When to Prune Japanese Maple Trees and How to Do It Right

If you’ve ever wondered when to prune Japanese maple trees this article should prove very helpful. Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) are among the loveliest small trees you can add to your landscape, but people are often confused about their care, especially when it comes to pruning. There are so many different forms and cultivars, each one more beautiful than the next, but sadly, you can destroy their beautiful shape and foliage by pruning incorrectly. The good news is that by understanding how and when to prune Japanese maple trees, you’ll maintain their health and form. Read on to learn more about Japanese maple pruning and how to do it right.

First, let’s begin with a brief overview of what makes Japanese maples so special and why pruning them incorrectly can negatively impact those special features.

With a graceful trunk, smooth bark, and sharply lobed leaves, the canopy of these small trees spreads into a distinctive shape. Some Japanese maple varieties, such as ‘Bloodgood’, are more upright with a spreading canopy. They grow up to 15-20 feet in height. While others, such as the many cutleaf or laceleaf cultivars (Acer palmatum var. dissectum), are typically smaller in stature and sometimes have a weeping or mounding form. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of cultivars of laceleaf Japanese maples. They can have leaves that are red, burgundy, pink, green, chartreuse, or any number of combinations and variegations thereof. Many have leaf colors that change throughout the seasons.

The good news is that to properly prune a Japanese maple, you don’t have to know what variety you have. No matter what kind of Japanese maple it is, the pruning needs, technique, and timing are the same.