However, it's still important to prune a Japanese maple to preserve its structural.

Pruning an Acer should really be kept to a minimum as the most graceful shape can come from a tree that has been left to develop naturally. But if you wish to prune your Acer to take a certain shape or hard prune an overgrown tree then this is best carried out when it fully dormant from late November to January. Nov 24, A Acers will respond very well to pruning.

It is best to prune whilst the tree is dormant, so December to February would be an ideal time of year.

Assess the tree.

Make sure to prune back to a bud – this means cutting just above the bud. If you leave any excess wood above the bud, the dieback could become diseased. Simply prune the acer tree to the shape that you want it to stumplopping.bars: 7. Dec 16, In this instalment of our How To Garden series Michael Palmer AKA MikeTheGardener on the free GardenTags app expertly shows us how to Prune Acers trees (Japa.

I have an overgrown maple just like that at my church.

Aug 01, It's not a brilliant idea with acer palmatum as the smaller acers don't like hard pruning - it is much better to prune them gently and regularly. If you must prune wait until early spring. nutcutlet Peterborough Posts: 26, November Nov 23, By this time, the spring growth will have already sprouted, allowing you to make more strategic cuts.

Pruning in winter or early spring causes the tree to drip significant amounts of sap and. Mar 27, Prune the dead parts in a month, when it becomes obvious what to cut off, and it'll be ok. Acers recover fairly quickly, it'll put on a lot of new growth until autumn, so don't worry! Agatha_M, Mar 25, #2 Quote in Conversation.

Sep 04, The tree should have either been moved, or at most had a few limbs removed.

If a limb must be shortened, it should be taken back to an offshoot branch at least 1/3 the diameter of the main branch. Otherwise you end up with an explosion of buds at Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins.