Hi all.
I have recently boutght a small acer and i potted it in multipurpose compost, i was then informed that it should be in ericaceous soil so i reptotted it using ericaceous soil.
Now the tips of the leaves are going brown and looking a bit crispy... Is this a result of the multipurpose compost and is there anything i can do about it?
It is only small, probably about 12" tall. Thanks Ben
Maples (genus Acer) prefer light, well-draining, slightly acidic soil and relatively high humidity.
"Ericaceous soil" is merely a very fancy way of describing light, well-draining, slightly acidic soil. It means soil suitable for plants belonging to the Ericaceae family, the heath family.
Leaf stress generally indicates root damage. You may have over-watered or under-watered the plant. However, it can also indicate air that is too dry. Note that maples are NOT house plants; in your house, the air will definitely be too dry.
No, unless it's been very short of water, the "crispiness" is more likely to be the action of the sun and or wind; these can dry out very quickly in the summer. The broad leafed varieties are the most susceptible. Once established they're pretty tolerant of soil conditions.
This one (acer palmatum dissectum) in our garden is about 25 years old. I put a lot of water on the garden as we have fairly sandy soil. In hot weather the leaves get sprayed twice a day. Even then I get the odd "crispy" leaf now and again.
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