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From the Garden: Learn from an expert how to shape Japanese maples like bonsai

By Susan Hart Star-News Correspondent
Published: Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 4:10 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 4:39 p.m.

It is thought to be the ornamental tree of choice by more American homeowners than any other species. The Japanese maple is graceful, colorful and textural, especially in its bonsai-like form, developed centuries ago by the Japanese as an art.

Tom Ash demonstrates the correct way to prune a Japanese maple.

Mature specimens can be expensive - $500 to $1,000 or more for an old tree that has been carefully shaped over the years - like many of those at Ash's Japanese maple Nursery in Hampstead. It behooves you therefore to take great care of your Japanese maple if you have invested in such a unique specimen.

Although many people buy these trees just for their pretty foliage and gorgeous color, if you paid that kind of money it is likely you paid for the pleasing shape it has been expertly pruned to have. That is what justifies its cost and probably drew you to it in the first place.

The art of training Japanese maples into traditionally graceful shapes takes years of practice. Watch an expert like Tom Ash at work and you will be amazed at how detailed the pruning is - even the tiniest twig gets his attention and is removed if it is growing in the wrong direction.

Tom and Nancy Ash own the premiere Japanese maple nursery in the area and, with 3,000 to 4,000 trees of every variety, may well have one of the best selections in the state. You can purchase a tree from Ash as a small (grafted) cultivar for as little as $15 (ungrafted seedlings are even less), or pay hundreds of dollars or more for a tree that has been meticulously pruned by Tom Ash himself for 15 to 25 years.

An adaptation of bonsai is the technique he uses to ensure his cut leaf Japanese maples (among the most popular varieties) end up with the traditional Japanese shape - somewhat pyramidal, and with graceful, flattened layers, or platforms, from top to bottom.

To achieve the beautiful sweeping pyramidal shape takes years of careful pruning and immense patience.

Tom Ash offered some tips on how to prune your cut-leaf Japanese maples to minimize damage and create a good shape. Here are some of his reccomendations:

TIMING: You can remove damaged limbs at any time of year, if necessary, but winter, when all the leaves have fallen, is the best time for the annual pruning. "You will make fewer mistakes," says Ash. "because you can see the form, the outline of the tree much better without its foliage."

TOOL: The task of pruning Japanese maples is made easier if you use bonsai pruners because they cut closer to the wood, which makes the wound heal faster.

WHAT TO DO: First, remove any dead branches/twigs and debris. Now that you can see clearly the skeletal outline of your tree, stand back and look at it carefully. Walk all around it. Decide what limbs need removing, what is not pleasing to the eye.Make any necessary cuts about 1/8 inch above two buds.

LEADER: On cut-leaf varieties, Tom Ash prefers just one leader. Check the leader branch to see if it needs any attention, making sure it is bending in the desired direction and by removing any undesirable twigs from along its stem. To bend his leaders while they are still pliable, Ash uses a plastic coated wire.

LAYERS: Make sure layers don't overlap. Each successive layer going up the tree should be smaller in diameter than the layer below so as not to shade the lower layer.

STAKE: If your main stem and leader are not strong enough to stand up on their own against strong winds or other factors, you can stake them. Use something strong but soft, like pieces of water hose, to tie the two together.

LIGHT: Ash also wanted to remind us that Japanese maples like lots of sun. "The more sun, the heavier and denser the growth and the longer the red color will last," he said.

MOVING A TREE: If you need to move a tree and know it ahead of time, cut a circle around the root ball to a depth of about 10 inches and then leave it in place until the move. This keeps the root ball small but the roots still growing and will make it easier to move later on.

NEED HELP? If you have a big tree to relocate, you might want to contact Ash's Japanese Maple Nursery at 270-4723 for help. For a reasonable fee, they also offer an annual pruning service and have available to the public a free brochure full of good advice.

 

An adaptation of bonsai is the technique he uses to ensure his cut leaf Japanese maples (among the most popular varieties) end up with the traditional Japanese shape - somewhat pyramidal, and with graceful, flattened layers, or platforms, from top to bottom.

To achieve the beautiful sweeping pyramidal shape takes years of careful pruning and immense patience.

Tom Ash offered some tips on how to prune your cut-leaf Japanese maples to minimize damage and create a good shape. Here are some of his reccomendations:

TIMING: You can remove damaged limbs at any time of year, if necessary, but winter, when all the leaves have fallen, is the best time for the annual pruning. "You will make fewer mistakes," says Ash. "because you can see the form, the outline of the tree much better without its foliage."

TOOL: The task of pruning Japanese maples is made easier if you use bonsai pruners because they cut closer to the wood, which makes the wound heal faster.

WHAT TO DO: First, remove any dead branches/twigs and debris. Now that you can see clearly the skeletal outline of your tree, stand back and look at it carefully. Walk all around it. Decide what limbs need removing, what is not pleasing to the eye.Make any necessary cuts about 1/8 inch above two buds.

LEADER: On cut-leaf varieties, Tom Ash prefers just one leader. Check the leader branch to see if it needs any attention, making sure it is bending in the desired direction and by removing any undesirable twigs from along its stem. To bend his leaders while they are still pliable, Ash uses a plastic coated wire.

LAYERS: Make sure layers don't overlap. Each successive layer going up the tree should be smaller in diameter than the layer below so as not to shade the lower layer.

STAKE: If your main stem and leader are not strong enough to stand up on their own against strong winds or other factors, you can stake them. Use something strong but soft, like pieces of water hose, to tie the two together.

LIGHT: Ash also wanted to remind us that Japanese maples like lots of sun. "The more sun, the heavier and denser the growth and the longer the red color will last," he said.

MOVING A TREE: If you need to move a tree and know it ahead of time, cut a circle around the root ball to a depth of about 10 inches and then leave it in place until the move. This keeps the root ball small but the roots still growing and will make it easier to move later on.

NEED HELP? If you have a big tree to relocate, you might want to contact Ash's Japanese Maple Nursery at 270-4723 for help. For a reasonable fee, they also offer an annual pruning service and have available to the public a free brochure full of good advice.

 

 

 

 

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