Hello, Can anyone suggest when is best to prune my Japanese Maple? I live in North Vancouver. It is the "weeping" type and is encroaching on the rest of the garden. I think I would just like to remove the lower limbs, and perhaps a few of the others that are becoming entangled with each other. Suggestions...Tips...
I think late winter is a good time for this kind of pruning. For two reasons, basically. With the leaves out of the way, you can see the basic structure, the "bones," of the tree. I think this makes it much easier to envision how you want the tree to grow, and exactly which branches should be cut back or removed to achieve this. Also I think pruning at this time of year should help minimize some problems -- the tree will have finished its cycle of stem- and root-growing during the previous summer and fall, and will be ready to launch a new cycle as soon as the weather starts to warm, beginning with the flush of spring foliage. Pruning just before the start of this new cycle should encourage the tree to concentrate its stored energy on the (fewer) remaining branches. And this is better than fall pruning, because the tree won't be sitting around for months in a dormant condition with unhealed wounds.
Do you think I should at least cut back the branches that are currently in contact with the ground? Or should I just leave it untill late winter?
I'm sure a bit of light pruning now won't do any harm. I hadn't thought about the danger of soil-borne diseases. Plus, if you're like me, there's something to be said for doing something when you're in the mood to do it. Who knows how you'll feel in February or March?
