I need some advice on pruning a laceleaf maple. How much can I prune, should I prune at all, where should I prune? The tree is very healthy and beautiful and I do not want to damage it. Thank you for your advice. I live in southeast Michigan.
If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It. What is the issue? You think it needs pruning for health reasons? Most plants don't. Japanese maples do tend to accumulate dead twigs on the inside, these can be snapped off with your hands when noticed.
Is it absolutely necessary to prune Japanese maples? No. Do we prune them to accentuate their form? Yes. I prune maples for a living, and working with them is like working with living art. General rules of thumb: direct the growth outward, eliminate dead, broken, diseased and crossing branches, thin as necessary or desired. First, look for any obvious problems: dead, broken, or diseased branches or twigs. If you suspect any diseases (Phytopthora - evidenced by blackening of the bark), disinfect your pruners after every cut with a 10% bleach solution. Next, look for branches that cross. You want to eliminate one of the culprits. Finally, with laceleafs, often we want to create layers. This is accomplished by first removing any braches or twigs that are growing upward. If more separation is desired, you may opt to also remove branches and twigs growing downward. I hope this helps.
