Acer problems

The top leaves on my acer are losing colour and browing at the edges.  Is it infected with something or is it due to weather - too windy?  too sunny?  The leaves bwlow the top ones are growing fine and nice and green.  Its in the pot below which has just started showing strange patterns on it so not sure if this indicates some fungal infection? 

I think it is just autumning, perhaps the top most ones because of wind damage.

I agree with Blairs. I have an Orange Dream as well and some of the leaves are on the turn and the top does look like wind burn. I wouldn't worry too much as the leaves will be gone soon . As for the pot - it's just lichen and moss I think.

Acers don't like too much direct sun.    My south-facing garden has no shady areas, so my acer leaves usually end up brown on the tips.   But they fall off anyway and new ones will grow next year, so I don't worry about it.

My Acer was turned green but growing  strong

Don't worry Trucker, my 5 year old acer looks like that at the beginning of Autumn (and its terracotta pot gets greener too!) but has lovely new leaves in the Spring.

Hi I have an acer that I planted this year, it is really small and quite young. The soil is high in clay so I made sure that I mixed sand and compost around the roots to try and improve drainage. All the new growth has now died. leaving bare stalks sticking out of the plant. The original foliage looks fine. Is this just something that happens with plants getting used to the new surroundings or is this something I need to solve? any ideas?

Acers need ericaceous compost

Sorry folks - acers DON'T need ericaceous compost - that's a myth. They will do absolutely fine in neutral compost - check the RHS cultivation notes here. But they don't like being waterlogged, which might be the cause of the leaf drop - or it may just be autumn.

As for the leaf loss - the

Thanks for the RHS link Alina. I didn't realise that the roots of maples in pots are vulnerable to frost over winter.  It suggests wrapping containers with a sheet of bubble wrap, held in place with garden twine.  Easy to do and well worth doing.  

Good link thanks , I will check to make sure that the plant is not waterlogged. I planted it on a slope so hopefully it's not too waterlogged. I have some ericaceous fertilizer that I have for a Nadina that has to be in ericaceous compost, I will add some of this to the Acer which should lift the acidity a little, as the link mentioned they like slighty acidic conditions. My wormery is producing some fantastic compost so I can use this as mulch and I often use the rotting leaves dropped from the tree next door to create mulch for the other plants, so I will add some of this to ensure that the base of the tree doesn't get too frosted. Hopefully this will work!! It is in the corner of my garden which gets the less intense afternoon sun and is fully protected from wind, so this should be a good spot for it! Thanks for the advise.

Really!!! I put it in a pot and pretty much left it!! I don't think I even potted it in ericaeous compost until I realised you were supposed to. My isn't very big, as I keep it in a pot, I didn't want it to grow really big, as I was living in a flat when I first bought it and it stayed outside the front door. I sprinkle a handful of ericaceous fertiliser on  it once a year. it is a Nadina Domestica (heavenly bamboo) the pot stands in a reletively sheltered spot with some afternoon sun. Sounds like I have been really lucky!

We have a large acer which looks in trouble. Some top branches are bare. I trimmed back some of what looked like dead wood earlier in summer. There is now more on its way. The leaves looks diseased to me. Picture of healthy and not so healthy. Any ideas from you acer pundits?

Sorry forgot the picture!

Is it in a very breezy position? I have found that I get dieback in the part of a plant that grows above a fence - the section sheltered by the fence is fine.

Most Acers are killed or damaged by overwatering or waterlogging - for example putting in a pot too large for it.

Secondly wind - they hate wind, esp young ones

Third - they do take sun, taking more sun with maturity

Fourth - good draining soil, they really do not need acidic soil. A well fertilised soil is great as they have surface roots that feed. A leaf much and they will be happier still.

@ Robin - looks like wind damage to me