Spring cut back of trident maples

[Michael P]

Our mild winter and warm wet spring have brought huge growth to all my trident maples. Many new extensions are close to 12" long, but the bases of the extensions are not yet lignified. Is now the time to cut these back to one or two nodes? One of the trees is in the refinement stage, two others have fully developed trunks and main branches but need ramification.

 

[namnhi]

Our mild winter and warm wet spring have brought huge growth to all my trident maples. Many new extensions are close to 12" long, but the bases of the extensions are not yet lignified. Is now the time to cut these back to one or two nodes? One of the trees is in the refinement stage, two others have fully developed trunks and main branches but need ramification.

Pictures would help with this question.

 

[Michael P]

Ha! I should have taken photos before posting. The tree in the blue pot is most developed, followed by the group on the slab, then the clump in the blue figure pot. They all have so much foliage that you can't see their structure.

 

[namnhi]

Very nice and healthy trees. I would look up some of the threads by @markyscott on trident work. You will definitely need to thin them out so interior branches don't get shade out and weakened.

 

[Michael P]

Thinning is definitely needed. The question is now or later?

 

[Dav4]

If you're wanting to prune back to the canopy silhouette, I'd say now is a great time.

 

[Shibui]

I'd say yes to trimming these trees now or very soon.
How you trim depends on how each shoot has grown and where it is on the tree.
Don't always cut back to 1 or 2 nodes. At this stage it is important to encourage shorted internodes on the trees. If the first node is an inch or 2 from the base I cut below the first node so cut to 0 nodes, maybe 1/4" from the base. More shoots will grow from the base of the shoot and some will usually have much shorter internodes so trimming back to 1 node will yield worthwhile ramification.

Note that many of the longer shoots are at the apex of the trees. Those long shoots will quickly thicken the upper branches which should be finer than lower branches, meaning you'll find you need to remove entire branches in the winter pruning. Try to trim upper shoots while they are quite short to prevent excessive thickening up there. Shoots from lower branches can be allowed to grow longer and stay on longer because those branches look better if thicker.

These trees are at or getting close to the stage where I change to pinching growing tips to limit thickening and restrain internode length. Pinch out the tips as soon as the first pair of leaves begin to unfold. The earlier you can pinch, the finer the ramification you can develop.

 

[Michael P]

Thank you, that is exactly the kind of advice I needed!

 

[johng]

For refined trees waiting until a branch lignifies is a mistake and will result in ruined fine ramification... Another bonsai mythstake

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Gotta love tridents! If they already pushed 12 inch extensions by the end of March, I would not be fearful of any work to these three trees! @Shibui gave some great advice, make cuts based on your goal for each individual branch (e.g. if it needs thickening...let it run, if you need bifurcation... cut back hard, if interior growth is getting too weak... defoliate, etc.). This is a great article on that concept:

The Trident Maple Project and Summer Maple Work

The Trident Maple Project and Summer Maple Work After a long day of De-candling and pulling needles, it was good to get back to the leafy trees. The hours after dinner are considered my free time …

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