My Acer only has leaves at the bottom

My Acer has lots of beautiful leaves at the bottom and none at the top. It is growing in a large pot and has done really well in past years. I've had it for approximately 10 years and looked after it well. It is situated in a sheltered spot but it still gets sunshine   and just looks beautiful with its blood red leaves. Should I cut off the part that hasn't got leaves or just leave it as it is. Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks 

Prune it back to healthy wood-it sounds as though some of the top growth had died off.

Thank you sotongeoff, the wood does look quite grim at the top so I will have a look tomorrow, weather permitting of course. Its been pouring down hear in Bournemouth on and off all day.

Bournemouth-I am in Southampton-we are practically neighbours!!!

I've had more than the usual amount of winter die back in my established pot grown acers this year. I've cut back to healthy wood, as Sotongeoff advises, and will wait and see what happens next. I'm in South Devon.

my acer is similar. i have found out that it does not like cold wind or draughts. We are on top of a welsh hill and now i have moved it to a lower more sheltered but sunny part of the garden it has come back into leaf.

I had substancial die back on my oldest Acer last autumn, I cut out the dead wood this Spring.

 You can see the dead bit in this pic

Hi i have a acer and at the moment it looks fab with its rright red leaves, but every year i need to trim out the dead wood  and it soon springs back.

ive also got the one in the above post but its only a twig at the moment so i will keep in a pot for now.

Hehe, that was a twig 15yrs ago! I bought it from Woolworths

Wintersong wrote (see)

Hehe, that was a twig 15yrs ago! I bought it from Woolworths

LOL so was my maple eight years ago but its not as big as yours.

Hi everyone, I will be cutting my Acer back this weekend so fingers crossed it will be ok. Sotongeof, hows the weather been today in Southampton, its been heavy showers here in Bournemouth on and off but we have had some lovely sunshine aswell and the garden is loving it, but then it is "sunny Bournemouth" LOL 

Thank you everyone.

Strangely enough we have had more dry than wet bits today-tomorrow is supposed to be dry-

but Sunday!!-get the wellies out and put theaway

I have a problem with mine too.......its in a pot and is always beautiful. This year it has come into bud, leaves have begun to grow but have now stopped. Its been weeks now and nothing has changed. Its seems to have stopped growing completely. My others are in full leaf and are stunning as usual. Do you think the cold weather or frosts have got to it ? They have been under cover until the last few weeks or so. Thanks :0)

I had this happen to me a few years back with some in pots-the nursery that I visited said it was too much water early in the growing season.

I would take it out of the pot-if it is too wet put the empty pot upside down-put the plant on top to allow the rootball to dry out-it might work- you will be no worse off than you are now.