Help with really tall sugar maple
- Thread starter reyemka
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As long as it's healthy, why would you try and influence its natural growth habit?
reyemka
New Member
It looks odd plus I was hoping there was a way to prune it into a nicer shape to eventually provide more shade. Ideally, I want it to grow wider not taller.
It will
Hi! and welcome to the site. 
I get your point, I feel the same way about the maples in my yard. All of what I have now are volunteers from seedlings left by very old trees that are no longer here.
As they come up, I'll transplant to a good spot and stake it. The second year, I cut them back to about 3" above ground and that makes them "clump."
I have quite a few in the yard, from about 30 years old to just three year olds. They seem to grow slower, not as tall, and much fuller than those not cut back.
I just let the clumps grow and as the multiple stems get stronger and thicker, I select the strongest and straightest ones and cut the others off to the ground.
As soon as I get my new chain saw, one of the first trees to get cut is this one, to get it to clump.
I don't like tall spindly-looking trees.
here are the others I have cut into multi-stem:
I get your point, I feel the same way about the maples in my yard. All of what I have now are volunteers from seedlings left by very old trees that are no longer here.
As they come up, I'll transplant to a good spot and stake it. The second year, I cut them back to about 3" above ground and that makes them "clump."
I have quite a few in the yard, from about 30 years old to just three year olds. They seem to grow slower, not as tall, and much fuller than those not cut back.
I just let the clumps grow and as the multiple stems get stronger and thicker, I select the strongest and straightest ones and cut the others off to the ground.
As soon as I get my new chain saw, one of the first trees to get cut is this one, to get it to clump.
I don't like tall spindly-looking trees.
here are the others I have cut into multi-stem:
When you treat them that way, it is the same as topping. The new shoots that grow will not be as strongly attached to the stump as the original trunk. Also you have introduced a large wound (relatively) at ground level, which may or may not lead to butt rot in the stump.
This practice will increase the risk of failure, however as they grow in your property there are no targets should they fail so the risk is minimal. If the OP was to follow this plan, the risk is considerably higher due to the playset next to the tree. (Risk being the likelihood of failure X the consequence of the failure)
This isn't a judgement of the your practice, rather a description to the physiological effect of the practice and an edification for the OP.
This practice will increase the risk of failure, however as they grow in your property there are no targets should they fail so the risk is minimal. If the OP was to follow this plan, the risk is considerably higher due to the playset next to the tree. (Risk being the likelihood of failure X the consequence of the failure)
This isn't a judgement of the your practice, rather a description to the physiological effect of the practice and an edification for the OP.
Really tall is a relative term. Most pros on this site view 120'+ as really tall. Your tree is about 20'.
Trees in their native environment grow tall quickly to outgrow it's competition for light. It then widens as it reaches its height limit. Considering sugar maples naturally reach 80-120' tall, now might be the time to decide if this is the right tree for this location. You might be better to remove it and replace it with a lower growing species if you don't want a tall tree. Better than trying to force a tree against its natural growth form.
To prune the tree to maintain maximum stability, prune to maintain a central leader. Your branches want to be about 18" apart.
I disagree.
Cutting back a central leader to produce a single multi-stem tree is nothing like topping one.
Multi-stem trees are very common in nature, I doubt you'll ever see anything that looks like a topped tree growing in the wild unless it's been whacked by a human.
I have close to a dozen multi-stem trees in the yard, including a giant American Holly, and all of them are healthy and show no signs of disease (knock wood).
As to them not being as "strong" as a single trunk tree, well...
I've been here 22 years and I've had three giant single trunk trees ( hickory, maple, and pecan) knocked to the ground from straight-line winds. Not a single one of the clumps have been damaged (knocking wood again).
I do agree that the OP needs something that won't get so tall being just 20' from his house.
However, if he is going to cut this tree down and plant something else, he might as well plant the new tree close, but in a different spot, and let this one come back as a clump. See how it does. In thirty years, by the time the clump grows back to twenty feet, or so, that play set most likely won't even be there. And if he want's it down then, I'd think it would be a lot easier to cut down a thirty foot clump than a hundred-twenty foot single trunk.
