hi guys i was wondering if you can give me any good tips on how to prune a Japanese maple tree to a more umbrella shape? in fact, i don't even know if my tree is possible to train into an umbrella shape? the branches seems to like to grow 30 degree upwards and not spreading outwards. do you think if i keep pruning the top, it will eventually grows outwards? any tips would be great! the spices of this Japanese maple tree is standard, it is not lace leaf or weeping form. regards Bill
Hi, By umbrella, do you mean what is referred to often as a 'broom' style? At any rate, to do this, you need to increase the ramification / # of sub-branches to create a denser canopy. As branches grow to say 5 or 6 pairs of leaves, cut back to 2 pairs. From that cut, at the location of each of the leaves below, 2 new branches will emerge. Repeat this process. 1 branch will become 2, then 4 then 8. You'll end up with a thick canopy. Also, during your next winter season (I see you're from Australia and are in your summer months), I'd consider cutting back the top branches of your tree. This will force new growth farther down the trunk, and on the branches, also adding a denser canopy. Maples are pretty top dominant (apically dominant) and will choose vertical growth over horizontal growth if left unchecked. You can counter that tendency by removing growth at the top, so the lower areas can use up the trees nutrients. Hope that helps.
hi camikins thanks for your help! By umbrella, i mean... train into a 'Standard' tree. i think that's what they call it in the garden center - 'standard form'. it works quite well with plants like Duranta 'Geisha Girl', coz its branches have weeping form. i've also seen japanese maple trees like 'Inaba Shidare' in garden centre thats train into a standard. i hope i can do the same thing to my tree. mine is not weeping form at all. if i follow your trimming method, cut out upwards branches and leaving sideway branches to grow. can i do it now? its middle of the summer here, would it hurt the tree? or should i leave it to winter? thanks
You can prune now. Basically prune as needed. Heavy duty pruning is best done in winter, but cutting back branches from 5 or 6 pairs of leaves to 2 pairs is fine to do at any time. Good luck!
meettyrone, there is an excellent Maple forum here with real experts on all aspects of growing Acers. It also has 1000's of pics in an alphabetical order photo gallery. Once you start looking there you will end up like the rest of us, who love maples, with an ever expanding " wish list"!!! http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9 http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=208&order=asc&page=6 By umbrella shape...do you mean this http://www.simplyumbrellas.co.uk/umbrellas.php/products_id/395 To get this beautiful downward curving shape you will need to start with a mound shaped maple such as Acer palmatum Crimson Queen, Acer palmatum Inibaba shidare. Your tree is exibiting an upward vase shape. Pruning it will make it bushier, but it will still always grow up. It will never be mound shaped/ dome shaped/ umbrella shaped.
SS hi, Thanks for the right weeping Acer which I am wanting this year. Leaf buds are forming now on our Acers by the way. Also did you see the sunflower brolly lolol Great link S.S!
A few pics showing umbrella shaped Acers. Including Acer palmatum dissectum Crimson Queen. Acer p d Inaba- shidare. Acer p d Ornatum and Acer p d Red Dragon. Some pics show summer and autumn colour.
All of them S.S are lovely, Thanks for bringing them! My problem would be the open plan gardens from one end of the road (back and front) to the other end. They would be sopping wet through so a weeper on a mid to medium stem to keep it off the grass.
hi camikins. thanks for your tips on the pruning. could you help me on another one? a friend mentioned i should cut my branches like Picture B. so the branches can grow into more cascading effect. he did mentioned it is more for bonsai training though. my tree is not a bonsai, should i just stick with the picture A type of pruning to thicken it up? many thanks
