My oldest son, Duston, had this beautiful Japanese Maple Tree in the front of his house. It was there when he moved in.
The previous owner really planted it too close to the house. If they would’ve kept a close eye on it and pruned it when necessary, it probably would’ve been fine.
But it got WAAAY out of control…
So, I thought it would be a good idea to trim this thing way back and track its progress as it grows back. We decided to wait until March before the tree came out of dormancy.
Here are a few shots of the tree before we trimmed it…
Now it was time to get to work! We skipped right over the hedge shears and lopping shears and went right for the trusty ol’ chainsaw!
I can already hear you gasping. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.
20 minutes later, we were done…
As you can imagine, Duston heard it from his wife, his neighbors and his friends. “What did you do?! Is it dead?! Did you kill it?! Why in the world did you do that?!”
Everyone fails to see it as a work in progress and can’t even think about what the end result will look like once it grows back.
That’s why you see so many overgrown Japanese Maples… people are too afraid to touch them for fear of killing it or hearing about it from everyone and their brother.
Don’t be afraid to trim your overgrown Japanese Maple way back!! Take a look at the tree now…
Almost 18 months later and the tree looks beautiful! It almost looks healthier than before. Duston has since kept it tightly trimmed, allowing it to get full in the center.
Here’s the most recent photo of the tree:
If you’d like to know how to keep your smaller Japanese Maples from getting overgrown like this one, watch the 10-minute video I made below…
Great article. Need some advice though. I have two miniature acers about 20 years old. they were in pots 10 years ago but then moved into the border. They’re fantastic but getting far too wide. Can i deal with these in the same way as a full sized tree.? I feel the need to be severe to avoid having to remove them altogether. Thanks in advance.
Ian,
You have to decide. If you feel that they will soon be too big and will have to be removed, then you can prune them. They’ll look horrible for a while and I supposed it could even kill them. I have to say that. Only trim hard when plants are dormant.
Learn from this. Never plant a japanese maple this clost to the house and leave it no space to mature to its natural height without putthing your house in a predicament.
Yes, I learned that the hard way. I have a “Pixie”, next to our house, which is dwarf cultivar that is suppose to grow only 5-6ft height and wide at maturity. I left room for double of those numbers. It turned out that was a great micro climate because our house blocks the cold from the north and it gets full sun. 15 years later, the 2 ft. Pixie, I planted is now over 20ft high and at least 15ft wide and still growing. Unfortunately, at some point it will have to be cut down in the future.
My Japanese Maple is very old and appears to be dying. Can it be saved? Or is there a life expectancy and nothing to be done?
JC,
There really is not a life expectancy. Not sure what might be making it fail. Try taking some pictures to your local county extension office.
I had a Bloodgood Japanese Maple Tree in front of my front windows obstructing my view of the garden. I crazily cut it to the ground to take it out. ( I should have trimmed off the bottom branches until satisfied like I do now with trees). To my surprise it grew into a beautiful bush and garden centerpiece.
Janet,
Sometimes you just have to take that chance.
My Japanese maple is overgrown and I’m at point of wanting to cut it down, because there isn’t a nice shape to it and it grows weird because there are other trees that shade it, so this gives me some hope.
I have two magnificent JM we had them topped and thinned out a couple of years ago. I love them but do NOT like that it takes so long for the @@## leaves to fall off. I sometimes have to use my leaf blower in Jan. I am in Connecticut.
I do think that the placement of that JM next to your son’s home is NOT right. It should be just cut down and then restart a new tree away from the house. They do grow fast and it is their nature to develop into bigger, fuller trees. He will be trimming that tree for years to come so do not fight it just cut it down
Thanks for your post conversation about hard pruning J maple. I have many coral bark trees, sorry I don t the proper name, I use them all for leaf color spring and fall, oh, and for the red trunk during part of the winter. The winter is so dreary I could care less what my pruned tree looks like, No one sees them. They only see the amazing leaf color. I just want it to function…for me, not for my neighbors. oh by the way I turned a weeping cherry 25’ into a dwarf/miniature cherry it still looks great.
But mainly it functions for me now. it is lightly shading a new conifer garden. When my soon to be established conifers need more sun I will cut it down to the conifers height.
I just whacked my 28’ foot blood good to make it fit some newer trees in a triad, and I like the way it looks.
I like the way wacked crêpe myrtles look. I prefer my hard pruned coral bark to my neighbors natural shape hands down, I also use run on sentences.
Thanks have a tree I let get out of control same as video but don’t want to hurt it but will trim it down come the spring.
Our JM is a beautiful shape admired by evedyone but we can see bare wood amongst the beaitiful bush, I am severly disabled , andmy Son “not a gardener” he says desperately needhelp
The next time you trim that big tree way back, that’s the time to transplant it. Later fall and water it a lot as the hole is filled.
James,
It’s waaaay to big to be transplanted. It’s either trimming or cutting it down.
Bears broke mine all the way down to the ground. Stump was barely showing. It had been here for about 18 years. It sprouted back this spring.
This is so interesting to read how upset people get over this. I stopped counting the number of times Mike had to re state that this tree was inherited from the previous owner. Not to get off topic but I bought another house not realizing the previous owner had planted running bamboo along the back perimeter. That was a 3k expense years ago to remove it with a bulldozer and reseed everything. It’s now illegal to plant bamboo in my town.
