Acer palmatum with sparse leaves

Did you get a late frost or a lot of strong winds at beginning of month? Ours are all leafing up beautifully there is only one that isn't in full leaf now. Our challenge is they have suddenly taken off in the past year and we will need to do some judicious pruning in the autumn

I have one in a pot, which was bought at a good size and was also well leafed for years. One year it suddenly looked quite sparse. Last year I fed it with the slow release fertiliser cones placed in the pot earth, but it didn't seem to make any difference to the amount of leaves.

This spring, it is better covered and there are leaves coming out the main trunk which there weren't before.

I can't remember the brand of fertiliser I used, but if you are suffering from the same problem it may be that with consistent feeding this season the results may not come until the following year's bud formation.

I would still not say mine is very bushy, but there is an improvement.

I was reading a bonsai book which said that pot bound plants do need their roots trimmed for healthy growth, so I will try that with mine and see if it makes a difference.