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| the japanese maple branch that starts the lowest on the tree, if you follow it up to the top, it is seeming to me like a second leader. do you agree, and if so, should i cut it at the base?
if i do cut at base, what will happen to the little side branches down low that haven't grown much because all the energy went to the second leader. will they grow out? or stall small? what will look best/be best for tree? thanks much!!!
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| Need another pic from a different angle, but yes there might be a leader you want to cut back and slowly take out completely. It not all that important with JMs though. Unless its a very large vigorous growing one or you want to do this for branching aesthetics.
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Sat, Jan 7, 12 at 13:37
| Johndoug, yes, that branch to our right in the pic is showing some signs of wanting to be a secondary leader. Just head it back to an outward-pointing branchlet. This will slow it down and make it behave more as a branch. This is called subordination pruning, and is used daily by pro arborists to help young trees maintain one central leader longer into their lives. Being a Jap.maple, such considerations are of lesser importance than say, a young Autumn Blaze maple that is going to be 80 feet tall some day. But the same technique still suffices. +oM |
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| I can't tell what I would do from only that one picture. If one leader needs to be removed, I would (at least eventually) remove it completely (as whaas already described). |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, Jan 7, 12 at 16:46
| you need to take one of the top two leaders ... and maybe that one little wisp on the lower one .. that is curving back toward the center... even with the side of the neighbors garage way back there ... on the second pic then you need to define your goal with the rest of the tree ... i like to walk and drive under my trees.. and they are all pruned to at least 6 feet.. so i would take out the lower also ... but before you do any of that.. how long has it been there.. we dont heavily prune.. trees within the first year or two of planting.. whats your goal man???? do you have a proper mulch ring around it??? ken |
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- Posted by wisconsitom 4/5 WI (My Page) on Sat, Jan 7, 12 at 21:32
| Nay I say. It's just a runty little JM. Need not be handled the same way as my example above, of a large-growing shade tree. It's only ever going to have a low crown. I don't raise up flowering crabs to the same extent as Autumn Blaze maples, to beat that horse again. This is also exactly the same rational for heading back (To a branchlet) rather than complete removal. Again, it's only going to have low branches....ever. +oM |
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