I saved this article, marked my calendar, and waited for the Fall to cut my two Japanese maples. Again. They were planted by the previous owner and look ridiculous on each side of the front door because the property is 1/10th of an acre total with about 25-30 feet from the house door to the road! Removing them is not an option as there is no room on the property to replant. There also isn’t a bamboo like root system growing 20 feet out a season under my property.
Today was the second time I have ‘cut’ these JP trees in the 11 years I have owned the house. They grew back the first time and I have since been pruning yearly but once again ( 5-6 years later) they have gotten too big overall. Second time is a charm!
Thank you very much for posting this article since tree removal is not an option.
Ashley,
Thanks for your support. This tree that we pruned is beautiful now. The house has sold and I’d like to get permission to get a photo and post it so all of these naysayers will realize that this tree was improved, not harmed.
The issue with topping a tree is that it is a short term solution to a long term problem. How it looks aside, cutting back to a branch of that size makes a large wound that takes a long time to heal opening the main trunk to increased chance of pests and disease. Such a drastic reduction in canopy is a huge energy sink that can stress the tree because it needs to regrow all of its growing points with no leaf buds ready to go. On top of this, all of the strong regrowth triggered by this kind of pruning tends to be very upright, and close together which leads to narrow branch collars. If pruning like this is ever necessary for whatever reason, follow up pruning should take place to give selected branches room to grow and mature to prevent branches from outcompeting each other and cracking. Alternatively, you could have done a crown reduction cutting back to specific buds on the branches, cut out everything that was pointing back at the house, and had it at a manageable size. This is a good solution if you want to sell a tree, not own it. https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/430/430-458/430-458.html
Aaron– Would you mind re-posting the link? It says this page is not available. I have a miniature Japanese maple and I think I might have made the mistake of cutting it too far back., and would like to have the information for future pruning. I hope I didn’t damage my tree.
Aside from keeping it tightly trimmed initially, what did he do to get it to look like the 2018 picture?
GR,
Nothing. We trimmed the tree once and you should see it now. The house has been sold and if I can get permission I’ll get a current photo and post it.
You did what you had to do. You carved out a great base form, for the tree to come back ,beautifully to a more manageable size, one that does not overpower the house. My upmost approval for a nod well done.
Tommy,
The truth is we took those photos several years ago and the tree did come back beautifully. But it now looks just like it did before the pruning. It really was planted in the wrong place and should be removed. New owners of the house so now it’s their decision.
I hope no one else is inspired to butcher their japanese maple by this. That is considered an abomination by anyone who knows what they’re doing. That tree could have been judiciously thinned, so that it’s overall size was no longer overwhelming (personally I don’t think there was any problem to begin with, at least not with the tree, it was merely a perception problem). So reduce the density, not the overall size. It is very difficult to reduce the overall size of a tree without permanently destroying it’s graceful growth lines, and causing rampant regrowth, but someone who really knows what they are doing can perform a crown reduction, also called drop-crotching. In general though, if a tree is actually too big it should be pruned at ground level and replaced with something that doesn’t grow as tall. Check out an organization called Plant Amnesty–created because of just this kind of topping butchery.
In other words, you’re suggesting to just cut it off at the ground and that’s the better option? And of course that option still exists. But I gave the tree a chance to stay where it was. We inherited a situation with a tree planted in a spot that it never should have been. This particular tree is still alive and well and has responded nicely to the pruning.
Hi Mike –
Thanks for sharing your experiment, along with the before and after photos. Nice job!
Sorry to read the responses from all the judgmental haters.
We have two very overgrown Japanese Maples in front of our house that have grown out of control and we are faced with the same dilemma: cut one of them down altogether or give them both a very hard prune and hope for the best. We are not going to spend several thousand dollars to move the tree, so those are our options.
Thanks to your post, we’ll put the chainsaw away and see what happens.
Thank you!
Thanks Sean,
I’m trying to get a new after photo of this tree to show how nice it looks now and it’s still alive, it’s not a dead stump as many have suggested. I have to get permission from the people that now own the home.
That’s a topping, not a pruning. You use misleading terminology. Too many like you who refuse to educate themselves. Sad.
I know, I’m a terrible person! You should see that tree now. It looks amazing. Wrong terminology and all.
I agree with Mike.
Henry, you hit the nail on the head:
“destroying it’s graceful growth lines, and causing rampant regrowth.”
The explosion of twiggy foliage is not a “work-in-progress,” this tree has been permanently butchered – I can’t imagine how it looks like in winter – and it will never regain its former elegance.
The BEFORE and AFTER photo depicts a travesty.
Great comment
I agree I have several
and love the natural growth. I trim my about a third around the tree never ever the top they will eventually die if top is butchered !!!
By the way never should you trim a tree in spring or March best time in fall
Thanks
Agreed
Hi Mike, thanks for the useful information. If I cut a JM so that only the main, single stem is sticking out of the ground, will it develop shoots off that stem and (sort of) spring back to life over time?
Thanks for the help!
Jim
Jim,
That’s really severe pruning and I wouldn’t do it now. Even in the winter it would be very risky.
Thank you Mike! We will hold off for now… maybe we will try in January. It’s just too big, I can’t dig it out, and we want to start over. 🙂
Topping Japanese maples is butchery. 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 the branch end and a forever ugly lollipop tree mess.
Kirk,
Moving it was out of the question. It was just too big. So the option was to prune it or cut it down. Sometimes, you just can’t do what is ideal.
yes, I agree. It’s not very attractive the way it is. It could have been pruned more architectural to not end up with the lollipop thing.
well, i did end up with an explosion of buds . now my tree is 2 stories and very leggy. We ;are in the middle of summer. Is there anything I can do to save it or just take it down and plant something else?
