First thing to not do is compare it to a Japanese maple. This is a very different beast. I find they only heal cuts VERY slowly and oddly, I have seen some dieback. As such, I have taken to cutting back every sacrifice after max. 2 years. Rootpruning.. Does not do anything to them.
I have just defoliated my amur and removed the growing tips, after 2 leaves were visible. This will I find, reliably trigger the buds and get duplication of the number of growing times. I will wire the new growth that emerges and let the branches grow for most of the rest of the year. Cut back mid-to-late summer again.
2017
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Now
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