Greetings from Japan,

I'm new to this forum and i'm seeking advice for trimming a recently potted Japanese Maple. I was gifted this beautiful specimen around the end of January 2022 from a local friend here in Japan. He was removing some landscape and noticed a shrub that had the maple growing inside the bush.

From the looks of it, the maple must be 5-6 years old. The root system when given to me had a few large roots and nothing more. I took the maple and potted it with a combination of Akadama Pride and sphagnum moss purchased for the local store. I watered it and kept the mixture moist and in semi-low light conditions for about 1 month. The growth on it has surpassed what I thought would appear and in such a short time. It is so beautiful and with the cutting back that occurred during the constant trimming of the shrub has given it such a unique trunk and natural jin.

My question is this, with all of the new growth that has taken place, should I cut back some of it to allow the roots to grow stronger or just let it continue to grow? It is in a plastic pot that has a 10" diameter and is 6" deep. It drains at a slow pace with a watering occurring around every 7-10 days. Will post pictures soon. Im currently away from the plant now. It receives 6-7 hours of full to semi-full sunlight daily.

Maples bleed a lot when pruned in spring. I usually cut back new shoots in mid summer and forward.

Thank you for the information Tropfrog. I am very new to this way of life. I've been through some really hard times in my life and being one with nature has helped me cope with my stress. I will continue to research as much as I can. I've attached some pictures of the Maple. Feedback is always appreciated.
IMG 1412 - FRONT VIEW
IMG 1413 - TRUNK
IMG 1414 - RIGHT LIMB
IMG 1415 - VIEW FROM LEFT SIDE
IMG 1416 - VIEW FROM RIGHT SIDE
IMG 1417 - VIEW FROM RIGHT SIDE
IMG 1418 - FULL VIEW RIGHT SIDE
IMG 1419 - FULL FRONT VIEW

Very nice material indeed.

In my opinion based on your two dimensional photos it looks like you will need to shose what is the trunk and what is the first defining branch and remove the other two.

But dont do it now. Spend the whole growing season looking at the tree and imagine how it can look in the future. Once you have desided the future look, wait until winter to go to work.

you don't have a picture of the tree smell the leaves

Jojo: do you use Google translate or similar to comunicate on the forum?

I use Google Translate for French and English translation.

Sorry about the off topic. Most of the time translate tool is ok. This time it was quite funny. Try to translate back to french "smell the leaves".

smell the leaves



for me, the translation is good

jojo22 wrote:

smell the leaves



for me, the translation is good

Is france your language?

Do you smell with your nose?