John,
If it’s leggy simply cut off about half of that new growth.
Hi! I’m so excited that I found this article. My husband and I bought a house with a beatiful Japanese Maple planted a little to close to the house. We kept meaning to trim it back, but I was nervous about killing it( plus our daughter loves climbing it!). It is way to big now and I’m glad to see that I can do some major trimming and it won’t die. Hopefully my results will be as great as yours. Thanks so much!
I just cut back my Japanese Maples (like your picture). The only problem is that it is November and the leaves were about ready to fall off. I read now that this is not the time to trim. Do you think this will kill my trees? They were not quiet as big as your son’s tree.
Beverly,
They should be fine. They’ll be slow to come back and I’m sure they will.
Can this be done with a japanese lilac tree with success? The previous owner planted it under covered electric wires which it now grows between. My husband thinks we could maybe prune it back and keep it under control, but I think it might be less hassle to move it instead where it has more growing room since we will always need to try pruning it back.
JoJo,
Cutting it back would be far easier than moving it. I can’t promise anything but I would think if you pruned it hard while dormant it would come back nicely. Slow at first. If you move it, do so while dormant.
Hi Mike
I want to know if you let reblooming lilies go to seed, can those seed pods be used to grow more lilies?
James,
Yes they can, but from seed you never know for sure what you are going to get.
Mike, I have a young Osakazuki JM planted approx ten feet away from the corner of my house )about like your son’s tree). Every year it sends out long thin flimsy red limbs in all directions. I trim the lateral ones back to promote an upright tree. Am I doing the right thing?
Really enjoy your website
Danny,
I would say that you are, all Japanese maples need pruning at least once a year.
As someone who grows bonsai, I would have at least tried to air layer those branches.
Mike, I have been trimming my JP every year as you instructed. They were beautiful till this spring, then it looked dead. No leaves at all. Then one started to get leaves and was ok. The other one still no leaves and I could tell the top branches were dead but the trunk started get branches with lots of leaves and they are growing. Is this tree dead? Should I cut off all the top branches and wait to see?
Thank you for your help.
Mona,
It doesn’t sound good, I’d remove all of the dead wood at this point. This is how you test to see if a plant, or a branch on a plant has died. Just scratch the bark of your plants with your finger nail. If the tissue below the bark is green and firm your plants are fine. If the tissue is brown and mushy that part of the plant is dead.
Fantastic!
Totally ruined it. He should have dug it out and planted elsewhere in the yard. Dig a trench around it in the summer so it has time to grow some new roots and then dig out completely after the first frost and move it.
Gail,
Truly, there was not enough room to do that. The options were prune it hard or cut it down. Today, years later it looks great. So I guess he didn’t ruin it.
Hi Mike,
My potted jap maple is growing too tall for my balcony, and i need advice on how much i can prune it down? The top isn’t getting any sunlight, so I’m worried that the tree will just wither and die sooner or later. How often can i prune the tree…there’s at least 3-4inches that i need to take off from the top in order for the top of the tree to have some sunlight. Help!
TC,
For the most part you can prune your tree as often as it needs pruning.
I don’t like how he pruned this maple at all nor do I like how you prune yours either Mike. To each his own I guess. If it was overgrown you should have moved it or never planted it there in the first place. Also imo it could have been selectively pruned to have gotten off the house a bit. This prune job was too hard imo. Ug… It honestly looks like crap now structure wise. What a shame…
The truth is, the tree looks awesome now a few years later. But I never expected much support on this, simply posted it because it might help somebody.
Mike, It helped me alot,cause I did the same thing. I just hope mine don’t die.
Mike, I support your efforts. We recently bought a home with numerous trees planted as you have shown. The only thing we did differently was to use a more varied cut height of branches. The only other choice was to completely cut out these trees.
Support your efforts. We recently bought a home with numerous trees planted as you have shown. The only thing we did differently was to use a more varied cut height of branches. The only other choice was to completely cut out these trees.
We all use slang in our daily language. Most is acceptable, but some is downright offensive. I’ve never heard anyone refer to a Japanese Maple as a “jap” map[e. You might want to Google “Japanese-American soldiers in WWII. Highest number of decorations for valor, Highest number of casualties.
I’m extremely disappointed that the site manager let this one go.
Jeff,
I agree with you on this and I am very careful to not abbreviate this word. However, do you really want me to broadly apply censorship? Especially when the comment was not intend to harm or disparage. I’m not big on censorship and do my best to let comments stand as is unless just plain ugly.
Kudos Mike. Obviously not intended to be offensive. For what it’s worth, respect you for your decision.
People are too easily offended. That is a lot of defensiveness over a missed capital and a missed period! OK, someone is going to be offended by my casual use of “a missed period” I suppose.
Ralph,
Duston and I have over 1,000 articles and videos on the web that can be accessed for free. Putting them up was not free, our hosting bill alone is about $300 a month, not to mention the time that it took to create them. None of them are perfect, but I believe all are helpful and useful. People who criticize me probably have never taken the time to provide free content to anybody. Therefore, well, you know.
People just need to lighten up, for crying out loud. Everything offends everybody today..
Grow up Jeff! It was not intended that way and you know it! People are just too sensitive anymore. Good for you Mike for taking a stance.
It’s a tree.
You ought to lighten up a bit Mike and appreciate the article for what it imparts. You’re obviously an American with too much time on your hands and no sense of humour. And indeed you have my sympathy when you have a commander in chief trying to start world war three in my part of the world which is Australia.
