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Pruning acer palmatum

#1 · 11th June 2022, 11:02 am

I have bought a lovely Purple Acer palmatum for my garden and was wondering if/ how to prune some of the lower branches or should I leave them?

#2 · 13th June 2022, 8:44 pm

Hello Diz,

I know Lee has a video on pruning, so that's worth a look, don't do any pruning this time of year.

It's advised to prune whilst the tree is dormant, but before the tree starts it's new growth the following season.

Saying that, this year I was late on some gardening jobs, this included some pruning, but all turned out OK, pruning depends upon what shape you require, if one doesn't want bottom branches trailing on the ground, these can be removed, my Acers branches do touch the ground, just, what you want to look at are the dead branches, and smaller branches coming off these, these are easy to spot as they are normally brittle and greyish in colour.

One hears about crossed/touching branches, cross your fingers, and if you spot some branches that look like your crossed fingers, one of those has to go, choose the main looking branch that is connected to the main stem and keep that.

I know the leaves on Acers make the tree look quite delicate, but they can take a fair bit of hard pruning, just make sure that if you want to remove a thickish branch use a good set of sharp loppers, don't attack it with small secateurs, having to take numerous cuts at the branch, you want a one cut and it's off, secateurs for small branches, again one cut and it's off.

So this time of year sit back and enjoy your Acer.

Bob

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#3 · 20th June 2022, 3:15 pm

Quote from diz118 on 11th June 2022, 11:02 am

I have bought a lovely Purple Acer palmatum for my garden and was wondering if/ how to prune some of the lower branches or should I leave them?

Hi Diz,

Thanks for your question on how and when to prune Acers. Bobs is right prune in late winter when the Acer is dormant. Pruning the lower branches of an Acer is a good way to shape them into a really graceful tree form rather than a multistem shrub.

Acer palmatums are super slow growing so you really need to consider the branches you're pruning and why.

Some common reasons to prune an Acer are:

Removing dead, damaged or diseased wood/stems
To shape a tree into a specific form
To remove branches that are in the way

When to prune Acers:

Prune Acers in late winter when all their leaves have fallen and on a dry day. Use clean sharp secateurs. If removing considerable amounts watch my video to hard pruning below. For lighter pruning, the 60 second guide is best!

How to tidy up an Acer by pruning:

Other tips are to cut back to the next outward-facing bud to help promote growth. If you want to remove an entire branch go right back to the main trunk. So you don't get regrowth.

Use clean sharp secateurs and always use the right size tools for the branches. Don't crush or saw with secateurs. If they don't cut easily you need larger snips or loppers.