"Multitrunk Trees This is the second largest category of tree forms. These are trees and shrubs that have more than one stem growing from a single root mass. these trees have a fused base area that consist of multiple piths at ground level, These generally form when the original stem of the tree was damaged, broken, or browsed by animals, damaged from falling (natural or man-caused) This results in new stem sprouting from the root mass. In general these stems are all of similar age and size, but will often reduce to developing one, or a few dominant stems. Trees commonly growing in flood plains, such as Silver Maple and Willow, are often are damaged during floods and this may be the most common growth form of the species. Trees growing as second growth forest after timbering operations also have a higher than normal incidence of multiple trunk trees due to damage of small trees during the operation and from stump sprouts."
http://www.nativetreesociety.org/multi/index_multi.htm
All I know is that I've spent 3 years pruning street tree maples to meet the guidelines of Ed Gilman's (Univ of Florida) "Illustrated Guide to Pruning" where we strove to produce a single central leader as it is considered the most stable. You can argue with Gilman.
I don't want to argue with anyone...
Good information here http://www.sactree.com/assets/files/greenprint/toolkit/a/pruningComplete.pdf
- if your main objective is a tree with a central leader.
It's not the only way to cultivate a tree.
http://www.oakleafgardening.com/how-to/train-and-support-plants/training-trees/
Good information here http://www.sactree.com/assets/files/greenprint/toolkit/a/pruningComplete.pdf
- if your main objective is a tree with a central leader.
It's not the only way to cultivate a tree.
http://www.oakleafgardening.com/how-to/train-and-support-plants/training-trees/
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
Several ways you can approach your goal with and without harsh measures. Read about apical bud and apical dominance and you can manipulate auxin to other parts of the tree with very mild pruning.
That's interesting...
http://plantphys.info/apical/apical.html
So, for the tree in the yard of the OP, how much of the top would you remove to encourage lateral branching?
Would you repeat the process on those new shoots?
Would you remove one of the top shoots to create a central leader? Would that inhibit new lateral branching?
I'd like to give this a shot on one of my maples.
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
Depends on required goal, if your only wanting to spread growth and slow upward momentum nipping the buds growing upward can help achieve that result. If your doing topiary or training it to grow away from something then nipping that area temporarily moves auxin to other parts! Remember its ongoing to get desired result as you will get growth there soon after. My Japanese oak I trimmed back 3 times first year mainly to get a good root shoot balance then 2 times the following year, this year i'm letting it go and its now 15 foot tall with a trunk of a 20 foot tree and no signs of pruning to the untrained eye! Now remember I never trimmed anymore than quarter sized shoots to achieve my goal and always sterilized my tools!That's interesting...
http://plantphys.info/apical/apical.html
So, for the tree in the yard of the OP, how much of the top would you remove to encourage lateral branching?
Would you repeat the process on those new shoots?
Would you remove one of the top shoots to create a central leader? Would that inhibit new lateral branching?
I'd like to give this a shot on one of my maples.
I would love to see photos of your oak!
ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
I can't figure out how to upload phone pics lolI would love to see photos of your oak!
I hope some one can help! I'm working from my desk top computer and don't have a fancy cell phone, so I don't know how either.
I'll ask USMC615
I'll ask USMC615
Gugi47
ArboristSite Hit Man
Download to the PC or laptop And from there follow the next quote....
You can use the Upload a file option or pic and drop the picture, copy and paste.
Sorry, my reply wasn't clear... I know how to post a photo from my desk top. What I meant was I don't know how to do it from a phone.
USMC615
Wood's Tougher Than Woodpecker Lips...
On phone, type your text as normal that you want to type, hit return, then at the bottom choose 'Upload file.' Mine then comes up 'ICloud, Photo Library on the phone itself, or 'Take new pic/video'. Choose Photo Library, and once you scroll to the pic(s) you want to upload, tap that specific pic(s). My iPhone 6+ then gives me an option to post the pic as a thumbnail, or full size. I choose full size and it automatically loads the pic into my reply. Then hit Post Reply. It's probably close to being the same regardless of phone mfg.
Edit--- I used to use Tapatalk, but it got so convoluted trying to keep up with threads, posts, pics, etc that I don't even fool with it anymore.
Gugi47
ArboristSite Hit Man
Maybe was me to...OK here we go...
After you make the picture, you do like from PC, go in the bottom page where you like to post the picture.
Click the:
Upload a file
Choose File
here you get some options:
Take photo or video
Photo Library
iCloud drive
More
You pic the picture you like to post and you got it.
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