Bloodgood Japanese Maple Growing Super Unevenly. Normal or Problem?

[oneilmatt]

Planted this JM last summer. A couple of months ago this single branch started growing like wildfire. It's probably 4 feet longer than the rest of the tree at this point. I'm noticing very little growth on the rest of the tree.

Is this kind of thing normal?

There was grass around the base of the tree but it's been removed. This area gets 7+ hours of direct sun a day.

Would appreciate any advice or thoughts.

Thanks!

 

[Jeekinz]

I would cut that limb off.
I had one that I used to prune almost annually. Obe year it lost a large limb from an ice storm. I was able to train a limb to fill that space by gradually directing it over with a wire. Took about 18 months.