hi! it's pruning time here in new england, and also thinking about choosing for next year. are linearlobums exempt from the rules of avoiding narrow intersections? should very twiggy cultivars be pruned to keep only wide-angle twigs? other thoughts on these subjects? article or book recommendations on how to choose/ prune japanese maples much appreciated! debviolet
I've decided a couple things about pruning. First of all, there are always some obvious branches that need pruning, either because they are crossing/rubbing against each other or have somehow fused together and will eventually cause problems, or maybe they are just growing weirdly. After those are taken care of, I think it becomes art. You need to prune it the way it is aesthetically pleasing to you. It changes for each tree yearly, too, due to unforseen problems. You might have a branch damaged by weather or another tree. I have a Koto no ito that I had to prune back dramatically this fall because it was showing signs of v. wilt. Now it looks like a stick and may have to be taken out if the surgery wasn't successful. I guess my point is that each jm is different and has different pruning needs. I'm sure there will be a lot of disagreement with my methods, and it can be hard to try to visualize what the pruning will be like in the future, but that's what I do. Kay
Kay, I agree. I would venture to say that most JMs need little pruning at all. I tend to prune my uprights the least, except to define a nice leading branch (snipping away at small main trunk offshoots). I tend to prune the dissectums the most with the mantra of working from the inside of the tree and working out to display the internal structure. I think it is very much a question of personal preference rather than a right or wrong way to doing things.
