[Albion] When should you pot on an Acer seedling?

[jimhigham]

I am looking at several lovely acers in the garden from my dining room/office. Sadly Mrs H is this acer expert and all were bought and planted rather than grown from seed. Sadly I have no wisdom to impart (so what's new).

A very lovely plant though. Best of luck with Project Pot. That sounds wrong.

 

[Milano]

Acer tangent….. when should you prune one and by how much? I’ve got one that’s gone a bit out of control but I’m worried if I cut it back too much it won’t recover.

 

[Sorrel]

“Keep as much soil with it as possible when moving” says my local horticulture advisor.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

As it's a red Acer then you should pot it after a colour.

 

[wellquickwoody]

I would suggest not moving either of them to a larger pot until they have grown a lot bigger. I would be waiting until I saw signs of root growth from the bottom of the pots, and not just the first signs either. For the one still with only its seed leaves I would nip the other shrub/tree seedling with my finger nails, or if possible try the tease the root out too with as little disturbance to the Acer seedling as possible. After that try to keep them moist, but not wet, and do not use tap water if you are in a hard water area. Good luck.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Did you dig it a hole using acer spades

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

We have a couple, one red, one green, in the garden. Seem to be doing ok.View attachment IMG_0658.jpeg

 

[ElectricNaz]

We have a couple, one red, one green, in the garden. Seem to be doing ok.View attachment 180484

Love that. Great work my man

 

[Jack Straw]

Later, but this should do.

The two seedlings I have now were both self seeded. Both in pots sitting on the patio under the big acer. The soil in each is from the garden compost.

The one I moved on is in a bigger pot full of acer-specific material (I think it was John Inness number two - but it was what the Royal Horticulture society pages recommended. It was moved on without disturbing the soil of the original pot. It has the two smooth initial leaves and two 'typical' acer leaves.

The one I have not potted on has only the first two smooth leaves.

Personally, I'd say leave both well alone. It's not a good idea to move anything deciduous when it's in leaf, unless it's in a pot and the roots wouldn't be disturbed. I'd just put both as they are in dappled shade if you've got that situation, look after them, ie don't let them get dry, and see how they look at the end of November which is the best time to move them.
All being well, they should grow to about 18"-24".

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Personally, I'd say leave both well alone. It's not a good idea to move anything deciduous when it's in leaf, unless it's in a pot and the roots wouldn't be disturbed. I'd just put both as they are in dappled shade if you've got that situation, look after them, ie don't let them get dry, and see how they look at the end of November which is the best time to move them.

Thanks!

 

[ElectricNaz]

One thing I've found and did a lot of research about.

Last year mine had some sort of disease, white spots on the leaves as the year went on. I read up about it and when the leaves dropped in late autumn, I cleared them up and didn't let them rot into the soil as apparently this can cause more issues long term.

This year it looks much healthier, not sure if you're experts and I'm teaching you to suck eggs, but honestly clearing up the leaves seems to have helped