I had the pleasure of attending Norm Mittleider’s class at the Atlanta Botanical Garden earlier today.

Japanese Maple Primer: Care and Pruning

Date: Saturday, June 7
Time: 10 a.m. – noon

Learn from a renowned Atlanta expert how to care for and prune your Japanese Maple tree. This class will cover the selection, planting, and care of Japanese Maples, with an emphasis on basic pruning techniques. Proper aesthetic pruning will add vitality and beauty to your Japanese Maple trees.

Instructor: Norm Mittleider, Art of Pruning

As someone who is brand new to the gardening world (I purchased my first plant last November), I thought this class sounded like a good place to start for “beginners” – and it is. Unfortunately, much of the material that was covered in the first half of class seemed too basic and should be common sense for anyone who has ever Googled “japanese maple”.

Despite the slow start, I did end up with two valuable takeaways:

1. Plant Japanese Maples in shallow & broad planting holes. Make sure the trunk flare is at least 1-2 inches above grade to prevent crown rot.
2. All pruning cuts should follow the “Coarse to Fine” rule, which states that the progression from coarse wood to fine wood should be maintained. In other words, the main trunk should be the boldest, or coarsest, line; as you move away from the trunk of the tree, the lines should become finer. What this means, and I might be over-generalizing a bit, is that each time you encounter a branching point near where you would like to prune the tree, cut off at the start of the thicker branch. Never leave a stub.

Additional Resources:

• Aesthetic Pruning by Yuki Nara
• Pruning Mature Trees by the International Society of Arboriculture
• The Merritt College Pruning Club

If you still don’t trust your pruning skills or you’re dealing with a fairly sizable tree, find a professional pruner near your area.