Japanese Maple

Adam_MA

Hello Chris (fellow MassHole)

How large is the trunk on this tree? If you plan on getting the trunk to thicken on this tree a trunk chop would be in order, but you would want to plant the tree in a much larger container for doing that. If you don't mind the trunk the size it is now, you could more or less trim it to the height you want. This tree will bud back pretty well, so if you prune out what you don't want you are likely to get some buds to sprout.

Someone gave me some advice once, make a mental picture in your mind of what you would like the tree to look like. Anything that falls outside that outline, cut it off.

In our area, I would give this tree about another month before it's ready for real work. You might want to do the wiring to the trunk first to see how everything falls into place, then trim it down and wire the branches you are keeping into place. Again if you are looking to grow a larger trunk you are looking at a very long term project.

What kind of soil are you using?

Hope I helped

Adam