How to Trim Japanese Maple (never trimmed)

8 years ago

This house that we recently bought has a nice Japanese maple, but it is starting to shade out some plants around it. I doubt that it was ever pruned.

Can I prune this now, or should I wait until winter?

Either way, what is the best way to trim it so it is not a giant umbrella of purple? I would like to show the structure of the branches underneath.

Thanks.

Mac

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Comments (2)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Well.....it is intended to be a "giant umbrella of purple" - that is its natural form and habit. And since it is a beautiful, well-developed specimen that is worth far more than any of the plants it might be shading out, I would simply move them!

Typically with these types of low graft, weeping laceleafs, the branch structure is only visible in winter when the tree is out of leaf. What you want to avoid at all costs is to lift up the skirt of the canopy so it has an even length all the way around, like a bowl haircut.

You can do some pruning in summer (June is ideal) but with these types of JM's a winter timing is best. You can clearly see the deadwood at that time (will be a pale gray) and it is much easier to see where branches originate to do any thinning that might be necessary and to enhance any curving or sculptural trunk and branch structure.

Typically with JM's the less actual pruning you do, other than removing dead damaged or diseased wood and the odd bit of canopy thinning, the better. Unless you are growing as a bonsai, which is not the case here.

btw, this forum is pretty dead (other than a few new posts and my contributions) and you will get much better responses to your questions on the care of Japanese maples on the Maples forum.
garrai818 thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
Gibson Zone 9 (Central Valley, CA)
7 years ago
I would LOVE to have a giant umbrella of purple - it's gorgeous!!!
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I pulled the tree out of the ground yesterday, May 2014 and the root pruning I did in 2012 and 2013 paid off big time. I dug around the tree with a pick ax and it popped right out of the ground with a nice tight root ball consisting of many tiny roots. IÃ¢ÂÂve also made the decision to train this tree into a formal upright shape so the dual trunks had to go. I was very nervous about this step but it had to be done: I cut the tree in halfÃ¢ÂÂ¦ And I think it looks great! The remaining trunk has nice taper as a result of cutting off the second large branch (itÃ¢ÂÂs about 6Ã¢ÂÂ diameter at the base and 30Ã¢ÂÂ tall from the top of the soil). There are no mature branches left so it will take a long time before it evens out but I think the trunk has a good start. IÃ¢ÂÂm looking for any advice on where to go from here. How do I shape it? When do I re-pot it? Should I cut the trunk shorter or is it a good height? Have I screwed up completely or is the right path?
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Much better to move it rather than cut it back that hard. Cutting back by half is not considered 'trimming" -- in fact, it is not recommended to take any tree back by more than 20-25% at any given time. It is far too much of a stressor on the plant. And it is never a good plan to limit a tree to less than half its normal mature size - they are not shrubs - and even less of a good idea with a Japanese maple for a whole host of reasons. 12' is still pretty small for a 'Bloodgood' so perhaps a better location or a more appropritae choice is in order......unless you are willing to wait until it grows sufficiently taller that you can limb it up so the canopy is above the window. Wait until it is dormant to relocate or if too close to cold weather in your climate, do so in early spring before it leafs out.
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I second the "no way, Jose!" on the use of hedge trimmers with any Japanese maple. That's the equivalent of using a machete as a butter knife! Way too much of a tool for the job. These types of Japanese maples are often grown specifically for their long skirts, limbs draping along the mulch is not an issue and they do not need to be trimmed. Most often these are seen in the landscape as large mounding umbrellas with no sign of the understructure until the tree is bare in winter. What you are seeing in the photos with bare bases are high graft dissectums and at least to my eye, they look extremely awkward and ungainly. The mounded, leafed fully to the ground is the more common preference. Personally, I wouldn't touch it but if you do want to thin a bit, you do it from the inside out, not from the top down. And by that I mean you actually crawl under the tree and judiciously and selectively prune out individual branches to thin and/or lighten the canopy. You can also lift the skirts by selectively pruning off the longer tips, if you like. Don't remove more than a quarter to a third of the canopy at any one time. And right now - June - is an ideal time to do prune, if that is what you want to do.
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I would prune the dead and dying branches that are growing under the outer ones. They're going to eventually get shaded out anyway. I'd cut them off where they originate on the trunk. This results in a thin umbrella with a wavy edge, not a bowl cut. Do not cut any branches at their tips. If the branch is 'too long' cut it off where it begins, not just short of where it's touching the ground. You want to show some of the curved trunks that is now hidden by leaves. That's one of the prime attributes of this plant and should be partially visible in the summer as well as the winter. I always say, "If ya got nice legs, show em'!" Your maple should be center stage and the shrubs on the right in picture one should be moved to the wings.
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How to Trim Japanese Maple (never trimmed)

Comments (2)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

Gibson Zone 9 (Central Valley, CA)

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