in theory.. whorl is a conifer term ... but i used it here ... first year of planting.. NEVER prune.. every leaf is a food making machine to grow new roots.. simple enough .... this year.. their job is done ... a little canopy reduction ... removal of those branches .... to balance out with the root mass below.. which are still probably lesser than what they should be.. will NOT hurt this tree at all ... think of it this way ... with a given amount of roots.. spreading growth over all of the tree .. versus the tree minus those branches .... if you want more top growth.. more vigor.. remove the bottom branches .... and it will rocket skyward ... its budding out nicely ... and is going to take off like a rocket.. my prediction anyway .... cut them now.. and leave a one inch wound.. or cut them in fall.. and leave a 2 inch wound ... your choice.. trees heal themselves.. anything you can dream up is contrary to nature.. period .... but the bottom line.. its a maple.. you can run it over with the car.. and it will probably survive.. do NOT overthink it all ... dont kill it with too much love [no fert] .... water and mulch it properly ... and step back ... take off those bottom branches.. and i wouldnt be surprised if it doesnt double in size by leaf fall ... probably will anyway.. lol.. they are weeds... good luck ken ps: this is probably the only post ever where i havent suggested that you just kill a maple... consider yourself lucky ... lol ..

for me.. the little branchlets.... 6 of this half dozen .. etc ... leave.. remove.. whatever .. if i can rub out.. or snip off a 1/8 inch branch.. i figure it is better than creating a 1/2 or one inch pruning wound ... later on ... because i forgot to do it for 3 years ... in a perfect ken world.. i would trim up the extra foot or so ... after leaf fall .. they have done their work this year.. and they can be sacrificed before next season ... what ever.. its a tree.. short of riding over it on the lawnmower... and its a maple.. lol ... you cant kill it... heck cutting it off at ground level wont even kill it .... good luck ken ps: i might like to see a full pic of the tree ... i think we are only seeing part of it ... since no one stakes at the bottom of a pic ... where is the other half of the tree.. it might make a difference on the advise given...

I see that censorship is alive and well on the Gardenweb. I've seen a lot of Japanese maples in my life and I've seen many with multiple branches low on the trunk but never one that has several trunks coming out of the ground like in the photos that Dave posted. It truly does look like a shrub. That look is not my cup of tea for a Japanese maple. If I want something that looks like a lilic then I'll go buy the lilac. IMHO, the Burgandy Lace was not pruned properly when it was younger although that it strictly from a viewpoint of aesthetics and not structural abnormalities. Looking at it's branching structure, I don't see any branches that resemble the acute angle on the maple in this thread. I still maintain that the latter needs a pruning job to correct for a structural defect. A tree that gets this large is going to act like a sail. Consequently, the wind is going to get leverage on any tall trunks that branch low on the tree. I am not saying that a Japanese maple needs to be pruned to look like an oak tree or any other really large tree. What I am saying is that sound pruning practices are applicable for any plants above a certain size. It is irresponsible and amateurish to suggest otherwise. It is also hypocritical to suggest this for some trees but not others not to mention confusing for anyone new to the Gardenweb. I must respond to one of the deleted posts. Basically, it was stated that this tree will not recover and fill out from pruning off the second leader. K4 hit the nail on the head in his response which was that the tree will throw out a lot of new growth next year after this leader is pruned off. This new growth will provide plenty of opportunity to shape the tree into a far better look than it has now. Without question, the tree will quickly fill out and I question the practical experience of anyone who states otherwise.

I'll answer first and then read the other posts. Pretty sure that you don't want to hear this, but I wouldn't be so quick to paint the cabinets and rip out the counters, especially not to get another "creamy white with granite or butcher block" (a look which I love, BTW). Once you've painted, there's no return without lots of work, not to mention how much work it'll be to do a decent paint job. I'd paint the walls (probably off white) and add vinyl floor tiles with a checker pattern or some checks n for starters. You have this cool booth, and I'd play that up. I love, love turquoise and would pick more shades of turquoise in accessories and also in that booth (white and a watery aqua, for example, or add a coral to the mix). Oh, and I'd get different window treatments. Lastly, if you remove that one wall cabinet, could you add a hood? Of course, it depends on what you like and what the rest of your house looks like. More info on the link below. Looks like they actually stripped their white cabinets to get the maples back. Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen remodel