Move the Japanese Maple quickly to its new location. This step should eliminate the long and unbalanced components. Monique Capanelli. The spores stay dormant and get active when they find a favorable environment. The day before transplanting, water the tree with 2-3 gallons of water. Method 1 Choosing the Right Timing and Tools 1 Prune your Japanese maple in winter, if possible. And the good news is, you dont have to get worked up about it. Also, you should not expect vigorous growth in the first growing season. With a pair of shears and the right technique, you can cut back excessive growth and give your tree a harmonious shape! Your tree will look best and stay healthiest if you follow its natural pattern. References And the conditions are hot and humid weather with poor air circulation around the plants. This will make it easier to excavate the roots, but also allows the roots that anchor the tree vertically into the soil to slide out more easily when pressure is applied with a truck. Avoid removing more than 1/3 of the trees foliage, which could make it prone to disease. Cleaning your tools sanitizes them and reduces the risk of spreading pathogens between tools and plants. Dig so as to damage as few roots as possible. Mix some slow-release fertilizer into the hole, backfill and water thoroughly. Should I cut the lower branches of a Japanese maple? We tried, with the help of the nurseryman, to pick the best tree, but there are a couple of branches overlapping, and it looks crowded. Anyway, this fungal disease does not directly kill the Japanese maple trees. If the tissue below the bark is green and firm your plants are fine. Expert Interview. Japanese maples are deciduous trees that are used as ornamental shade specimens. You can transplant a Japanese maple up to 5 feet tall on your own or with the help of another person. Expert Source Because bonsai Japanese maples are small, you can pinch away leaves instead of pruning without damaging the tree. Identify all the natural elements that have affected its growth since its production and determine if it needs more or less water. Japanese maples have excellent qualities, so I understand why you would like to have them in your yard. Mix the excavated soil from the new hole with the same de amount of quality compost or soil conditioner. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. You need to catch the period when it is a little warmer and the ground is not frozen, but the tree is still in hibernation. I'll let you know how it comes out. But if the part is dry and brownish in color then that part of the tree is dying. Ill show you how to prune a Japanese maple tree in this article. Choose pruning shears for smaller branches and loppers for larger ones. Your email address will not be published. Japanese maples can handle anything from a light trim to more extensive pruning, depending on the time of year and the tree's health. Japanese maple trees (Acer palmatum) thrive in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 to 8, while Acer japonicum varieties can extend the growing area into zone 5. . In recent years, the Japanese maple has gone from being an exotic plant prized by nurserymen to a popular tree favored by the public. What could possibly go wrong? Loamy and sandy soil will work well, but avoid soil with high alkalinity; Japanese maples thrive in slightly acidic soil. diameter. For instance, Because of sooty mold, most of the leaves get covered and as a result, sunlight fails to penetrate into the tree. I hope this article on pruning a Japanese maple tree has been informative. Growing Seeds, Winter Sowing, in Milk Jugs and Kitty Litter Jugs. Step 3: Cut off any low-hanging branches that shield the trunk. 22 September 2020. With a pair of shears and the right technique, you can cut back excessive growth and give your tree a harmonious shape! ", help. This gives the plant plenty of time to recover from the first pruning and easily handle another pruning the following year. Below I will tell you about each step in more detail so that you avoid mistakes. Cut a six- to eight-inch-long section, 1/4-in. 1. By using our site, you agree to our. Water the Japanese maple with 2 gallons of water and mulch the surface with organic material. ", itself in 2 - 3 years. Whichever type of Japanese maple you have, light trimming under the branches for access is recommended since the branches droop as the plant matures, and weighty limbs can grow too low and even put stress on the rest of the tree. The spring is when the maple has the most sap. Always use professional pruning shears or loopers for your trimming cuts. Cut off some small lateral branches and keep the others to get an all-around thinned outlook. Your email address will not be published. Though mostly it covers only the upper side of the leaves. And it looks as if someone dusted powder over them. