Re: Pruning a Multi-Leader (11') Maple Tree
Pecci
4 years ago
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Pecci
4 years agoRelated Discussions
When/how to start pruning a japanese maple sapling
Comments (16)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...See MoreAutumn Blaze Maple 2 Leaders - with Pics!... 'Use this thread'
Comments (8)From what I can see, I wouldn't, but of course you have to live with the tree. I don't see any aesthetic drawbacks to doing what I suggested because the two branches we're talking about will emerge so close to the main leader that they will 'read' as originating from the main leader. I have several maples in the landscape and a couple of dozen in containers. I prune healthy trees any time I feel like it - usually with a purpose/plan, but with no regard to 'bleeding'. I recommend late dormancy pruning for two reasons. Branches that need pruning and o/a form are much more visible - the future growth habit of the tree more readily discernible, and the chance of disease spread is reduced greatly. The healing of any pruning wounds is more rapid in spring/early summer than at any other period in the growth cycle, so for me, that clinches the case for late winter/early spring pruning. I've never seen a case documented where 'bleeding' affected the long or short term vitality of an Acer, much less a documented case of a tree 'bleeding to death'. I often suggest that if the sap flow is a concern - wait until the tree appears to be resting after the spring growth flush has matured. There should be very little bleeding then. You can also make a case for late dormant pruning from an energy management perspective. What sense does it make to prune the growth off immediately after the tree has spent nearly all its energy reserves to build it. If you prune BEFORE budswell, the tree will move energy from the roots into the remaining organs and not the parts you intend to remove. Al...See MoreHow Should I Prune this Japanese Maple? (photos)
Comments (6)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...See MoreCan You Prune Leaders From Pyramidal Arborvitae?
Comments (17)Do we know where Unc lives? It seems to me these trees have endured considerably more than one winter, albeit location unknown. Arbs are not typical plants of snow-free areas, so this "split like a banana peel" thing may be getting over-amplified. All that said-and as if I haven't made this abundantly clear by now, I hate these multi-leadered things, but for more reasons than just their alleged unsuitability in snow and/or ice. And I have seen this splitting phenomenon happen myself. But the main issue I've got with such plants is how very bastardized they are from the real thing-species Thuja occidentalis, a plant which, proven in my Wisconsin woods many times, is utterly qualified to handle snow. Not to mention, a far more imposing plant than these myriad icky cultivars. I continue to perceive that most responders in such threads have no idea what I'm talking about-native stands of this tree. I should think though that a true New Englander, at least from the northern half of that region, or a correspondent from northern Michigan (I know-not your home Ken) should have seen these remarkable plants, often in near-pure groves, in streamside swamps and even scrambling up moist hillsides. Oddly, in all the years I've participated on this board, not once have I gotten the sense that anybody has!...See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years agoPecci
4 years agoPecci
4 years agoPecci
4 years agoPecci
4 years agoL Clark (zone 4 WY)
4 years agoPecci
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
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