Is now a good time to prune a large blood red Japanese maple?

Question

Southern New England. Thanks

Answer 1

Because of your location and given the cold spell you've been having, you should be fine. I would suggest starting by cutting off dead, damaged, or broken branches first. Then I would suggest you clip off unwanted root suckers and small branches starting to grow beneath your main branches. Last I would suggest trimming back branches that cross over or bump into each other. That should take care about 1/3 of the tree, which is the most you should do per year to any tree or shrub.
If your tree is very tall, it might be a good idea to hire the 'tree guy' for the job, as he would know what can be cut back for aesthetic purposes
Good Luck!

Answer 2

I would wait until the leaves start to develop. I think that Japanese Maples (Acer palmatum) is a 'bleeder', that is to say, if you prune too early, water (and sap) will run out of the wound, until it has a chance to heal. You can prune without hassle in the fall, or mid-spring, either of those times should be fine.

When pruning a Japanese Maple, be selective and conservative at first. Half of the beauty of these exotics is in the interesting branching habits. Once you've cut something off, it's gone, quite possibly forever. Never cut more than 20% in one season (on these plants).

I hope that this helps
Good luck-

Answer 3

Prune it before the buds break if you can. If they have already broken then wait until the end of spring. The tree has already started to send food through out and by pruning it you will be wasting the trees resources. Though winter is the best time you can pruning in the summer and fall. Prune then when it isn't too hot and there isn't a drought. If you prune during these times you will cause undue stress on the tree.

Answer 4

Ideally, trees and shrubs should be pruned while they are dormant. If they're dormant they won't even notice that they've been pruned. But if you haven't pruned at the ideal time and the plant desperately needs to be pruned, you can do pruning at just about any time. Tis' better to prune at the wrong time than to not prune at all. Of course, on flowering shrubs pruning at the wrong time may reduce the number of blossoms.

Just don't prune when the temperatures are well below freezing as the wood will be very brittle and can shatter.

Answer 5

I think February is the month to prune but you should consult with a local garden/nursery center. Good luck.

Answer 6

Winter , before sap flow