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Another important thing is that you have to protect the maple that is infected with the powdery mildew and has become weak. If you discover that the end of the main branch is growing between two offshoots, make a heading cut to remove the significant component from the center. Because if you leave them on the ground the spores will survive and again attack other trees and shrubs. You will also need a burlap or other thick material and possibly a wheelbarrow. The milder the weather, the easier the Japanese maple will transplant. Always prune away any lower branches that look different or have dissimilar leaves from the top of the tree. Privacy Policy, Please enable JavaScript in your browser to submit the form. And trust me, If this happens it will be even more difficult to get rid of the disease than the previous occurrence. Both low-energy times last about 2 weeks. However, one side is longer and beginning to rest on the ground. Amend the soil in 4-by-4-foot area with equal parts peat, sand and organic compost. If you're starting with a young tree, stake it to achieve an upright habit. And trust me, this is not just about the appearance of the tree. Powdery mildew spreads very fast because the spores dont even need an external water source like another fungus to spread around other plants. Knowing the trees dynamics is the first step to take. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Wrap the union with rubber grafting tape and secure the graft with grafting wax. 4. For the most part, pruning Japanese maples is confined to removing dead wood and fine stems, which obstruct the handsome skeleton of the tree. I think it just depends on your taste. My husband has trimmed it to a. If youre keen on having a small Japanese maple, buy one. Don't cut off a large portion of the tree at once. This uniform curtain protects the rest of the trees foliage. Winter is preferred because the tree loses some of its leaves during this season, making it easier to spot the branches that need to be cut back. If the root ball is too heavy, get someone to help. Consequently, the rate of photosynthesis drastically reduces. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Of course, you have to do this if it hasnt rained in a few days. The new location should get at least four hours of direct sunlight a day. Stumps of the smaller specimens can generally be removed by hand, but the larger varieties, once mature, may need the assistance of a truck to pull them out. First, you will have to remove all deadwood and low-hanging branches. For especially thick or hard-to-reach branches, you can also use pruning saws or long-reach pruners. Section off the tip of the maple tree, just below a spot where a leaf meets the stem (AKA leaf node), at a 45-degree angle. This is its natural dormant period and less injury is caused by Japanese maple trimming during this time. With this being said, if the tree needs to be pruned at any point, go for it. Dont let powdery mildew and sooty mold fungus destroy the trunk of your Japanese maple. Secondly, you need to prune off the deadwood. These trees often have low-spreading canopies that arch out attractively, or may also be tall, angular trees with willowy limbs. There are 5 types of branches you want to consider removing from your Japanese Maple. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Remove the tree from the container. Cherry Tree Pruning: How And When To Trim A Cherry Tree, Japanese Maple Feeding Habits - How To Fertilize A Japanese Maple Tree, Japanese Maple Tree Lifespan: How Long Do Japanese Maples Live, Common Flowering Quince Diseases And Pests, These Weeds That Spread By Seed Can Sprout After Years, 3 Common Gardening Mistakes That Harm The Environment, Controlling Leaf Curl Plum Aphids Leaf Curl Plum Aphid Treatment And Prevention, Animals And Bugs In Compost Preventing Compost Bin Animal Pests, Stephanotis Plant Care: Growing And Caring For Stephanotis Flowers, Growing Spirea Shrubs: Information On How To Care For Spirea Bushes, Home & Garden Marketplace: Advertiser Info. Be sure to pick one thats not going to kill the insects that are beneficial for us (our pick: Natria 706250A Neem Oil Spray for Plants Pest Organic Disease Control). He describes himself as a "tree-hugging dirt worshipper" who is a member of multiple gardening societies and foundations. The early winter season is the best time, although you can remove deadwood anytime you find them. When the temperature is higher than 90F the fungal spores cannot germinate and get killed. Honeydew sticks to the plant surface and black mold grows over it. The gradual progression from having a thick base to a fine tip is essential to having a fine, aesthetically pruned Japanese maple tree. Create layers or "clouds" of branches and remove ones that are interrupting those layers. If the trunk does not give way, press the accelerator slightly, giving it more gas until the top of the trunk comes forward to the ground. Usually this occurs anytime between the first frost and late