Should Japanese maple trees be pruned in winter? Expert recommendations for healthy trees.

You are cultivating a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) With an erect or crying port; its colorful fall foliage and delicate shape never fail to impress. These trees are relatively easy to maintain but require some maintenance to get the most out of them.

Learn when, why, and how to cut a Japanese maple to keep your tree healthy and beautiful.

When to cut Japanese maple

Perform the essentials of the size of Japanese maples at the end of winter or early spring, during the dormant period of the tree, and after the end of the cold weather.

Pruning at that time reduces the tree’s stress or illness risk. Observing branches without foliage allows you to see the tree’s structure and more easily identify the best places to make the cuts.

Avoid significant sizes at the end of spring and summer, during the active growth period of the tree. The new shoots are more sensitive to extreme weather conditions and damage caused by pests. In addition, you want the tree to focus on developing foliage during this period rather than devoting energy to the healing of cut wood. Fall is the worst period to cut the trees Because it makes them more vulnerable to the damage caused by frost.

However, a light size is acceptable for aesthetic purposes, and the layers of the airy tree should be kept at the end of spring or early summer. You can also remove dead wood, sick or damaged throughout the year.

The size of Japanese maples combines science and art so that your tree remains strong and its structure is aesthetically pleasant and appropriate.

1. Remove the sick, dying, or dead branches.

Inspect the tree for dead, dying, damaged, or sick branches. When you remove dead wood, cut just above the branch’s collar. This is the line where the branch joins an old branch or the tree’s main trunk.

Use sterile and sharp tools to make your cuts. Disinfection of tools before and after use reduces the risk of disease propagation. Hand pruners are suitable for small branches, but you will need a more robust pruning sheer for larger, higher, and more difficult branches.

2. Form for shape and size

When your Japanese maple is two or three years old and has taken its natural shape, you can cut it during the dormant period to obtain the desired shape, height, and width.

The goal is to create bunk layers of branches that do not touch and allow you to see between the layers of leaves. Focus on eliminating branches that cross, touch, are weak or poorly trained, grow up or down in other layers, and eliminate twigs that grow along the trunk.

Cut the branches to a bud or a lateral branch rather than in the middle. Cutting the branches that overlap at the base closest to the trunk is preferable to prevent them from crossing in the future.

Go up from the bottom of the tree, starting with the interior branches. Avoid creating large holes in the canopy or removing more than 30 % of the tree, as this could subject it to too much stress. Look for a balanced appearance, clarifying the congested areas of the canopy and allowing the light to reach the interior branches.

3. Cut lightly in summer

Although you had to perform most of the size during the dormant period of your Japanese maple, a slightly lighter size in summer – when the canopy has its leaves – can promote the most aesthetic and neat shape. The main thing is to make a light size to avoid stressing your tree.

4. Eliminate the problematic buds

It is useful to monitor the training of buds at the end of spring and summer. It is easier for you and less stressful for the tree to remove the buds that grow in an unwanted location than to remove them once the branch has been pushed.

6 reasons to cut Japanese maple

There are several structural and aesthetic reasons for cutting Japanese maple. Benefits of the size of Japanese maples. These advantages are as follows:

1. Promotes a solid structure: By orienting the tree’s growth, we avoid weaknesses due to overlap, overcrowding, or rail branches.
2. Improves air traffic: Pruning promotes healthy growth in the interior branches and reduces the risk of illness.
3. Promotes new vigorous growth: The elimination of flushing or sick branches helps orient the tree’s energy towards the new branches.
4. Maintain an appropriate size: By cutting up to control the height and the width, you will prevent your Japanese maple from taking up too much space.
5. Store your tree: A well-formed tree is more pleasant to look at than a Malingre tree.
6. Security reason: Removing dead or damaged branches prevents them from falling and causes injuries or damage to nearby property.

4 tips for the size of Japanese maple

Here are other practical tips on Japanese maple tip size to remember when attacking this task.

1. Create Y-shaped branches: When branches are in excess, delete those in the center of the rod to create a “Y” shape, giving the whole a more ordered appearance.
2. Respect the tree’s natural shape: Do not try to modify the natural shape in a cascade of mourning species, like the crimson queen. Put to obtain an umbrella shape. For the erected forms, decide if you want a tree with several stems. You can opt for one, three, or more branches, but avoid having two, as they may divide.
3. Drizzle well after size: This helps the tree cure injuries caused by size and reduces stress.
4. Avoid removing large branches: It is preferable to keep healthy branches whose size is greater than 1/4 of that of the trunk because they support a solid structure.