Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
Hardiness Zone: 7a
Jan from Long Island, NY
To minimize the amount of seeping, major pruning should be done during the dormant season (after the leaves have fallen). For most gardeners, this will be either in the late autumn after the sap has fallen (November) or early spring before it starts to rise (February/March). Personally, I think late autumn is best. Fallen leaves (and temperatures) are an easy signal.
The rising of spring sap seems harder to predict. Pruning your tree during this time may still cause some seeping, but there is less sap movement during these times so it should be minimal. There is also less threat of insects and disease.
Above all, make sure to make clean cuts using sharp, sterilized tools. Wounds with clean cuts will form a callus and seal over much more readily than those with jagged wounds.
In most cases, it's best not to seal up seeping wounds with tree-wound paint. Most tree experts agree that if any disease spores are present, covering them with wound-paint simply seals them in from the elements and provides them with a safe environment where they can really go to town. Healthy trees are better left to heal on their own.
Good luck!
Ellen
Don't butch it off flat. Instead, reach into the center of the tree and select which limbs must go. This will leave it looking loose and natural, not a lollypop, and will direct the way it grows.
Yes, always prune during dormant months. And -- for that size tree especially, hire a certified arborist who carries insurance!
Google "prune Japanese maple" [and most such questions] to find loads of info. What a pretty tree!
At our other house a tree in our front yard was touching the phone and electric wires, and we called the electric department. They came out and cut our tree down for us free.
Your tree is so beautiful. We just planted a Japanese Coralbark Maple that is about 6 feet tall. I hope it grows to be as beautiful as yours. Good luck with your trimming.
I just pruned mine last month (April) and I already have new growth!
