Maple chop timing

[iant]

I have this Japanese Maple that's coming along and the next step is to give the current leader a chop to get a new leader. In retrospect back when the current leader was a lot smaller I should have cut it back when it was tiny so that it back budded and I would already have a next leader to cut back to. But I didn't... so i'm just hoping I get a bud right where I want it.
So my question is to those with a lot of maple experience on the timing of my chop. I'm under the impression that if I want the most back budding I should do it after leaf fall (which for me in California is probably in a month.) I'd just go on and do that but ideally I would like to grow the current leader another 1/2 year to continue the scar healing and get it just a tad thicker. If you look at the images the scars are healing pretty well and one more season would probably close most of them. I'm just not sure if that would compromise my taper a bit to let it go another full season. Alternatively I could chop mid next season but then I think I'd get less backbudding.
The repotting picture is from January 2015. The others are from last week. The red arrow is where I'm hoping to get a new leader. Notice in the repotting image I'm holding the now current leader. The prior one's scar is now 1/2 healed over.
Thanks,
Ian

 

[Bonsai Nut]

My experience with JM is that if you cut too early in the winter/spring you will get die back. If you cut too late you don't get enough budding and you get... die back My rule of thumb is to do major cuts when the tree is throwing its early growth in the Spring. However I haven't been working with a lot of JM recently so I will be curious what others say.

 

[0soyoung]

Acer palmatum will inevitably die back to a node when pruned. I suggest that you cut it back now leaving one or two more nodes than you want to have in the end. Then, next spring, cut back in the internode just above the node where you want the next trunk segment to originate. Even if there isn't a visible bud at the time, one or more buds will appear on it. If you were to do this now, you risk the node being included in the winter dieback.

Next time make the trunk chop in May or August. Then you will have a new shoot to cut back to in the fall. This is the best time for pruning to induce 'back buds'.

 

[iant]

Osoyoung,
I could easily do the chop in May or Aug next summer. I wouldn't mind growing it out just a bit more. I just thought that mid-season doesn't create as much backbudding as doing it in Winter or early Spring.
Ian

 

[0soyoung]

Osoyoung,
I could easily do the chop in May or Aug next summer. I wouldn't mind growing it out just a bit more. I just thought that mid-season doesn't create as much backbudding as doing it in Winter or early Spring.
Ian

I think that is a good idea. Winter is the worst of all possibilities, actually. The best is when the tree is actively growing and has young, hardened foliage. You might want to read Brent's article on pruning to develop an understanding of why - it is an easy, but very informative read, IMHO.

With acer palmatum these 'best times' are marked by new shoots have extended and hardened - it is kind of like the trees pause and take a deep breath before sending out shoots again - roughly May and August. With respect to trunk chopping, it can also be done 'as buds swell' in spring.

 

[sorce]

Looks Bloody Nice Iant!

Sorce

 

[MACH5]

Nice tree Ian! In my experience best time is late winter/early spring with bud swell or a few weeks before it. At this time, Japanese maples can take pretty much any type of insult thrown at them. Of course this is always taking into account that the tree is healthy.

 

[iant]

Thanks everyone!
I think I'll probably go with the bud swell option. I just have to decide if I should do it this year or let it thicken another year. I'll post another pic after....
Thanks!
Ian

 

[my nellie]

@iant how did you go with your tree, may I ask?