Maple, styling doubts

goncalolopes

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Hi guys, first post in this forum. I received this maple, repoted today and i dont know what to do. some sugestions?
 

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Dystopics

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This is all just an opinion, i am not a professional.
I'd probably advocate for letting it grow shaggy this season and recover. Look for any back budding low on the tree. I think either the top branch is gonna have to go, cut back to the junction, or the right branch will, also cut back to the junction. Both are very thick and mature, and would immediately throw out any sense of scale you try to set up. If you keep the right branch, and try to make the top branch the leader and apex, visually it wont work since they both appear to be a similar width. If you want to make the right branch the leader, well, the top branch is too thick and straight to change without just chopping it off whole. Maybe, and this would probably be a 'not this season' decision, trunk chop it beneath the junction for the two big branches. This gives you the option to keep the trunk and the roots, but start the branches over with full control over how they grow.
 

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goncalolopes

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This is all just an opinion, i am not a professional.
I'd probably advocate for letting it grow shaggy this season and recover. Look for any back budding low on the tree. I think either the top branch is gonna have to go, cut back to the junction, or the right branch will, also cut back to the junction. Both are very thick and mature, and would immediately throw out any sense of scale you try to set up. If you keep the right branch, and try to make the top branch the leader and apex, visually it wont work since they both appear to be a similar width. If you want to make the right branch the leader, well, the top branch is too thick and straight to change without just chopping it off whole. Maybe, and this would probably be a 'not this season' decision, trunk chop it beneath the junction for the two big branches. This gives you the option to keep the trunk and the roots, but start the branches over with full control over how they grow.
Its true the lack of propotion between the trunk and the branches. I will let the tree recorver from the repoting and wait for the brotation.
I like the second picture you post. You think, If i can get some sacrificial branches in the trunck, i could correct the despropotion?
 

sorce

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I'm with Eck. Adding...

Capture+_2021-01-25-08-35-27.png

This takes you back to well proportioned 2's with taper and maybe you get another right pointing shoot from the corner, or try to keep the little one that is there already.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce
 

goncalolopes

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I'm with Eck. Adding...

View attachment 350835

This takes you back to well proportioned 2's with taper and maybe you get another right pointing shoot from the corner, or try to keep the little one that is there already.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce
Thanks for the point of view =) i love to get differents points of view before take any action, i´m pretty new to the art and i need to listen the experienced people. In your view, you take the new leader in the left branch?
 

sorce

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In your view, you take the new leader in the left branch?

I use it sometimes, but I think it's important to remember that "new leader" is a rather ....subpar...idea.

It's too simplified of an idea that never needed simplifying in the first place.

I think the idea of new leader is what destroys many trees.

Sorce
 

leatherback

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Pot it deeper: You need more roots in the nebari. that will never happen when it is at the surface. Bury it at least 1/2 inch.

The akward side-branch = sacrifice. Let it shoot a few feet.
Turn the tree so the sacrifice is in the back

In summer trim the main trunk back to the top pair of buds and get slow-growing leader back, with tight internodes.

It is the direction I would take.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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I'm not a big fan of maples, I don't know them well. So I'm all in favor of murdering them. But! You just repotted it, it's mid winter here. Making a large cut after a repot on a tree that you don't know well (you haven't seen how healthy it is) can be a death sentence.. One good freeze and it's game over.

Dormant trees don't recover in weeks, they take seasons to do that. It might be a good idea to keep that in mind.
Again, I despise maples and I never cared to learn much about them, but I wanted to warn you just in case. If maples can take this kind of abuse, it'll be fine. But to my understanding they can be real grumpy about this kind of winter work.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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I think I'm absolutely the last person to be giving advice about maples, so if someone else says it can handle it, then go for it!
Otherwise, take it easy. It's a multi-year-marathon, not a sprinting competition ;-)
 

Kanorin

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You could probably top dress with some sphagnum moss (1/4" or so, not too much) to help cover up the surface roots and stimulate more root growth in that area. Don't repot this again this year.

Unless this was like a bargain purchase that you don't really care about, the earliest that I would perform any of the more drastic chops would be mid-late summer and even then only if it was super vigorous at that point. I think the best course is to see how the tree responds through the spring and early summer.

What kind of maple is it and where are you located?
 

goncalolopes

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You could probably top dress with some sphagnum moss (1/4" or so, not too much) to help cover up the surface roots and stimulate more root growth in that area. Don't repot this again this year.

Unless this was like a bargain purchase that you don't really care about, the earliest that I would perform any of the more drastic chops would be mid-late summer and even then only if it was super vigorous at that point. I think the best course is to see how the tree responds through the spring and early summer.

What kind of maple is it and where are you located?
I think is a acer palmatum with red leafs all year xD now its protected under roof. its winter where in portugal but the temperature is between 11 and 16 degrees so its pretty nice for the trees
 

AlainK

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in portugal but the temperature is between 11 and 16 degrees so its pretty nice for the trees

Ahhh, praia de Amalia (in the south), the "Chinese pavilion" in Lisboa, the small paving stones and the azulejos... Great memories ;)
 

goncalolopes

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Ahhh, praia de Amalia (in the south), the "Chinese pavilion" in Lisboa, the small paving stones and the azulejos... Great memories ;)
How, have you come to Portugal, Nice! =) I´m glad you liked!!! paving stones is all over Portugal, literaly all over and the azulejos too xD
 
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