Growing them in a pot
Use good quality potting soil. It doesn't need to be compost.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/japanese-maple/japanese-maples-in-containers.htm
When moving house 10 miles within Surrey I would ideally like to bring my beloved Acer- approx 25 years old, 7 feet high, 50 foot circumference?
This tree does not do well with moving. This is, especially, true when it is already established. It can be done, but I would seek the assistance of someone in your area that has experience moving existing Japanese maples, specifically.
I can offer another solution, however. Taking a cutting during dormancy (really several cuttings so that you can be sure that you get one tree to survive) can help you to move a smaller tree. You can opt to let it grow on its own, slower, root system, or graft it to a faster maple species as a root stock.
Here are some articles that will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/moving-mature-trees.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/propagation/layering/air-layering-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/japanese-maple/japanese-maple-grafting.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/japanese-maple/japanese-maple-care.htm
Thank you for your very helpful advice - now need to find an Acer expert in the UK, preferably London area
It had small black balls on the branches which I was able to remove. Now it has these red "things" on the leaves. Is it deseased and what can we do?
I see signs of insects galls, I see scale insects, and I see infections from insect damage.
These articles will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/control-plant-scale.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/treating-leaf-gall-on-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/japanese-maple/japanese-maple-care.htm
It’s alive but there’s no leaves on it
Is it in too much sun? If so, you can erect a shade cloth (if it's not too tall), till cooler weather, then move it to a shadier location. If it's too tall and in too much sun, water it more.
Here are some articles that should help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/japanese-maple/japanese-maple-care.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/japanese-maple/japanese-maple-problems.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/tree-leafing-problems.htm
e compost wen planted & made sure it was well watered but seems to no avail, only thing I can think of is the site is quite sunny & can also get windy. Any response will be greatly received. Thanks. Jimmy
It may be that there is too much compost in the soil, or that it remains too wet. Some leaf drop is normal as it acclimatizes to the area, but you may need to test the soil for nutrient issues, pH issues, or moisture issues.
These articles will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-soil.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/soil-ph-plants.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/testing-moisture-in-plants.htm
The tree is in a large pot and has been planted about two months. Lately a few new shoots sprouted near the bottom of the trunk. Should I prune them off now?
Yes. Japanese maples are grafted so anything below the graft should be removed.
Do I need to prune new shoots from the trunk of the tree?
Yes, new shoots at the base of the tree are suckers and need to be removed.