The term is quite common over here.
Andrew
Sorry I meant Jeff when I said Mike. Keep up the good advice Mike.
Andrew
This is very interesting. Thanks for sharing. The council here in the UK do this kind of extreme pruning of mature trees that are oversized, it looks a bit brutal.
Personally I think with the foliage it looks ok, but without the foliage it will be an eyesore and that’s a full 6 months of the year for all my JPs.
I don’t have one this big, but I have planted an Atropropureum palamatum about 2 metres away from an Osakazuki. I don’t really want to move them but I realise at some point they are going to grow close but I might either just leave them or prune a bit. It’s researching this that brought me here!
James,
The sooner you start pruning them the easier it will be to maintain to their own space.
We moved a lace JM last fall. It was move it or lose it. This spring it surprised us by getting leaves on the bottom branches only. The top two feet of branches are bare. Should I trim the top branches out or give it a few more years to get its leaves back? I can’t find an answer to this anywhere on the web. Love your videos and articles. Thanks Mike.
Elaine,
I think you need to remove that dead growth.
I cut a Bloodgood down to the ground thinking that would be the end of it because it was obstructing the view of my garden. Now it’s a beautiful bush and perfect for the front garden.
Mike, I love your emails and advice. Thanks for all the advice. Currently I have two dogwoods on my property that are having trouble making it through a very hot summer. We usually have only a week of 90 degree weather but this year we have had several. I drip water for half a day every other week or so but still their leaves are drying and falling. I am raking like it was Autumn. Any thoughts of what is the right way to help these trees for my next hot summer? That is if they survive.
Rochelle,
Are leaves powdery white? That could be powdery mildew which often attacks dogwoods when it’s hot and humid. About all you can do is rake up the leaves and dispose of them. Usually no serious harm to the tree. Spraying might help but I usually don’t bother. If just too dry all you can do is water but don’t drown them.
Sorry, Mike, I just cannot agree with this one. I have followed you for many years, enjoyed your writings, pictures, etc, and love your advice…but this…this? It broke my heart, especially knowing there will be those who will follow your advice, and do the same. Would rather take the tree down in this case. I have a J Maple close, not too close, but close to the house, and I do thinning cuts. Keeps the hatural shape of the Red Emperor. Also have a Bloodgood I do same with. I do wish you would reconsider this advice, but know you probably won’t. I’d rather take any tree down than butcher/misshapen it…and, no, it doesn’t look better after several seasons. Happy Gardening anyway!
Lee,
Here’s the deal.
1. Duston didn’t plant the tree, it was there when they got the house.
2. Taking it down is always an option.
3. But why not prune first? You can always take it down, but you can’t ever bring it back if you cut it down.
Man up and take the time to move it then and fully respect the tree. What he did was terrible…. Its like crepe murder imo. Please people do not do this to your Japanese Maple.
Amen. We call those Lollypop trees where i am from.
I have had to cut back a Japanese Maple in the past and it made a big improvement. Need to do it again this year.
We have a Sweet Bay Magnolia that we did not keep under control and not it is over the roof. Glad we did not cut the top off. Any recommendations as to when to thin out and shorten to a more manageable size? LUV being on your email list. Have learned so much!! Thank you.
Deedee,
The ideal time is around Thanksgiving.
Mike, is it ok to do the kind of cutting you did when it will get between 30 – 40 degrees out?
Amalie,
I’m sure it will be fine.
Man up and take the time to move it then and fully respect the tree. What he did was terrible…. Its like crepe murder imo. Please people do not do this to your Japanese Maple. Also concrete is cheap. If I was forced to remove concrete I would have ripped up the sidewalk in a heartbeat for that beauty.
The tree is too big for the space. You need find someone in your area (maybe Jim Doyle https://www.bonsaiempire.com/locations/bonsai-artists/jim-doyle ) that does bonsai and trade it for smaller variety. He can then use big one to create a bonsai. I know this sounds backwards, but talk to him. You may be surprised.
You can actually cut it back even more, but it would need to be done in stages.
You have no idea what it would take to move that tree. You’d have to start with removing the sidewalk but even then, too close to the house to dig.
Use an air spade – no cutting of roots
How do I get rid of the gardeners unite at the bottom of my screen. I’ve entered my email address but it still comes up every time I access your sight. The “x” to close it is always gray and will not allow me to close it. It takes up half of my iPod screen so it greatly detracts from the sight.
Todd,
I hate pop up windows but on a site that offers free information you have to use them. It sounds to me like your device or browser are not handling the pop up correctly.
We have two great Japanese maples in front. They need room to spread a bit. I think your son should just cut that tree out,
It is in the wrong place.
He has a great dad to give him some advice on what would be appropriate there
That’s always an option.
Personally, I like what’s been done with your Japanese Maple! Gotta wonder about all the critics… It’s YOUR home, YOUR tree and you should be able to do whatever you want with it without a bunch of folks jumping! The Political Correctness is about to get on my last nerve! If someone calls it a “Jap. Maple” So what! What difference does it make in the long run? None!
On another note, can you please go back to black colors for your text? Reading this gray color on a snow white background is so very difficult to read! -Thanking you in advance of the fix for this! <3
I need advise about a redwood coastal. I planted it young, a buck racked his horns over the side tearing off all the branches, almost killed it. We cut the top off attempting to save it. Now it is flourishing from the bottom, the trunk isn’t rising. It’s only been a year. Will it eventually grow tall? Right now it looks like a beautiful healthy pine bush about 2 ft tall, growing wider. I read in a previous post pines can’t be trimmed so dramatically. What does this tree’s future look like?
