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Acer Woes
I ahve a Japanese maple (Acer Palmatum of some sort - I
think!), about 20 years old, 2' 6" high and about 7' across in one direction, and cut bak to about 4' in the other. I fell backwards of a step and crash landed on it! It certainly saved me from potentially serious injury, hitting head on wall or falling backwards over it, BUT it has suffered somewhat in the 3 of its 6 main branches have been sheared off at the trunk. It needed a bit of pruning , but not this severe, and not from this side! Should I just leave it alone this year and see what happens, or can I continue my planned pruning? -- Roger T 700 ft up in Mid-Wales |
Acer Woes
On 27/02/2014 17:37, Roger Tonkin wrote:
I ahve a Japanese maple (Acer Palmatum of some sort - I think!), about 20 years old, 2' 6" high and about 7' across in one direction, and cut bak to about 4' in the other. I fell backwards of a step and crash landed on it! It certainly saved me from potentially serious injury, hitting head on wall or falling backwards over it, BUT it has suffered somewhat in the 3 of its 6 main branches have been sheared off at the trunk. It needed a bit of pruning , but not this severe, and not from this side! Should I just leave it alone this year and see what happens, or can I continue my planned pruning? I'd be inclined to take out any crossing branches but otherwise leave it to get on with it. They come from mountainous areas where they can get chunks snapped off in storms so should recover although it will never quite look as manicured as it once did. I had a fence panel in a storm take out a newly established pear tree once. It took it about five years to recover from being mostly snapped off at about 3' from the ground. Healthy established trees have quite amazing powers of regeneration. My acers are in very large pots and do blow over in winter. Sometimes breaking the pots but not doing the trees much harm at all. -- Regards, Martin Brown |
Acer Woes
On Thu, 27 Feb 2014 17:37:46 -0000, Roger Tonkin
wrote: I ahve a Japanese maple (Acer Palmatum of some sort - I think!), about 20 years old, 2' 6" high and about 7' across in one direction, and cut bak to about 4' in the other. I fell backwards of a step and crash landed on it! It certainly saved me from potentially serious injury, hitting head on wall or falling backwards over it, BUT it has suffered somewhat in the 3 of its 6 main branches have been sheared off at the trunk. It needed a bit of pruning , but not this severe, and not from this side! Should I just leave it alone this year and see what happens, or can I continue my planned pruning? Acers are good at re-sprouting. You may find new shoots coming where the branches sheared off. Just tidy up the wounds and cross your fingers. Can you post us a photo? Pam in Bristol |
Acer Woes
On Sat, 01 Mar 2014 12:49:39 +0000, Roger Tonkin wrote:
[] Should I just leave it alone this year and see what happens, or can I continue my planned pruning? Here is a link to some photo's taken this morning. As you can see, 2 of the bigest wounds are now bleeding (sap?) which is running down the trunk. Sory I did not put in anything for the scale, but height is about 2' 6" http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/2460189141 Glad you didn't hurt yourself. I had a similar where a young lad clearing ivy fell off the ladder and broke branches from a Acer palmatum var linearlobum (yours is var dissectum), he was afraid to mention it and hoped I wouldn't notice! I did of course but was so relieved he was OK I couldn't be cross. You need to leave it for this year. It will lose a lot of strength from the bleeding (sap indeed) and probably try to put out more canopy to compensate for the loss of the branches. If you get one that's central enough (or if you like the "crooked look" these plants sometimes get) you can tie a whip vertically to regain the height that it lost. The main risk is that it will be weakened and prone to vert. wilt or other issues, but as Martin and Pam said there's every reason to think it will be fine. -- Gardening in Lower Normandy |
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