Could I prune dead tips off Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) now?
Question:This Acer was damaged by frost and is only now trying to grow some shoots. Should I leave taking the frost damage off until later or could I take off the damaged ends now?
Answers:
You can prune dead & broken branches at any time. When you prune, prune back to living wood just above a bud or just outside the collar where a branch meets a stem. Do not leave a stub of dead wood. This can become an entry point for disease or insects as it will not heal. Only living wood will produce callus wood to heal over the wound. Do not use tree heal sprays. They interfer with the tree's natural healing process and can, in some cases, cause problems.
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/hortihints/...
As far as I remember, the maples look after itself, They lose what they do not need and does not require any intervention from you. at all. Give it some fertilizer in their water now and another feeding while it is still spring.
My maples always look scraggly and damaged after every winter but after a few weeks grow to be just as gorgeous as ever.
Then ends are dead, so I don't see why not. Just don't cut into the living portion of the tree limb. Cut the tips off about an inch above where the dead portion and live portion meet.
they will take care of themselves, leave the old be.
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