Cam,
It is possible to select one branch as a main leader and train that branch to grow tall and straight with a stake. Remove any branches that are competing to be the leader.
Hey Mike, We call what you and your son did “ lollypop-ping” or “tootsie popping”. This is typical of what the “mow n blow “ guys do when they think they know how to trim trees. My wife and I have many friends in the horticultural and landscape business and they tell us to thin out the tree, making sure you do not leave stubs as they will open the tree to disease.
Scott,
So I’m a mow and blow guy? I’ll betya you don’t have as many friends in the horticultural business as I do. Pretty much all I’ve done my entire life. Now, had we simply taken a chainsaw and cut the tree down people would be screaming from the hilltop. This tree was there for years, clearly planted in the wrong place, before they got the house.
When saving a grossly over grown tree you have no choice but to leave stubs. Follow a tree trimmer around for a week. They have no choice but leave stubs.
Hey Mike and Duston, how about an update sometime this year? I can’t wait for you to show everyone, including the skeptics, how good it turns out.
Kevin,
You’re right, we need to snap some photos once in leafs out this spring.
I’d love to see this as well as I am in a similar spot where a Bloodgood is too close to my house but I don’t have the option to move it. Thanks!
Dale,
If you don’t have an option pruning is the option. I’ll get you some picks soon.
Mike – mine is growing too close to the powerlines. How would I go about cuttings from my tree so I can have more of them growing in other places ? Then I will also trim the original back, drastically.
BeckyJo,
Growing Japanese maples from cuttings is very difficult and not really recommended. Seeds or grafting works best.
Any pics?
Jake,
Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks Mike. My daughter has a JM tòo close to her house. Can I use The cuttings to ròot more JM trees. We both love her tree and would like to have more.
Would love to see the updated photo. Also do y’all plan to trim more off. It still seems a bit large for the front of the house.
I have learned so much from you over the years and appreciate your emails with advice,
Debby
Debby,
There is an updated photo on the page. No, cuttings from Japanese maples don’t work well. Not even worth trying.
Do you sell plants on line? If not how do I get to your nursery from Washington State.
Diana,
At this point I am not selling plants online and I think I’m 3,000 miles from Washington State.
This is exactly what you should NOT do to prune a Japanese maple. Horrible advice.
Perfect. An expert with no name, offering no advice on a better solution when a tree is planted way too the house by original owner. The option was to remove the tree completely or trim it hard. You should by the way see it now.
I have the same situation and is posing a squirrel and chipmunk problem. Will cut but not so hard, and relocate away from house. Thanks for your help.
You sure have egg on yur face, don’t you anonymous? ????????
What did you do to that beautiful tree? It looks like giant shrub now. So ugly and obviously trying to overcompensate with foilage so dense at your cuts. Please! Stop giving advice! You’re bad at it.
Jon,
Your comments are appreciated. Thanks for stopping by.
Sorry, but that was good advice! It is too close to the foundation. We had part of a foundation collapse from a similar situation. It needs this pruning or removal. Take your pick.
The look of the tree is personal preference trim your trees to look how you like them who cares if Joe blow thinks it’s ugly
How far from the foundation is this tree?
I like what you said about not being afraid to trim. My Japanese maple is overgrown and I was hesitant to trim it. I feel a lot more comfortable doing it especially after seeing your results.
Stub cuts are NEVER a good idea, no matter what kind of tree you’re pruning. Check out the science at Plant Amnesty’s website based in Seattle. Cutting the ends off branches results in a flush of growth which produces MANY replacement shoots… NONE of which will ever be joined as securely to the end of the branch as the one you removed. It also creates a “high maintenance” tree requiring continual control measures for the rest of the trees existence.
A better choice would be thinning cuts, cutting major branches back to a smaller side branch at least 1/3 the diameter of the branch you’re cutting. It opens up the tree and allows back-budding which aids in further reduction of size in the future. It doesn’t produce the dramatic “before and after” picture, but if you’re planning to have a healthy tree long-term, it’s the only choice.
Mike I pretty much did the same thing with my red maple, only mine was about 18 feet high, skinny, and hitting my garden window on second floor. It would hit the window when it got windy, I was afraid it would break the glass, so I figured I would chop it down. Now I had a 10 inch stump. The following year I have what looks to be a beautiful red maple shrub. I couldn’t believe it came back. Amazing
Valerie,
and it time it will be amazing!
Great information, does it work for dogwood also? Please let me know.
Sure Mina,
You can prune a dogwood back hard like this. Just wait and do it in early winter, usually after Thanksgiving.
I hate the appearance of pollarded trees. It should have been possible to prune that so it would look like it had never seen a saw. I suppose the after picture leafed out is ok it you wanted something that looked like an overgrown lollipop bush.
I’ll post more photos in the future, you’ll realize that this pruning will greatly improve this tree in time.
Hi Mike,
It’s too bad people are so bent on appearances. If it were me I would have taken even more to try to get one main taller trunk. and try to stagger the foliage.
Like you said people are afraid to drastically chop trees and plants. It only looks bad until it grows back. Maples in general are like weeds and back bud very easily. The only trees that I found that this can’t be done to are pines and needle evergreens. That takes a slower process of trimming.
