How to Cut a Japanese Maple

The Japanese maple is treated with utmost respect in Japan, with only those who have become master gardeners -- usually after a decade or more of apprenticeship -- being allowed to prune the stately trees. U.S. gardeners probably don't want to wait that long and instead want a few tips on how to prune a maple in their yards without damaging it. Pruning should be done in late summer or early autumn and is typically done either to remove diseased or dead wood and to encourage new growth.

Cutting implement
Sealing compound

Instructions

- 1
  Locate the branches you need to prune. These should include any dead or diseased wood, any branches growing in the wrong direction (inward toward the tree, rather than out away from the trunk) and any branches that cross and rub against another branch, as this will remove bark and allow diseases and harmful insects to attack the tree.
- 2
  Prune off dead or diseased branches by cutting the branch off in a healthy part of the wood away from the affected area. This will help ensure that you get all the diseased wood and that it will not continue spreading.
- 3
  Remove crossing branches -- or branches removed for cosmetic purposes -- as close to the trunk as possible.
- 4
  Seal every cut larger than about a half-inch in diameter with your sealing compound. This will help protect the tree against diseases and insects as it enters the winter.
- 5
  Make each cut as clean as possible. Rough or ragged cuts -- or cuts that end in a tearing of the branch -- can result in poor healing and invite diseases.

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