Scotto
New Member
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:
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.