Good job on that one and I would look into relocating it now that it is manageable. People with poor tree knowledge need to read up on plant physiology and observe how plants and trees have the will to survive. I’ve seen three food diameter willows cut to 10 foot trunks only to develop beautiful weeping structure just like a mature 70 foot tree.
Thanks Mike,
It’s all about vision, you have to know what it’s going to look like down the road, not in the moment.
I had the same problems with my red maples, too tall & stringy. Saw what you did with yours and figured you know what your doing so I did the same thing last year. My trees are full & look great now thanks,Rich
Thanks Rich, as you can see, this post was not very popular.
So sorry there are so many jerks who have no vision of what the future holds. I has the most beautiful little 4 ft. Japanese maple in Macon Mo. a few yrs back, Macon means aka Maple. I used to have a tree trimming and landscaping service in Sacramento CA., yrs, ago, we were selective about which trees to close nub. as the owners had the same no vision of the future attitudes. so it just created more business for the next yr,. lol all were happy. However that was the business side of me. My own trees and shrubs were different. I trimmed the daylights out of my little Japanese Maple every 3 yrs and it looked like a beautiful Bonsai at 4 ft. tall every yr. I trimmed it each early fall after the first frost…… Thank you Mike for your on going good advice. I also make my own bio char each fall and that is like a wonder cure for all of my yard including my veggie garden,
Dr. Sandra,
Thank you for your comments. Sometimes I need the support.
I have a 15+ year old green split leaf JM that was planted too close to the foundation and roots are growing under/into foundation. Husband wants to cut it down. Any suggestions? Do you think it would live if roots are cut and possibly moved? However, I don’t know how we would ever get it moved without tearing up something. Would most likely have to use machinery. Thanks for any input.
Cathy,
It can be hand dug, it will be a job, but I have moved them that large. But you have to wait until after a good hard freeze and all of the leaves are off. You’ll need a good spade and a spud bar. These are the tools you’ll need, but the process has to be non demolition like. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2010/06/tree-stump-removal-instructions/
I have a 15+ year d green split leaf maple that was planted too close to the house. At the time it looked a long way but now the roots are going under the foundation. I have been putting off my husband who wants to cut it down but we have got to take action soon. Any. Suggestions?
Bless his heart, but that is the crepe murder M.O. on a new species. Crape murder a common practice here in South Carolina. Didn’t think anyone would want to emulate habits from SC, but I guess I was wrong. Don’t try to justify that sort of vicious cutting back by “well it would be dead otherwise” as you have already set down the path to that tree’s eventual demise. You are not supposed to prune away more than 25% of a tree’s canopy a year. It is unhealthy for the tree. The sort of gaping, four-inch missing-trunk wounds take years to completely close over (if they ever do) allowing disease-causing bacteria, mold and fungus an easy way into a tree in the meantime. With the inner wood exposed, the tree will be hemorrhaging moisture. Also, as all of its set leaf buds were removed gone, it had to expend a huge amount of stored energy to regrow branches, twigs and leaf buds so it can start producing food again. It is going to have to play catch-up with all the other landscape plantings around that house, competing with uninjured and healthy plants for needed nutrients and water.
One option before planting a tree is to actually READ the label (or do some research) and see how big the plant will be at maturity and make sure you install said plant a safe distance away from a permanent structure (house, garage, other tree). No one should plant a large plant that close to a house. The roots could damage the house’s foundation. Yes, he should have just removed the tree or maybe cut it back to the ground and THEN train it via selective pruning to have it grow away from the house. That sort of “my tree is also a coat rack” butchery pruning done on a yearly basis will end up killing the tree. Plus it makes him look painfully uneducated to anyone with any knowledge of proper pruning techniques. The tree will continue to grow and will now send off hundreds of smaller shoots in response to the brutal cutting back on it, causing your son to have to butcher it year after year, eventually killing it.
Have him get in touch with his local university extension office for information on the proper care and pruning of his landscape plants. There may be someone there who can help him salvage the tree, or perhaps do some air layering/cuttings to clone the tree so he can remove the parent tree and plant an offspring or four a safe distance away from the house. An agent can come out and look at the tree and give good advice on the care of it, or the removal, as the case may be. Quite frankly, I am not sure that leaving the tree there after cutting it back to the ground is a good idea. It’s roots, if it survives, could damage the foundation of the house. However, Japanese maples could have a smaller maximum root size. Your extension agent should be able to tell you more, or get you in touch with a local, certified arborist, not some hack with a chainsaw who calls himself a landscaper. It takes more than a business license and a lawnmower to be a real landscaper.
Cut it back to the ground and retrain it to grow away from the house? I promise you, each and every year this tree will look better and better to the point of being beautiful, probably next year. Keep in mind, he didn’t plant the tree, he inherited as have thousands of other people who have purchased homes with similar situations. So no matter what anybody says about this pruning job, especially those who were not faced with this problem, this article is very interesting. There are a lot of people out there who have a similar situation and are not in a position to hire a tree service or an arborist.
The wounds will heal, that’s what tree wounds do. Tree companies and arborists make much bigger cuts on a daily basis.
We will follow up this article with future photos.
Amen to that. I pity this poor maple after such a savage attack.
Laura,
If you look at the photo two or three years later, the tree looks okay. still in the wrong place but that can’t be changed. When I get this kind of harsh criticism it makes me want to come to your house and offer up my critique.
Mike, I love to sit and read what you have to say. It gives me ideas and I’m always wanting more. Just bought 2 acres and not a single tree. I’ve brought a bunch, different kinds to plant from Georgia to home in Texas. Example, like Silver Leaf, pine and Cypress. Any suggestions you can offer. I believe everything you say. Keep it up. Great job.
