By Stewarthw
Kent,
United Kingdom 
Ihave a red dwarf acer,i bought whilst dormant.It flourished with lovely red fern like leaves.Now the leaves have gone a browny colour and gone brittle to the touch just like they are drying out.What is causing this and what is the cure if any.It is watered about every 2-3weeks.Thanks for any ideas
13 Jun, 2011
Whether in a pot or in the ground given where you are living the poor blooming tree is dying of thirst! You need to seriously water especially if it is in a pot - get the hose on trickle and leave it overnight if in the ground and keep repeating every few days and then drop back to once a week. In a pot soak seriously every day even if you are getting rain. A newly planted tree is trying to establish its roots, in dry soil this is almost impossible.
At the same time make sure you have planted in acidic/ericaceous compost as the Japanese Acers can't cope with alkaline soil.
13 Jun, 2011