How to plant this acer?

[katem98]

Good morning! Picked this acer up this morning as someone was throwing it away! We replanted one we had in the back garden from pot to ground and it is currently suffering with root shock and looks very sad!

I’m hoping to avoid that with this one? Is that possible? How is the best way to plant it into the ground so that it thrives?

I’m quite new to gardening and don’t have the greenest of fingers - keen to learn!

It will be very very shocked, that’s inevitable.

Get it in asap at exactly the same level as it was in the ground before. Give it a good water. Do not let it sit around with the roots drying out, I’d have it in a wheelbarrow of water while it’s waiting to go in.

And the brutal bit. If it was mine I would cut it right back. It’s going to lose a lot of those leaves anyway while it tries to keep itself alive and reestablishes its roots, just like your other one is. Just think long term, it will regrow. I’d do the same to whatever the other thing is that you’ve rescued.

You can either cut it back to a sort of lollipop, or do some radical thinning out to a more natural shape. If it survives it will bush out again.

Next time you rescue something try to bring a big rootball of soil along with it (hard I know); this will reduce the shock and damage to the roots a bit.

@LadyGardenersQuestionTime
Thank you so much for your reply.

Unfortunately this is exactly how I picked it up so have no idea how it was planted before! Do you think it will be ok until this evening once my partner is home to replant? I currently have it in the shade with soaking towels under and on the root?

Thanks for the tip re cutting back! Will do this. Is it likely to come back this year or next now?

Am I best to add all purpose compost whilst I’m replanting or just the soil I’m digging up for the tree?

Sorry to ask so many questions just don’t want to ruin the beautiful tree 😊

I’d recommend ericaceous compost when replanting it!

If you plant it in a prominent spot now and it struggles you are going to be stuck looking at it all summer. I would dunk it in a bucket of water (preferably not cold tap water) for a few hours then plant it in a largish pot of good compost mixed with topsoil for stability and moisture retention and some grit for drainage and put it in a sheltered spot for a few weeks/months to settle down.
Once it's recovered and the roots have re-established you can plant it out in your chosen spot.
Keep the soil damp but don't over water.
Lovely tree btw.

I have lots of Acers and I definitely would not cut it back this time of year. . Dig a hole and fill it with ericaesous compost. Keep it watered for the time being. If is starts to brown at the tips , just lightly trim it. Dont let it dry out as Acers have lots of surface roots.
Under no circumstances cut into the wood as you will kill it.

Thank you so much everyone! @RedrosesposiesI think I’d struggle to find a pot big enough for the root, you can’t see it very well in the photo but parts of the root are very wide.

@RictasmorticiaWon’t cut the wood! My other acer has lots of brown, dead leaves would you leave as is or cut them off? Hopeful my other one will be ok next year!

I'd plant it in its final spot asap. I wouldn't want to give it a double shock.

Ideally a bit of sun but not hours of midday scorch.

Most importantly out of wind. Pick a really sheltered spot.

Don't let roots dry out. Talk to it everyday. I think itll look increasingly bad for the rest of this year, then ok but not much growth next, then healthy growth year 3.

Good luck! I absolutely love watching the leaves unfurl in spring 😍 I always try to plant where I can sit to see it with sun behind to highlight it.

Trim off the faded sttuff. Cut only onto new thin wood. Acers are much hardier than you might think. Don’t be tempted to feed it. Give it and ericaeous feed next March.

Get its roots into water now!

@katem98 Reduce the foliage by about half, or it is seriously going to struggle to get enough water up via the damaged roots. For now, plunge the entire rootball into a bucket of water or a washing-up bowl, and put in a sheltered place IN THE SHADE!!! Don't hang about - this is a hospital case.😁

It can stay there for a few hours while you find either a pot for it to go in, or somewhere in the ground.

There should be a mark on the trunk which shows the depth it was previously buried at, so plant it about an inch deeper than that. Keep it seriously well-watered all summer (a whole watering canful every couple of days) even if it rains. The best place for it would be in dappled shade or where it gets sun for only a couple of hours a day, and not where it gets windy.

Oh yes - and ignore anyone who suggests feeding it. You do not give an intensive care patient a roast dinner. Leave it at least 6 weeks before giving it anything at all, and then only half-strength of whatever fertiliser you have.

Sorry to disagree but you will be better not to put it under any more stress by cutting. Definitely get it in to water and then wait and see. If it struggles a gentle prune. It is not an intensive care caseload

I rescued a few acers - they didn't all survive. Get a hole dug - it'll have to be quite wide. Any long roots you can probably cut back otherwise the hole will be ridiculous. And as above keep it seriously well-watered all summer (a whole watering canful every couple of days)

Cutting back some of the long branches and taking away excess foliage is what's needed in order to reduce stress levels.

The reduced number of roots would not be able to take up enough water to hydrate all the leaves, particularly at the ends of branches, so taking some off means that the plant will be less stressed and be able to cope better.

We bought a large potted Firecracker Acer last year and even with careful planting into the correct compost in a good location, that was stressed and looking a bit poorly. This year however, it has really come to life and is a magnificent specimen.

I concur about keeping the roots wet, you must definitely not allow them to dry out.
About the pruning I am really not sure. I can absolutely see the logic in reducing foliage but would this cause even more stress???

When planted, all you can do is feed & water it and then wait.🤞
Don't make any hasty decisions, I would leave it until next year and see what happens in the Spiring.

@Nourishinghandcream No, it doesn't cause more stress, it alleviates it for the reasons I describe above.
You don't want to take too much off though, as it does need leaves to photosynthesise and give the tree strength to put out new roots. But in order to do that, the leaves need water, and if the plant is too stressed and wilted because there are too many leaves for the roots to supply water properly, then the plants suffers both top and bottom.

Acer roots are very fibrous and should root quite easily if left on their own. The secret is the right compost. These tiny roots won’t survive in clay or heavy soil Do not feed, do not prune the leaves or the roots. Watch what the Acer does. It really it is its own doctor. The end leaves may wilt a little but mother nature will recover them.

Pruning sends the plant into shock, when I first had Acers I lost a beautiful one by trying to interfere with it. Later years just go over it lightly with sterilised garden sheers just to keep it manageable.

@Rictasmorticia I've pruned and repotted many, many acers in my time as a bonsai enthusiast, and it is necessary to reduce the top foliage mass if the roots have been damaged on transplanting. Which in the OP's case, they definitely have.

I'm going to leave the thread now, as I'm fed up of explaining botany.

Thank you @Rictasmorticia! I’m hopeful for this one with everyone’s advice. Our old one was replanted without much research. The soil is very clay-like 😥 Not hopeful for her return next year.

I have several acres, one I moved after 7 years as I decided it wasn't thriving in too sunny a spot - the topmost leaves also caught the morning sun and frazzled - it was a similar light green colour to the one you have acquired. My red acers fair better in direct sun so I'd look for a shady or semi shady spot for this. The Acer I moved thrived once it was in the right location - within 8 months it was a different tree altogether.

Definitely shady spot away from the sun in my experience. I learnt that acers are like hydrangeas in the summer and need water! Thanks to the very wet winter we've just had my acer (in a pot) is the best it has ever been. Good luck.