Brenda,
Most importantly, buy things that will do well in your zone in Texas. Visit all the local garden stores and make a list of the trees that you would like to have. Then shop around for smaller ones that you can buy more of. We have a lot of members in Texas who grow a number of different Crepe Myrtle.
I healed in a couple of Crepe Myrtle trees until I could get to them. They took root and by the time I got to them there was more than two. My husband and sons dug them up and planted in other places of the yard. I thought that was the end of my problem but not long after I had two more trees growing there. One of my grandsons has just a few days ago dug up the trees and I had him dig deep and try to get all the roots but there is probably more in the ground that he did not see. In my garden these are invasive plants in Georgia. Another tree that is very invasive in Georgia is the Mimosa tree aka Silk tree. Georgia should ban these trees from entering the state. The Kudzu vine is extremely invasive. They have a very long taproot and it is hard to get rid of it.. Before bringing a plant from another state check to see if it is an invasive plant where you are taking it to be planted.
Trees that are cutback as this Japanese Maple, never lose that stubby look or the obvious cut-off ends of major limbs that were amputated. This is done so much in the southeast, that I’ve come to expect it, having lived here nearly 20 years. It’s very sad to see a beautiful tree “trimmed” in this manner. Severe cutting like this may also cause the tree to simply die. There are times when I’ve been close to tears to see a tree that has been desecrated in this way.
I know, Mike, you are going to say to give it a couple of seasons and it will look great. It will NOT look like a airy Japanese Maple, no matter how long you wait now.
Anita,
Keep in mind, the option was to cut it down and grind the stump.
It would have been better to cut it down!
It’s a real shame that this beautiful specimen tree was sited wrong. Very big mistake by the previous owners.
Trees that are topped are never the same, not this year, not next year, not ever.
I see them all over town mainly the poor street trees topped because they too were sited wrong and are directly beneath power lines. They sucker profusely. It makes my blood boil. In winter it is downright sad driving along and seeing this ghastly sight which feels to me like I’m forced to watch an act of violence.
To say it’s topping or death personally I would greatly prefer death.
Mike please reconsider recommending topping of trees and instead use your site to teach often about planting appropriately for the site.
Education is critical.
Jane,
You’re right, planning is essential, and as much as I’d like to change that, I know better. I’ve been doing this too long. People just can’t make themselves consider the mature height of a plant before planting it.
Hey Mike,
I think you did what you had to, to save the tree and people need to have some patience. Look at what the utility companies do to trees. Now that’s a crime!
Couple questions though. Why do the newer leaves seem darker than before you corrected it? I’ve had some evergreen Holly trees (don’t remember the type), a firebush, and a few other evergreen type shrubs pruned drastically this year for the same reason you did this tree and the new growth is actually lighter than the old. I was praying my neighbors wouldn’t report my corrections to the HOA, but they seem OK with it. Guess they have some patience. Also will you be pruning it as it grows to direct the new growth or just let it go for a time? Been gardening and growing plants from seed/cuttings since I was about 15 (now 59), but I’m fairly new to shrubs and trees.
Love your information and tips, am considering becoming a backyard grower. Have an HOA to work around and am also trying to get information on my local permits etc. Hopefully, I’ll figure it out soon. Keep the info coming. Thank you!
Donna,
New growth is always darker, especially on a Japanese maple. For suggestions on how to grow for profit living in a development test drive the members area and post your question their. You’ll get a ton of good advice. Our Backyard Growers Members area is awesome! Learn all about it here:
http://backyardgrowers.com/join
This tree needs to go! Not only does it look butchered, it is the perfect ladder for raccoons! Larger trees or shrubs are bad against a house for that reason alone. The cute little creatures just tear right through the roof and make their nest in your attic.
I am so happy that you posted this information. I made the same mistake and planted a japanese maple too close to my house. I so did not want to just eliminate it to solve the problem. This is very informative and will do this as opposed to killing it. Thank you so much!
Being planted that close to a foundation, I wonder how long until the roots cause problems?
I’m sure it will look far different in future years. I heavily pruned our Honey Crisp, as Paul from backtoedenfilm.org teaches, and everyone thought I killed it. now it looks full and strong as ever.
keep up the great material, Mike!
This is great information because I have exactly the same situation and was trimming down currently. I quit doing immediately and will trim in next March. Thank you so much!
Hi
I know you like to trim the Japanese maple however it looks a little stumpy
Many nextime many you Gould not cut it quite so far back it makes it look
Out of balance
Thanks , however you did do the right thing ?
Wendy,
It was way too big for the small area that it was in. It either to be cut back or come out.
I agree you needed to cut it back.
Next winter, you should take out the crossing branches and then probably the largest of the forked branches to make it a more maple shape. This will also bring the height down some more and reduce the width. Also, sloping cuts heal quicker and look less ‘stumpy’
Hi Mike, wondering what’s the best time of year to transplant a Japanese maple (unknown cultivar). This is a 5′ tree in zone 5B moving to another zone 5B location.
Thank you, keep being inspired and making the world greener one plant at a time!
Lars,
This is really important, great question. Digging, transplanting season begins around Thanksgiving, after the tree has experienced a hard freeze below 30 degrees for several hours. Not a frost, but a freeze. Digging transplanting season ends in the spring as soon as the plants make leaves. Once they leaf out you have to quit digging or you will kill the plants.
