they don't get too much water while the plant is dormant.

-E

"CT" wrote in message
...
Emrys Davies wrote:

I am surprised that no-one has mentioned wind burn. You have some
very good explanations he http://tinyurl.com/lh95h2

Yes, it could be wind burn too, but as the tree only came to me a week
or so ago, I'm not sure of its history.

It looks like I'm best off leaving it in its current pot in a
sheltered
corner of the garden until its time to repot.[1] I have the JI No 3
and some small pebbles & grit to mix in for drainage when the time
comes.

I also read somewhere that covering the pot in some bubble wrap will
help protect the tree from frosts.

Thanks to all for the advice. If only I'd stumbled across urg when I
was having tomato problems )

[1] Just a slightly larger and nicer ceramic pot rather than the
plastic one that its in now. I suppose I could just place the current
pot inside the other to make it look nice!

--
Chris

The warmest place for any pot plant during the winter is against the
wall of the house, particularly if it is in a corner and outside of the
warmest room. The bubble wrap is also a good idea.