Margaret Cahill asked 15 years ago
How do I go about pruning an Acer ‘Atropurpureum’ which is too high and too wide
1 Answers
Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
Japanese maple, Acer palmatum ‘Atropurpureum’, is generally not pruned as pruning interferes with its shape. But it can be pruned if necessary. This is done by removing whole branches so that the shape is not upset too much. Pruning acers does run the risk of dieback and this is lessened by taking out whole branches.
Generally, the problem is not really the height because they rarely grow more thatn 6 metres, but the lower branches can reach out too far and these can be removed back to where they arise from the main branches, and this creates space under the canopy, which is best not interfered with.
