I have two large crimson queens that are in need of a jm trim any suggestions. Here is a picture of one from the front yard taken through from the second floor. the main branches are a nice shape - there is one branch in the interior i believe should be removed - other suggestions?
this is the one in the backyard it was moved several feet a year ago and the backside is still filling in. again any suggestions?
thx!
wha - Try Niwaki style pruning. There is an excellent book by Hobson that illustrates the tenique.
http://www.amazon.com/Niwaki-Pruning-Training-Shaping-Japanese/dp/0881928356
I can maybe give a verbal description. First you remove any crossing branches ( no surprise there). You remove all small branches from the trunk, called epicormic growth. Those are the very small branches that sprout from the trunk between the main much larger branches. Now comes the tricky part. The goal is to prune for the horizontal. JM buds are opposite - they appear in pairs. You remove all pairs in which one bud points up and one bud points down. This leave pairs of buds that grow horizontal to the ground. From those pairs you work down the branch removing one bud/branch from each pair in alternate fashion. In other words if you remove one from the left side of a branch then next one to take off would be from right side of the branch. You literally remove 3/4 of the side branches eminating from the main frame work. Is this making any sense? I've pruned all my JM's this way for the first time just this month. I took a deep breath and said what the heck. I like the look it achieves for the frame work very, very much.
Attached is a picture of a Sekimori that was pruned this way. Note that anythoing that grew straight up towards the sky or straight down to the ground is gone. Then note that the side branches left are alternate and show a horizontal growth direction.
i saw the book you reference on amazon although i did not order it - just the pocket guide for jm's and the new 4th edition jm book due out in aug. and read here about your trimming while the hubby was shoveling:)
i understand exactly what your saying - that's a lot of trimming for these two - i actually would like to see them get taller so i'll have to find good prospect branches for that. maybe i'll do a modified niwaki trim.
thanks
4th edition JM book? Thanks for the tip.
I don't think that anything you do will make the first one taller wha. It's growing down from all of it's branches and that won't change. It's typical CQ behavior. Personally I don't prune my trees unless they have branches that spoil the tree or they need it to keep them in the right size for where they are planted. I like the natural look better.
i read on david's sight he feels the same about the natural look - mine look like two big mushrooms when leafed out. i'll have to think more about this.
The only way you're going to get either or both of your JMs to grow taller is to manually train a new leader or leaders on them. It's easy, actually. Choose one or more of the uppermost branches that are not too large (you're going to bend them rather severely, so you can't choose thick ones), probably no thicker than a pencil. In the spring, and on a warm day when they are the most pliable, drive a stake (bamboo or otherwise) onto the ground near the chosen branch(s). With some sort of tie handy strips of old pantyhose work well), carefully and slowly bend the stem as nearly vertical as possible so as to line it up with the stake. Tie it firmly to the stake in a couple of places starting at the lowest part of the bent stem. You'll have to leave it for a year in this position. As it grows during the year, you can continue to tie the new growth to the stake, training it this way. You can keep it going vertical until you get the height you want. I've successfully added two feet+ to weeping varieties this way. Doss is right in that it won't get much taller if any if left on its own.
Also, just thinning out the smaller branches and twigs of your JMs will open them up and reveal the beautiful branching structure, which makes them especially beautiful in the winter.
Major pruning should be done when plants are fully dormant, late November to early January, well before the sap starts rising. So, it's too late for large branches to be removed, but you can still take off any smaller branches and twigs, those less than a pencil thickness. You can prune those at any time of the year, but is easiest when the plants are leafless.
Hopefully, David will add his invaluable two cents worth to this discussion!
thanks hoosier - i've done exactly that to a viridis and inabe?? in back. if it get above 20 degrees this weekend i'll try and clean them up a bit.
The mushroom shape is a very pretty one I think. Just use it to your advantage.
wha, I remember talking to Boojum about pruning a 'Crimson Queen' and I found this posting from her. I think it will be very useful to you. I have been to her garden many times. I know this Jmaple. This Jmaple is a friend of mine. Patti http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/729903/
hi patti - thanks i remember looking at this post last year and had forgotten about it.
still need to get out there and do something about trimming it a bit - i think i will stay with the mushroom look and clear out some interior branches if possible. maybe i'm blind - i did not see a "noticeable" change in boojum's trim.
