CARE FOR ACERS

bazbrady

So ive got 4 crimson prince 2-3 foot acers in between some bamboo.im just looking for the best way to care and feed them.they are up against a fence and in between the bamboos so fairly sheltered from cold winds as best as can and have survived the last 2 winters ok in meath.i havent really fed them apart from a bit of chicken manure during the growing season,ive seen conflicting advice online some saying to feed with ericaceous compost etc and others saying they dont really need acidic feed once the gound conditions is neutral ph 7 etc.What is the best feed recommended for acers,ive noticed some white on the end of some of the branches where they seem to be dying or slightly burnt ,no sure , but they seem to be growing fine and recover each time in the summer after budding up.

Sonnenblumen

Acers although fairly tolerant do prefer slightly acidic soil conditions. If they are growing in normal lime soils, applying some ericaceous compost occasionally will help. Alternatively and probably better one could also add a Sequestrean of Iron. Feeding the trees is a completely different matter and any general fertiliser (including Chicken Pellets) will do fine. One can use liquid fertilisers which have been made specifically for plants which prefer acidic soil conditions (Acers, Rhododendron, Camellia, Azaleas etc etc).

Although preferring sheltered positions, Acers can suffer a little wind scorch and die back during the Winter months, but healthy trees tend to recover quickly in Spring.

bazbrady

thanks for that,i think i will buy some sequestered of iron and feed them as usual in summer with some chicken pellets,thanks for the advice..