Pruning Red Maple trees

9 years ago

When is it OK to thin (prune) a red maple tree? I received a quote from a tree service who wants to do the pruning in November (zone 7a). But I thought it summer and mid-winter were the only times to prune a maple. Anyone have suggestions? Thanks.

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Comments (3)

Embothrium
9 years ago
The first thing I want to know is how much you are planning to cut out, and how big and old the specimen is - with most kinds you do not want to do a lot of volume reduction to a mature tree, regardless of the time of year. Otherwise, yes, maples may bleed when pruned during the winter - the time when this could be expected to be the worst would presumably be the same period as when sugar maples might be tapped. November might be too early in the season for much bleeding, and it wouldn't be expected to hurt the tree anyway. Unless there is going to be so much cutting that a whole bunch of sap comes out. But again there the main problem will be the amount of wood and potential foliage that is taken away, rather then the bleeding.

It always depends on the specific details involved but in general if a tree looks quite dramatically different after pruning it has been pruned too much.
Zoe Kendrick
8 years ago
The obvious answer to your question is that it's best to do it before the tree gets out of hand. However, like the last comment suggested, the late autumn may be your best option for pruning. I also agree about trees looking significantly different after an over-pruning. Just make sure the tree service you hire is certified and actually knows what they're doing. I hope everything works out! http://www.bhaneyandsons.com/services/
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Thank you ja-gardener. That is pretty similar to where my very uneducated eye was going too; I know that the one branch is too low and has to come off, but I figured the stuff in the middle was more critical as it could effect the integrity of the tree. I'll let the lower branch on for another year or two. I am thinking that if it is carefully pruned as it matures it will end up with two to three main branches coming off the trunk. It was not perfect when we bought it, but not nearly so crowded! Other than taking off too very thin low limbs I've mostly let it go. It went in the ground nearly four years ago, but the first year ended up being terribly dry. We watered it diligently but it was stressed so I wanted to give it several years to make food for roots before taking anything off the top. This will help me start the conversation with the arborist and I'll see what he says. I might have him out to look at it before it leafs so he can get a good idea of the structure, then have him prune it this summer.
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Silver maples have a very strong tendency not to grow with a central leader. A typical silver maple will divide fairly low down into 3 to 5 large ascending branches. Occasionally silver maples will grow one trunk up to 15 feet or more, but this is not typical. I have never done it with a silver maple, but you could try to prune the tree to grow with one main trunk up to 10 or 15 feet without too much trouble. If the strongest trunk/ascending branch is leaning a bit, it may not be a big problem. If you prune off the others, the one you leave will straighten up somewhat. It will probably want to divide into large ascending branches again, and you can prune it again to maintain the central trunk. But, personally, I would let the tree grow as it wishes, unless one or two of the lower branches are growing outward at angles that would make them a nuisance later. A silver maple with the typical form of dividing into large ascending branches fairly close to the ground (4 to 7 feet)can be quite attractive. But you do need a lot of space for these trees, and they are best away from a house where their special form and foliage can be best appreciated. They can break and shed limbs more than some other trees, so they are not the best tree for close to a house. --Spruce
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Pruning is unlikely to help it thicken up. Pruning will encourage new growth, but that would be from the branch tips, rather than filling in the foliage along the branches. Which is what I assume you mean by thickening up :-)) If the tree was planted too deeply, that is why it is still struggling and there is nothing you can do at this point to hasten the recovery. Length of recovery from that sort of stress is measured in tree time rather than people time and the tree will take as along as it needs. That you are already noticing some improvement is a good thing. Just make sure it receives the water it needs and let it be. And you might want to take some time to research how to train and prune young shade trees. This is an excellent website for that info with detailed drawings - you want to focus on the instructions for trees with a decurrent growth habit, which all maples have.
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Need to when to prune a red maple
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Comments (1)
I'd prune it as soon as it drops most of its leaves. It may very well bleed - maples tend to have pretty active sap, even in winter - but that is more a concern to the pruner than it is to the tree :-) And most large maples tend to have a lot of surface roots.....one of the attributes that makes growing anything under them highly problematic.
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wisconsitom
8 years ago
The so-called bleeding of maples and a few others is a red herring. All woody plants are best pruned in late winter/early spring, this based on the energy flow within the organism, as well as the quest to reduce to the absolute minimum the time it takes the plant to close these pruning wounds. But.......the difference between the absolute best timeframe and all the other times of year are fairly minor. You can dwarf a tree by pruning just as it is leafing out, or by doing same during fall leaf coloration/drop. Other than that, it's all good. Mid-summer is a decent time to prune trees like maples. Don't get too hung up on pseudo-info and half-truths. Lots of those floating around.

So, to recap, if at all possible, stay away from those two times of year when the tree is doing something with its foliage-late spring or early fall. Other than that, prune away.

+oM

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Pruning Red Maple trees

Comments (3)

Embothrium

Zoe Kendrick

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wisconsitom

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