She has amazing collection of iris planted in that bed as well as everywhere in her gardens and that Jmaple was taking over, so I think the big change was pruning it underneath which sort of eliminated the branches at the bottom to expose the plants beneath it. I know it looked better. Just d-mail her. She is a great resource. Patti
ok i went back and clicked on all the pics - i can see that the iris and grass are more viewable although still covered a bit - it still looks like they need to be moved out from underneath the CQ. it will only keeping growing - i know i have to trim mine in the back with the raised rock wall bed every year and have moved the azalea's twice now and enlarged the front of the bed twice as well.
ok i finally trimmed the CQ a bit - here it is before
and after - still need to go at with hand prunners this spring
What a beautiful specimen! I think you've done a great job so far. In my opinion, you could continue to remove lots of the small twigs, especially on the right side in the photo, to give it a more airy look. That would help it not look like a mop-headed umbrella, but it really has good "bones". I find that if you encourage a side branch or branches to keep growing out, sometimes even staking it for a year, it produces a very nice uneven structure, reducing the umbrella effect to zero. (see photo)
hoosiergreen, wonderful flow to yours. I can only aspire to growing one that well. Thanks, Patti
thx hoosier - i really did not take too much out - maybe four branches that were inside - and yes there is still more to cut - the sun is tough were this is planted that is why the right side seems over grown - when i planted it there were no branches there
Just a note to let you know that my photo is of a client's JM, not mine. However, it does show great form after "training". My beautiful weeping JM is still recovering from the Easter Freeze of '07. It used to be gorgeous, but is half the size now after being killed back to the trunk that spring.
i made another trip back to the cq out front and trimmed it more - basically any under-lapping branch and all the dead branches/twigs were removed
comments?
this is the other cq out back - did basically the same thing here - in front there are a couple branches i could probably thin further - i am going to hold off and let the back of the tree fill in more - i've moved this tree three times within the bed it is in - this will be the third year in this spot so i expect some more aggressive growth and i have taken down two large maples that were behind this bed so it will have the added benefit of more sun
Looks like you've got the knack of it. I think you'll appreciate the form of your JMs better now, and they will have a more graceful appearance.
thanks for the push hoosier :)
Good job wha. They both look wonderful. Can't wait to see what they are like when they are in leaf!
Looks wha better! What is your planting strategy with the new bare rooted JMaples that you are getting. I need advice asap. I may have to have DH heel them in or plant in containers for about a week. Bed not dug. I am away for a few more days. Patti.
Patti i'll dmail you
Hi all. Just stopped by for a visit. Missing my bloodgood I guess. I lost it last year-it has made me skiddish about JMs. All the bark was peeled off but not fresh like from deer. Anyway, I planted a false cyprus in its place last year. Thanks, Patti for adding the link. I'm going out to check if my CQ could use a trim after being inspired by wha! And that marvelous CQ of Hoosier's client. Just so beautiful. How uplifting beauty can be when one is open to it. Actually you don't even need to be open to it. That tree clobbers you with its grace and beauty! Even a dolt would notice!! LOL.
boojum - it took me 3-4 separate trips to trim the two CQ - just could not do it in one go round:)
I understand!
Wha - do you have a recent picture of your CQ? I'd love to see how it's "shaping up" after the hair cut.
i will post pic's of both after they have leafed out - still early spring here gsox:)
I guess the 95 degree temperatures we had yesterday fried my brain and I forgot that the rest of the country might not be as hot as California is!
Anyway, I will continue to look forward to seeing your pictures (when it is time).
here it the CQ fully leafed out in the front yard. it looks similiar to last years pic except the the layering is not quite as thick.
here is the CQ from the back yard - it shows noticeable new growth especially on the other side - i have taken down several large sugar maples behind this one so it has filled in nicely.
It looks great! I like the rock border too.
It looks great Wha. Thanks for posting an update on it.
thx doss
There are some beautiful trees here, and good advice. What I do after the weather is cold, and all the leaves are off is take out all the dead branches, of course, sounds simple enough but when I inherited by CQ it had a lot of dead branches in it, and the branches touched the ground and were dipping upwards. I like my tree to show the beautiful branch work as well as the leaves. Mid summer I did a serious prune job to start to bring the branches out from behind all those leaves. Once all the leaves are dropped I'll take out any dead ones I missed. Then I'll wait until the new leaves come out and are harden before I do anymore work. I guess I'm going for a bonsai look without the pot, but I'm also thinking of making a wooden cedar box and putting it in that. That way I can enjoy the sort of Bonsai look. It's different then the conventional Bonsai's, but that is what I like, to take a style and add it my own unique flare to it. My newest Japanese maple will stay in the planted it came in for now, later I'll put it in a cedar planter.
Like this one that I found on this site:
That's very pretty tau. I'd love to see a photo of your CQ.
