Q How should I repot my 10-yearold acer tree?
A BOB SAYS These ornamental maples can be difficult, requiring shelter from scorching sun and fierce winds, and need rich, moist, but never waterlogged, soil. After a decade it will now be pot-bound, so I cannot suggest you simply plant it out in the ground as it will probably not have enough vigour to establish. So, remove it from the pot, shaking off as much of the old compost as possible, and prune off any dead roots. Repot it into a slightly larger container, preferably terracotta as its weight will help to keep the plant upright. Use a good-quality potting compost (not a cheap or multi-purpose one), preferably a 50:50 mix of a soil-based one such as John Innes with an ericaceous one (or with leaf mould, if you have any).