Also It has problems, Suffered wih die back. Please could you help asses the health of my acer.

Is this leaf scorch? from being exposed to cold winds?

Branches with no leaves growing on it.

What is this on these branches? Is this die back ?

be nice to know where you are..

was hit hit by a frost or freeze after the leaves emerged???

who topped it.. and why??? ... how big was it when you got it 5 years ago???

ken

I'm in London, UK. The tree wasn't hit by any frost this year before the leaves emerged.

Some of the bigger branches were cut off due to the branches dying back. The tree used to be about 4/5 feet about 5 years ago, grew to about 7 feet before all the dying back of the branches.

The leaves used to be bright red in the spring and early summer, but now the leaves are very dull looking, a browny red. it's lacking its sparkle it used to have. I don't quite understand what's happened.

It also has mealy bugs at the bottom on the main trunk.

This post was edited by gtiboy on Thu, Jun 19, 14 at 18:11

Identifying a specific cultivar of Japanese maple - Acer palmatum, which is what this is - can be virtually impossible to do with any degree of certainty except for a few rather unique ones. As one larger US grower states: "There are things that are absolute in life such as death and taxes. Unfortunately being able to visually identify a specific Japanese maple cultivar with 100% certainty isnâÂÂt one of them. A person would be hard pressed to know all of them in any intimate way. In my opinion it would be unethical for even the most expert old-time Japanese maple grower or even J.D. Vertrees himself to give a 100% guaranteed ID on any Japanese maple."

One of the reasons an accurate ID is difficult if not impossible is because many JM's are seed grown and therefore of no specific cultivar. And with others, the differences are often so subtle as to be indistinguishable to all but an expert.

Japanese maples can always suffer some dieback in winter, even in my very mild climate. Removal of any bare or obviously dead branches is a good thing. The brown or dried edges of the foliage usually indicates uneven watering practices - too much followed by a dry period or vice versus. They would much prefer the soil to remain evenly moist.

The browning can also suggest some frost or cold temperatures when the tree was leafing out. But if new growth is developing similar symptoms, it's the water issue.