I don’t have a Japanese Maple, but want one, & will know now to keep it pruned, as I have a spot near the house where I want one.
I don’t think it looks better at all. It looks compacted and butchered. Japanese Maples are supposed to be wide and draping. Granted he could have pruned it by taking out some branches to give it more room to grow but not by butchering it and trying to make it into a shrub. Maybe it is the wrong tree for the space.
Lori,
It definitely is the wrong tree for the space, so we actually saved the tree not ruin it. However, if you give the tree another growing season it will look exactly as you suggest it is supposed to look.
Hey Mike and Duston,
How is the bare tree gonna look when it loses its foliage?
It will look like any other dormant tree. When you do heavy pruning like this, in an effort to save a tree that otherwise would have to be removed, it takes a few years for it to really look great again.
Hi Mike,
I have a beautiful pink dogwood and some of the limbs are leggy. Could I cut it back in winter like you did the japanese maple? Thanks!
Diane,
Yes you can, it will fill out nicely.
Dustin did a great job on that Maple Tree, it looks absolutely beautiful!
The Japanese Maple tree looks butchered. Wrong—so wrong. Really, really sad and such a shame to pollard a tree, period. Yuck. You guys should know better.. It had a nice shape, a real feature that made the house look more expensive., The J.M. just needed a bit of shaping.. .
Jules,
This was the wrong tree planted in the wrong spot. It’s less than 2 years after pruning. By next summer the tree won’t look butchered. We saved a tree that either had to be cut down or cut back hard. Truthfully, the tree needs to come out.
Because I do not have a Credit or Debit Card can I order from you by using a direct payment from my Checking Account?
Myral, give Duston a call at the office. 440-259-4306.
Hi Mike. I love your website, but what Dustin did to that tree we rightly call Lollypop trees! If I had been there, I would have thinned out/ limbed up some of the inner branches, so it would have grown up and away from the house/garage. Now the porch has no shade, and the yard looks naked…just my two cents….thanks, Cathi ( TN Master Gardener)
Cathi,
As a Master Gardener would you have planted that tree in that spot? I certainly would not of. The tree is way too big for that bed. It was there when they bought the house. Give the tree one more growing season and it will much better and it will have been saved.
you are taking proper tree care back into the dark ages by saying this is right! Temporary, it will sucker out and look good. Long term, your son screwed up him tree permanently!!
42 years as an Arborist here and I pay attention to your stuff. But please retract that statement about butchering the Japanese Maple. I would love to debate you on this! And I’m sorry to say , you would lose!
Blair Glenn
I.S.A. Certified Arborist #654
Blair,
The only way to debate this would be for us to photograph the tree next summer and the summer after. For now the tree has been saved, the other option was to cut it down. Sure we could have spent three years slowly pruning the tree, but that wasn’t something we were interested in.
I also have a J Maple What a difference Thank you Hugs and Prayers M
Marie,
This is a Japanese maple, more than likely Bloodgood, possibly Oshi Beni.
How many cuttings were rooted off those limbs?
James,
Japanese maples are extremely difficult to root from cuttings and impossible to root from hard wood cuttings. That would was extremely hard, the tree had to be trimmed during the winter.
My dwarf J.M. is starting to curl and get spots on the leaves. It looks like its starting to die. I already lost one that did that. Can you tell me what to do to help it. TIA
I should mention also its a lacy leaf
Sandy,
There really aren’t many things that bother Laceleaf Japanese maples. Too much fertilize, planted to deep or planted in wet spot. Too much water, they do not like wet feet. Is it in area that gets daily watering from lawn sprinklers? That’s almost certain death for a Japanese maple. Spots on the leaves are not a big concern for me. Next year you get new leaves.
Mike, I get your newsletter and I do read them. I get some very good info from you. there are a lot of times when something doesn’t pertain to me but are still interesting. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the info that I can use.
You’re welcome Jan, thank you for sticking with me.
Keep it coming. I love your site.
Keep it coming. Love your site.
Hi Mike,
I guess it’s all in the eye of the beholder…right? I live way out in the country where there is room to let all the trees do their thing. I have a weeping Japanese maple that is at least 20 years old. I prune it when it begins to touch the ground because I enjoy the dome effect of the tree. It’s absolutely gorgeous!! I do appreciate knowing about how to control the shape of the other maples however. I have 2 of them that want to form a Y shape and I’ve been afraid to prune it…so thank you for your video:)
Oh, dear God. Why did you do that?! It’s not a Crepe Myrtle, why prune it like one?? Goshamighty, that’s ugly. Sorry, Mike, you know I love ya, but please don’t encourage such maiming of a potentially lovely, graceful tree!
Barbara,
Look at where the tree is planted. The other option was to remove it. Would that have been better? Chances are it will have to come out sooner or later, it was planted in the wrong place.
You don’t have to butcher crape myrtles either!! Those that know this call it crape murder.
and just how many cuttings from that pruning???
Jim,
I answer this in detail in another comment here.
I have an overgrown maple just like that at my church. We have been dancing around with loppers and pruning shears for a couple of years, and it needs the chain saw treatment. Thank you for giving me the encouragement!
But, it looks stubby and like a shrub now, not the graceful, lacy layers that make these trees so beautiful. Here in California, or in Chico, at least, the trees are trimmed into distinct layers, with visibility through most of the tree.
Totally agree with Deborah! The tree was butchered. It will never again have a natural form.
Keep in mind, Duston didn’t plant the tree. It came with the house. There really were not a lot of options and removing the tree is still an option.