Tatarian maple: when and how to prune

Tatarian maple: when to prune it?

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Preferably in August–September, when the leaves are fully grown. Not in late winter or spring.

What else to prune in those months? August · September

Tatarian maple: how to prune it?

1. Remove dead, broken and crossing branches, just outside the swollen collar at the base of the branch.
2. For a single-trunk tree, gradually remove the lowest side branches and the shoots at the base.
3. Rejuvenate a multi-stemmed shrub by sawing one or two of the oldest stems off at ground level every few years.
4. Clip a hedge once a year, after the nesting season.

How much to cut, and how often?

• One pruning period a year: August–September.
• Never remove more than about a quarter of the crown at once. Better a little every year.

What does it mean for wildlife?

• Pruning in August can fall in the nesting season (15 March–15 August). Check carefully for nesting birds first: disturbing an active nest is against the law.
• Prunings can go on a dead hedge or brash pile in a corner of the garden: shelter for hedgehogs, wrens and insects.

Common mistakes

• Clipping without first checking for nesting birds.
• Leaving a stub or sawing flush with the trunk: cut just outside the branch collar.

Nearby: related pruning guides

• Field maple
• Sycamore
• Box elder
• Japanese maple
• Norway maple
• Red maple

Plant profile: Tatarian maple · Pruning calendar and basic rules