winter. These are branches growing from the grafting stock. He is an arboretum curator with over 30 years of experience. You can use any other sturdy material instead of the burlap. Sharp blades create smooth cuts that heal better and cause fewer traumas to the tree. The best time to prune bonsai Japanese maples is winter, its dormant season. Can you bring a Japanese maple back to life? These knuckles will defeat the whole purpose of aesthetic Pruning, as the central aesthetic concept of coarse to fine will no longer be applicable. Monique Capanelli is a Plant Specialist and the Owner and Designer for Articulture Designs, an innovative design firm and boutique in Austin, Texas. Because a healthy tree can fight against this fungal disease more easily. Use a mattock for cutting through roots up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter and use an axe to cut through larger roots. Instead, cut a few branches one year, then wait until the next year or the year after that to cut the rest of the branches. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Plants that are in light shade and protected from severe winds will need little supplemental care once established. Add to cart. He holds a Master's Degree in Environmental Planning and Design from the University of Georgia. This disease will occur more if the Japanese maple is shaded or under low light intensity with a relative humidity greater than 90%. Backfill the entire space with improved soil and tamp it down lightly. You always want to start by cleaning your tools with a solution of 90% alcohol or higher or a solution of bleach and water. After that, create a mental image of the trees appearance. Dig a hole three times the width of the root ball, but not as deep. So that your Japanese maples can get all the nutrition they need and get strong. Then, place it in the refrigerator for three months. And the tree becomes very weak and susceptible to many other fungal and bacterial diseases. There are two significant Japanese maple trees: Laceleaf and upright maple. For tips from our Horticulture reviewer on how to prune the complex branches of a Laceleaf Maple, read on! But after reading this article and seeing the illustrations, I believe I will get my gardener, under my supervision, to cut it back a little. Late winter or early spring is when to prune a Japanese maple. Powdery mildew is caused by a fungus that attacks the Japanese maples very frequently. Excavate as much of the Japanese maple's root system as possible by hand. Any limbs growing toward the trees center must also be cut off. This should be done in advance so that the maple can be moved and planted without delay. Terms of Service. These all have to go for obvious reasons. Cut a six- to eight-inch-long section, 1/4-in. 2. Imagine you have a gorgeous Japanese maple and one day they have suddenly turned ugly and unsightly. Japanese maple bonsai require regular fertilizing to encourage strong and consistent new growth. Cutting as many of the lateral roots as possible will make it easier to pull the stump out with a truck. The things you need to know about Japanese maple trees. Some Japanese maples can be pricey, and people often have a plant-it-and-forget-it attitude with trees, but this is an essential care task you shouldn't skip. Deadwood branches are leafless in warm seasons and, throughout the year, grey with a brittle texture. Cold stratification may sound like a complicated thing but. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Support wikiHow by This helps produce an attractive form and silhouette. Plant Specialist. Work from the bottom up and from the inside out. With these tips, you can maintain the natural beauty of your tree and promote its longevity. (Once it's established, remove the stake.). Cut any branches that shoot down or up into the lateral branches to avoid overcrowding. While Japanese maples will grow in most soils, they prefer slightly acidic soil. Trim the live branches of the Japanese Maple in early spring. With weeping Japanese maples, imagine a line across the trunk and cut above it to obtain an umbrella-like form. Do not transplant trees with a trunk diameter larger than 2 inches (5.1cm) by yourself. This will come in handy later, to improve leverage when pulling out the Japanese maple stump with a truck. Since you cannot move an established tree, you have to make sure other plants are not crowding it. X Learn how to safely remove or prune Japanese Maple trees with these general tips. The leaves that are coated with sooty mold fail to make food and prematurely drop off. Step back frequently when Japanese maple trimming. Use your best judgment about your tree's health. Before using the homemade recipes on your tree, be sure to check on a small portion first. The summer, however, permits more accurate measurement of the brand that needs thinning. Follow the steps below to prune the Japanese Maple Tree. 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