take both the lower ones ... to get over the mailbox.. we are talking 4 feet MIN ... and we are going after that now ... why wait until you are cutting off one inch branches.. making big wounds??? and i would still reduce the dominance of the second leader.. to favor what i might call the third ... and finally.. keep in mind.. almost NOTHING there now.. will be there.. when the canopy is to your preferred height ... and.. again ... if you look at the first pic ... all that will be there is the leader that looks like it goes in the garage ... crikey... WHY DO YOU WANT/NEED TO DEVELOP MULTIPLE LEADERS DOWN BELOW ???? ALL THE LEAVES ARE FOOD MAKING MACHINES.. TO GROW THE ROOT MASS.. TO MAKE A FUTURE TREE .. carp.. darn caps lock ... so we never want to remove too much at once .....but if your goal is height.. why do you want multiple leaders down low now ... again.. trees heal wounds .. but its easier to heal a 1/4 wound .... than a inch or two wound ... one trick.. as you drive around town.. just look at other specimens.. if you cant find JM's to look at.. you arent trying very hard .... just study how others have done it.. and when you start 'seeing' what they did wrong.. you will be well taught ... [you usually find the bad ones.. in front of businesses .. lol micky d's.. etc.. when they prune them 3 times of year.. to our horror ...] ken

My initial thought was also to prune that tall leader. However, after doing a search on Atropurpureum Nana,I'm thinking this branching structure may be characteristic of the cultivar. I think that's what you're saying in your last post too. Given that, I would only do some minor trimming, just to tidy it up, like getting rid of branches that bend towards the center of the tree. I recently found a book at my local library that had some tips on how the Japanese prune their JMs. JMs were only a small section of the book, but it was very helpful. The title was "Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Japanese Garden Trees" by Jake Hobson. It's also on Amazon. Here is a link that might be useful: Atropurpureum Nana

That would be 'Oshio-beni' and it is a small shrub-like tree with a rounded canopy and a very low branching habit. Removing the lower branches to create a more "tree-like" appearance would NOT enhance the appearance of this particular maple cultivar, IMO. Exposure to the late freeze a large part of this country experienced around Easter could have had a pretty detrimental affect on this tree.......I'm not surprised the nursery was offering it at a bargain price. That plus its age and very mature size makes it a risky candidate for a 100% successful transplanting. I hope you got some sort of guarantee, as $1000 is a lot of cash to layout for what may best be a 50-50 proposition. If the so-called 'dead' twigs or stems are a pale or silvery gray, then they are indeed most likely dead. This can be confirmed by bending the twigs - if they snap cleanly and with a dry, tannish interior, they are dead wood. Also, viable twigs and stems will have distinct buds on them. Rubbing off a couple of buds will expose the interior, which should be succulent rather than dry and brown. All dead wood can/should be removed and there is really no restriction as to when this can be done. Other pruning (which I don't recommend for this cultivar) should wait until December or January when the tree is fully dormant but before the sap starts moving. My final suggestion is if you have never pruned a tree before, a Japanese maple of this age, size and potential value is not a place to start :-) Hire a professional or take some classes, preferrably those that emphasize Japanese maples, and from a very well-qualified instructor. As a 20 year nurseryperson and landscape professional, I've seen more trees and shrubs mangled - often beyond redemption - by well-intentioned but uninformed homeowners who do not understand how, when and why to prune. Know what you are doing before you start or leave it to the professionals.

jmg1717, the ultimate choice to prune or not to prune is yours :-) Your post has garnered a number of differing opinions, including several from folks extremely familiar with growing these trees and their particular habits. With Japanese maples. most pruning decisions are going to be personal - there are simply no hard and fast rules about their pruning and all decisions should be made on a case by case basis. You seem to be assigning a lot of weight to the opinion of your landscape architect. I would just comment that because JM's do not develop a distinct leader, there is no apically dominant growth point in the tree, but all branch tips will share in apical growth. Removing the branch(s) in question will not necessarily cause the tree to grow taller faster but could very well produce increased overall growth of the canopy......there IS a difference :-) Also you want to be cautious with heavy pruning very late into the winter. Sap begins to move quite early with JM's and pruning after about mid-December may create a lot of bleeding. btw, although not necessarily obvious with this format, there are individuals that post here with some equally impressive credentials. Mike (miketann) is an extremely knowledgeable landscaper (now retired) with many years of experience and an entire personal "forest" of JM's :-) I too have a degree in horticulture and many years experience as a landscape designer and a nurseryperson. Just saying you are getting the benefit of a lot of years of professional experience on this forum as well.