Help on pruning Japanese Maple close to house

[Scotto]

Hi, I joined the forum because I'm looking for some help/suggestions in pruning the Japanese maple in front of my house. It's really the focal point of the house and it's beautiful but it's getting quite large and the small trimming I've been doing to keep it away from the house since I've lived here 6 years isn't cutting it anymore. The tree is about 40 years old (I have photos of the house from the mid-80s and it's a sapling then).

I've been hesitant to call any local arborists around me because most will indiscriminately cut anything. And I have access to ladders, boom truck, tractors, etc - I've already cleared about 100 trees from my property.

How should I prune this tree so it looks best and it's a bit further from the house? Couple questions:

1. Should I literally cut off 1 of the 2 main trunks, the closer to the house? I have this marked with a red arrow. This is the most heavy handed but I don't know if it's the best to contain the size of the tree and I hope it would eventually fill in.
2. Can I shorten the branches all over to make the overall crown smaller? I think this would keep the crown from continuing to grow in size. What's the best method to do this? Cut the branches just after a larger twig offshoot? I don't think this is good practice to trim branches but am unsure of any other method.
3. Should I also cut off some of the lower limbs? They aren't really that low, like 7-8' off the ground, but I think it would make the tree appear smaller if I did so.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Raintree]

Nice tree adds value to the property. I don't think the crown is going to get much larger. It looks to be nearing max size for a Jap maple. What you are doing is best for the tree. Continue to make small pruning cuts for house clearance. Consider getting a little more aggressive with the clearance so you are not at it every year. Don't do anything drastic.

 

[CacaoBoy]

Several years ago I took a couple of pruning classes at the Portland, Oregon, Japanese Garden. To get ideas, this may be your excuse for a trip across country, or check for a world class Japanese garden closer to you.

Look at well-maintained trees and photos to understand what makes for an attractive tree.

If that tree is 40 years old, ideally pruning would have started 37 years ago to train it. At this point, approach this as a multi-year project. Have a vision where you want to end up, and head there slowly. When you have taken off small amounts, watch to see how the tree responds, and encourage growth in the direction you want. Japanese maples like to be pruned -- I have spend countless hours nipping at mine and friends' trees -- but there is a difference between being pruned and being hacked.

I no longer live in an area friendly to Japanese maples, but if I could have only one tree and lived in a place that would support it, it would be a red Japanese maple.

 

[Scotto]

Thanks all for your suggestions! Sounds like I'll definitely take it slow and continue small pruning to get the tree into the shape I'm looking for. Thanks!

 

[MattGPT]

I prune my Japanese’s maples constantly...but...they are smaller.

 

[cookies]

Your hostas look super happy under that tree!

 

[BBill]

Sounds like you want to reduce the canopy, cut back from the house, and perhaps trim for more symmetry. I suggest that you keep the height below the ridgeline of the roof as to not interfere with the working of the chimney. I would also suggest that you do not remove any lower branches as this will start the "Lion Tail" look.
I agree that this will be a multiyear project to avoid over pruning and having the tree sucker out making more work. (Before you start make sure you understand topping, Lion's Tail and why they are almost always bad.) Dr. Ed Gliman from University of Florida explains the concept well. Check out the explanation and all the links on this page to help understand the reduction pruning of older trees.
Good luck,
Bill
https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/reducing.shtml