Garden

[Elom]

I planted a Japanese Maple. It looks more like a bush with extra limbs coming out of base etc. Should I cut all of that off or leave it? Thanks for any help. 

[Kachina624]

@Elom   Perhaps @Lilysmom  can help you.  She's a Master Gardener who knows a lot about these trees.

[fthunt]

If  the growth you see are thin little branches - they are known as 'suckers' .  Shoots that just grow from the root system.  They are useless and should be removed so the energy of the plant goes to the plant itself - rather than suckers.

My neighbor has a J Maple and it tends to be short and more like a bush than a tree.  The bark has split, causing their concern, but it's still alive.

[Nonametoday]

---

@fthunt wrote:

If  the growth you see are thin little branches - they are known as 'suckers' .  Shoots that just grow from the root system.  They are useless and should be removed so the energy of the plant goes to the plant itself - rather than suckers.

My neighbor has a J Maple and it tends to be short and more like a bush than a tree.  The bark has split, causing their concern, but it's still alive.

---

@fthunt   One thing very important to Japanese maples is water, water, water and perhaps the reason for the splitting is caused by drough/flood or it could be not enough protection in dead of winter.  Please try to put it in a place where it is cool or watered well in summer.  DO NOT allow any insecticides, pesticides or heribides in the vicinity near it unless you have checked them with your county extension agent.  They are very sensitive.  They are beautiful and there are many, many different kinds.  Make sure you saved the tag from yours so you know its identity.  They grow in different shapes.  If you cut the lower branches it will grow taller and have more top growth.  If you cut it at the top, it will fluff out more but not not grow much taller.  It will grow as a very large bush and that may have been how yours was trained.  However, if that growth is coming from beyond the dirt, it is most likely the tree is trying to give up its graft.   Best thing to do is let your county agent look at it.  We cannot see it and he/she can.  Suckers can grow from the bottom but also the original plant that it was can be trying to take it over.  I would ask the county agent about it, even if you have to take close-up pictures with its original tag in for them to see.  You can always check with your state universities if you have one that specializes in agriculture.

[fthunt]

@Nonametoday Water - I think you hit it.  My neighbor might (might) put the sprinkler on once or twice during a hot cooking summer.  Me - I  sprinkle sprinkle.  Their huge tree that demands lots of water - has also been a concern and I told lady of the house (when subject comes up)  it's a water loving tree.  Hasn't done any good - best to keep mouth shut.

Didn't know J Maple needed more than usual  liquid.  Not fond of tree/bush so never researched it.

[Foxxee]

I would need to know the variety of Japanese Maple.  Some are trees with a single trunk, some with multiple trunks more like a bush, some are low growing, some are low and tall weeping.  

I have a very low growing maple that when young was putting out a lot of new branches close to the ground that could have been mistaken as suckers.   

Yours could be suckers, but without knowing the variety or a photo, I wouldn't want to say.  

[Nonametoday]

---

@Foxxee wrote:

I would need to know the variety of Japanese Maple.  Some are trees with a single trunk, some with multiple trunks more like a bush, some are low growing, some are low and tall weeping.  

I have a very low growing maple that when young was putting out a lot of new branches close to the ground that could have been mistaken as suckers.   

Yours could be suckers, but without knowing the variety or a photo, I wouldn't want to say.  

---

@Foxxee   That is why I recommended she save the tag and let her county agent see if.  I, too, as a master gardener, know that without seeing something or at least a very good picture, descriptions can be what we want to see.  

[Elom]

Thank you . All it says is Japanese Red Maple on tag. I am going to trim it tomorrow. I don't want a bush.

[JustJazzmom]

Answering the page @Nonametoday  

Okay, Japanese maples like to be in the shade of a larger tree above it. Some of them are very fine leafed & the sun can scald the leaves if in direct sun. As NameAlready said, many varieties are are sensitive to insecticides or other chemicals. Still other Japanese maples are sensitive to fungi found naturally in the soil & can die from being overwhelmed by some of them such as Phytophthora or verticillium wilt. 

Try to prune the tree so it looks more like a tree. They generally aren't multi trunked. Suckers can emerge from the ground from the roots. Try to get as close to the surface & below if possible & cut them off. You can scrape the area to prevent recurrence of a sucker with the side of your clipper.

Look at pictures of Japanese maples & decide what extra limbs to prune before cutting. Take several photos & maybe bring over to Extention Service  & ask their advice as to where to prune. 

HTH

[wismiss]

EvOm:  Your post made me sad----I miss my Japanese maple so much.  I used to live in Central Illinois and we planted a Japanese maple near the pond.  It just thrived there, and was so beautiful and I enjoyed looking at it from my kitchen window.  So, when I moved north to Wisconsin, I planted it up here.  I watered it every day the first year with a drip hose and it got established and started to grow.  Then came the winter of 2018 when we had ice before we had snow.  Almost everyone around here lost their Japanese maples----this from a Master Gardener who I consulted when it didn't leaf in spring, 2019.  It had to be cut down.  When I look out my kitchen window now, all I see is the empty spot where it used to be.  Even my neighbor misses it and has told me several times.  So, now I'm looking for a replacement.  I've been told that if I replant a Japanese maple I could be continually replacing it depending on the type of winter we have.  I'm too far north.  Boo-hoo.  So, now I'm looking to see what kind I could replace it with and it's hard to find one I like as well as my Japanese maple.  Hope yours does well.