I took my Acer rubrum to the Schenectady show last week and
introduced it to
Dan Moshwa, who is an expert on collected maples. He suggested
shortening the
existing branches and hoping for the best.

cut just BEHIND a bud. ||======\==8=====

cut he \
8=bud

However, there is one spot where he
said I seriously need a back branch. Like one of the other
people in this
group, he suggested next year I take one of the long spring
shoots and make a
thread graft.

I think I suggested that. You will need to make the join quite
tight. And, since A. rubrum is one of the thin-barked trees, the
graft may take a long time to join -- maybe even 2 years.

I am no longer worried about leaf reduction. Every time I annoy
this tree,
the new leaves come in tiny.

Good.

jim

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