Pruning Japanese Maples?

Hi everybody--just found this site and I'm feeling lucky about it!

We have two japanese maples that I think could use some pruning and attention and seeing this forum has prodded me into action.about pruning them...I have asked our 'tree guys' but they do not seem to have the right 'kharma' to take on the project...

I did find this site http://www.sabot.org/gguide/japan.htm that gives a pretty good discussion of what the process is about....but, has anyone else taken on shaping their maple? I'd like to prune them now while I have some time here at home, but I suppose it's not the season, correct?

And, do you think I could use this pruning process to shape some Eastern Redbuds into interesting forms?

Thanks. t.

Hi, you're right that it's not time... at least not until maybe Sept./Oct. or early spring, but you can remove little twiggy stuff to neaten it up, and leaves (which will grow back double, and it's kinda late to be doing them too). As far as the redbuds go, they're like any other trees... no real pruning of any in summer - just the above times.

Larke, I have a Crimson Queen that spread so far outward, it hung over my driveway and we even stepped on some of the leaves because it cascaded so far down. It's about 5 x 8 x 10. Last week I just had to take action and prune it up to about a foot off the concrete. Did I do it great harm? :o( Thanks Jan

The adage of NOT pruning in summer is a good one... it's the most stressful time...but it always "depends" (in my experience) on how much and how old the plant is. A well established maple or any other tree can most likely handle it fine ...unless you "crew cut" it...then all bets are off.
Most folks say late fall or early spring (before it buds out) while dormant except for flowering stuff that you need to do right after they bloom . But in your case you got to do what you got to do...and you're most likley fine.

Actually, for maples, the best time to prune is immediately after the inital flush. Spring pruning will lead to bleeding which can be stressful to maples. Once the spring flush is complete, maple bleed very little thus the cut ends can 'heal' over the summer. I have a small garden so I shape all my JP. I trim mostly in late June. I avoid now as it can cause the plant to flush again and such late growth may not harden off by winter, leading to stem die-back. I often trim again in early September. PM are fairly easy to shape (hence their popularity for bonsai)

Todd_Boland My tree is about 20 years old and the damage is done. If I see re-growth, I'll have to cut it back then unless you think I shouldn't. It's the first time I've ever cut anything off this tree and it had to be done because we stepped on the lower leaves, kids rode bikes over them, animals lifted their legs against them, etc. Not to mention the male cats spraying them. That was probably the worst. I didn't prune the tree, I only cut back the lowest limbs that cascaded to the ground. I trimmed them up about a foot off the ground so nobody would run over them anymore.

I'm sure your maple will be none the worse for the pruning. The older the tree, the better it is able to stand mid-summer pruning.

Todd is so right about that....an older, established tree can take an awful lot of 'help' from well-meaning gardeners.....I am sure yours will be fine!! And you had to do something with bikes, kids, dogs and cars running over the trailing branches...not an ideal situation to say the least!! Not to mention that you didn't do an over-all prune, just trimmed up the branches in harms way.....it will be fine!!

Do you have any pics of this tree?? Mine are all much, much younger than 20 yrs, and I would love to see this tree of yours...must be a gorgeous specimen!!
Let us know how it does - which will be fine...:-)

Jamie

I'm totally new to Japanese Maples, but we just bought a house with several. Our local news garden expert agrees totally with you, Todd, that June is the time to prune them (contrary to what most people would assume). You said you also trim again in late Septemter. Mine look like they haven't been pruned in quite awhile, so would late September be the best time, or shall I wait until June rolls around again? It's just for shaping-- no one's stepping, driving, or peeing on them. Yet. :)

Thanks,
Dana

Late September should be OK...it will the maple a couple of months to heal before wintery weather sets in (of course your winters are child's-play compared to ours!)

I had always lusted after a cute little Japanese Maple - until we bought a house with one tall sturdy JM growing next to the driveway. This creature is more than half the size of the Norway maples that spread like weeds. We finally couldn't stand it this summer - the driveway was so gloomy and nothing else would grow. We chopped and hacked and sawed and trimmed and finally we saw some sunlight near the front door! The tree seems as vigorous as ever - even though the surgery was in maybe July or August.

carrie--you sound like a japanese maple serial killer! I'm glad it worked out for you...t.

I like to trim my maples a little at a time. Just go slow and start taking out crossing branches and then come back to it several days in a row to see what is happening, continuing to take out growth that's crossing. I photo it too - somehow that helps me see it objectively. At the same time I take out branches that are going in directions that I don't like - too tall, etc. Once you spend some time with the tree doing this it will show you what to do. I know that it's hard to believe.

The problem with late June is that you don't want the trunk to be hit by too much sun all of a sudden. But then I'm in a hot climate anyway. It may not be a problem for you. You can pull off small interior growth with your hands if you want to just lighten up the tree.

The other thing is that I've had some of my trees massacred by well meaning, supposedly knowledgeable Japanese Tree "experts" and they have all come back just fine. Not necessarily what I had planned in the beginning, but fine. Whatever you do though, don't use that awful black compound on the cuts. The tree never covers over the black and it doesn't go away - ever as far as I can tell.

Since I have several trees that are close to the house - which were supposed to be 8-10 feet - I have to cut out over enthusiastic growth over the entire season and I haven't had a tree object yet. If I don't, these three trees don't look good at all. My "Butterfly" got to about 12 feet before I decided to cut it back. This is it after pruning. It turns out that 'Butterfly" can get to 20 feet if left to grow and gets well fed. I was going to transplant it but everyone told me not to.

So just go slow. And buy smaller cultivars than you think that you need.