Question about Trident internode lengths and trimming back to where??

[leatherback]

I really do not understand what this whole discussion is about. Maple growth habits have been pretty well established I though.

Pretty much all maples backbud profusely when trimmed. Similarly backbudding frequently happens when branches / trunks are exposed to a lot of light. Both of course for strong, healthy trees. Notable exception are the cork bark varieties.

Points where leaves were attached are the nodes. The space between them are the internodes. The nodes are the localtion where backbudding happens. Also when you do not see the locations anymore due to aging of the plant.

Maples generally do not throw advantitius buds like some species. Exceptions I find can be callusrolls when large cuts are healing: I every once in a while get a bud to pop there.

You can get short internodes by
- Taking the growing tip out as soon as the growth starts in spring, and branch elongation is virtually stopped
- Partial feoliating in summer, allowing inner growth to stay alive and cutting back tot the inner growth in fall
- Trimming off the coars spring growth in early summer. The re-growth in summer will be much slower with short internodes

 

[River's Edge]

Between internodes is just another way of saying at nodes. Maples can only bud where there are or have been nodes. That's where the dormant buds are located.

The pics show buds emerging from old nodes that are now hidden under the bark. Try to visualize this tree as a seedling. It had nodes and leaves in pairs up the stem. You can see the shoots are spaced at intervals up the stem. Those intervals just so happen to coincide with the original nodes and internodes. Note also that the buds come in opposite pairs and alternate round the stem just as the original nodes and leaves would have done, The original nodes and dormant buds are still there just covered by thicker bark so less visible.
What those pics also show is that you can cut maples back further than the leaves and also further than the visible nodes and still expect reasonable response with shoots emerging from older nodes.

I agree with your explanation generally! What is not as clear with the picture is that the distance between the nodes is shorter than any original leaf production or internode. Also the nodes are not in opposite pairs always, the nodes do alternate around the stem. This may be due to one or more latent buds not developing but is important to realize the difference in development plans. For example ramification with bifurcation is easier to create by cutting back to existing internode than depending on both sides of latent nodes opening opposite when major cut back between internodes. This however requires careful management of internode length during development and refinement.
On the other hand, the more aggressive approach can develop branching where opposite growth is not desired and allow for more rapid development of trunk and primary branches.
I am trying a variety of approaches with the Tridents and assorted Japanese Maples. It helps to have several hundred maples of various ages to work with I really appreciate Tridents for their vigour, specially when I try to gauge progress with the dwarf cultivar maples that have 1/2 inch internodes.