Gardening and Horticulture - pruning a japanese maple

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mik
07-02-09, 05:48 PM
we recently moved into our house that has a japanese maple planted right in front of the house & it's about the same age as the house= 9 years. Some of the branches are drooping to the ground- what's the best & healthiest way to prune them back up so I can mow under it without a face full of leaves?

chandler
07-03-09, 06:05 AM
Mik, wait until winter to do your pruning. I know it is ugly, now, but it will be uglier dead. Summer cutting will probably damage it beyond recovery. Any of the branches that are pointing down won't survive, and are basically suckering the tree. You want lateral to upward travel of your main branches.
mik
07-04-09, 06:33 AM
Thanks Chandler,
I'm not in any real hurry to do this but I want to make the cuts in the right places so do you have any suggestions or does anyone know of sites/ tutorials with instructions on how to properly prune?

chandler
07-04-09, 08:14 AM
Check out How to prune a Japanese maple - OregonLive.com (http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2009/01/how_to_prune_a_japanese_maple.html) for good information on the Japanese Maple.
Now, if you need advice as to how to prune a crepe myrtle, I always use a back hoe.:)