What to do with these 11 months Japanese maples?

[LGY]

These two babies are in the ground for 11 months now. One is much bigger than the other when it arrived. I am reading contradicting articles about not trimming Japanese maples for the first two years, vs pruning absolutely everything in the lower part of the trunk because those are not the grafted species.

I do not know if these are grafted or not, and also don’t know the specific species.

Any suggestions if I should continue to leave it alone or if I should trim, where?

Thanks in advanced.

 

[Sheal]

If they are grafted you would expect to see something like the picture below, either at the base of the main trunk or near the junction of the first branches higher up.

I would prune off all the lower branches to stop it developing as a shrub.

 

[LGY]

I don’t see a 2 color section like that. It looks all one piece.
I will wait until the leaf falls in a couple months and cut the bottom then. Thank you

 

[Chuck]

These two babies are in the ground for 11 months now. One is much bigger than the other when it arrived. I am reading contradicting articles about not trimming Japanese maples for the first two years, vs pruning absolutely everything in the lower part of the trunk because those are not the grafted species.

I do not know if these are grafted or not, and also don’t know the specific species.

Any suggestions if I should continue to leave it alone or if I should trim, where?

Thanks in advanced.

I hope I can explain this satisfactorily. A maple tree is just like any other tree when the desired outcome is to be able to mow under and take care of the base of the tree. The exception to this is a tree like a magnolia where the desired outcome is main limbs very close to the ground. On a young tree such as yours you should prune in a fashion known as Trashy Tree. A tree always grows upward from the top. Any low growing limbs will stay where they are, they will not move upward as the tree grows. Suppose you want the first scaffolding limbs 4 feet above the ground. This means you must remove any limbs lower than 4 feet. This is where Trashy Trunk comes into play. Trashy Trunk pruning is very simple. You prune off all of the limbs below 4 feet, BUT, you do not cut off the entire limb. You should leave 12 -16 inches of the limb. You should do this because it will make the trunk much much thicker and stronger as it matures. You should leave these trashy limbs on the tree for about 2 years and at that time remove them totally from the tree. The appearance of the tree during this 2 year period is gracefully called ugly, but in the long life of the tree this process is essential for a robust healthy tree. Google Trashy Trunk tree and you will find many articles on this.

 

[Chuck]

I could not tell from the pictures but also google Root Flare Tree. It will show you what the base of the tree should look like.

 

[Sheal]

It doesn't necessarily show as two different colours LGY which denote a fairly new graft. Older grafts tend to be all one colour. You need to look for the bulbous shape as in the picture.

 

[Sheal]

@Chuck I've noticed on a number of your posts elsewhere that you suggest planting trees with a root flare exposed, I find that interesting. Is there any particular reason for it please? Here in Britain we don't plant that way, only a tree with a graft would be left above ground. I think Brits are of the opinion that trees don't grow naturally with roots above the ground, so we plant likewise.

 

[Chuck]

I don’t see a 2 color section like that. It looks all one piece.
I will wait until the leaf falls in a couple months and cut the bottom then. Thank you

Pruning a maple during fall or winter will cause what is known as tree bleeding. Think about harvesting maple syrup which is a form of tree bleeding and it is only done in the winter or early spring, depending on where you live. You should do your pruning shortly before bud break.

 

[LGY]

ahhh good to know. So right before Groundhog Day-ish then. Thanks for the tip.

Pruning a maple during fall or winter will cause what is known a tree bleeding. Think about harvesting maple syrup which is a form of tree bleeding and it is only done in the winter or early spring, depending on where you live. You should do your pruning shortly before bud break.

 

[LGY]

No bumpy. Looks like one straight piece.

It doesn't necessarily show as two different colours LGY which denote a fairly new graft. Older grafts tend to be all one colour. You need to look for the bulbous shape as in the picture.

 

[Chuck]

@Chuck I've noticed on a number of your posts elsewhere that you suggest planting trees with a root flare exposed, I find that interesting. Is there any particular reason for it please? Here in Britain we don't plant that way, only a tree with a graft would be left above ground. I think Brits are of the opinion that trees don't grow naturally with roots above the ground, so we plant likewise.

The reason is because the wood in the trunk is different than the wood in the root. If you bury the trunk it literally softens the wood causing all kinds of problems. Google Root Flare Trees for a better explanation. Take a look at ANY tree that is naturally growing and it will be very difficult to find one where the flare is not exposed and if you do find one it will be because of soil washing in and building up the layer of soil around the tree. The softened wood leads to decay and diseases.

 

[Sheal]

No bumpy. Looks like one straight piece.

Good. That suggests no grafting.

 

[Sheal]

Chuck in respect to LGY's thread I will start another elsewhere to continue this discussion, if that's okay?

 

[Chuck]

Chuck in respect to LGY's thread I will start another elsewhere to continue this discussion, if that's okay?

That' fine with me but I really suspect that LGY has planted his trees too deep. Perhaps he will follow us there.

 

[LGY]

I am very lost on the trashy tree trunk topic.
I could not find much on google. First few articles are pecan. It sounds like this should be done 2-3 times a year? Like pinch the tip to stop growth but not cutting? Wouldn’t cutting the tip force more multi-branch growth (like to avocado seedlings)? Since it won’t grow up and stay low, then wouldn’t that be a network of more branches under? I mean these looks different from suckers right? Very confused now.

I hope I can explain this satisfactorily. A maple tree is just like any other tree when the desired outcome is to be able to mow under and take care of the base of the tree. The exception to this is a tree like a magnolia where the desired outcome is main limbs very close to the ground. On a young tree such as yours you should prune in a fashion known as Trashy Tree. A tree always grows upward from the top. Any low growing limbs will stay where they are, they will not move upward as the tree grows. Suppose you want the first scaffolding limbs 4 feet above the ground. This means you must remove any limbs lower than 4 feet. This is where Trashy Trunk comes into play. Trashy Trunk pruning is very simple. You prune off all of the limbs below 4 feet, BUT, you do not cut off the entire limb. You should leave 12 -16 inches of the limb. You should do this because it will make the trunk much much thicker and stronger as it matures. You should leave these trashy limbs on the tree for about 2 years and at that time remove them totally from the tree. The appearance of the tree during this 2 year period is gracefully called ugly, but in the long life of the tree this process is essential for a robust healthy tree. Google Trashy Trunk tree and you will find many articles on this.