I recently cut back a root over rock trident maple during a live Q&A for Bonsai Empire. Here’s the tree before I got started.
Before cutback
And here it is after removing the leaves and cutting back the branches.
Front
Right side
Back
Left side
The goals of the cutback were simple:
- Replace large branches with thin branches
- Remove branches growing back toward the trunk
- Reduce long branches with little or no ramification
- Cut back to the silhouette
For details, along with general Q&A from viewers, check out the livestream here.
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Uday says
Is this a good time to defoliate a trident maple in place like San Diego?
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi Uday – good question. I’d be curious if it’s warm enough in San Diego that defoliated maples immediately bud out and start growing again. Is there a local enthusiast you can ask about this? If this is the case, I’d wait until closer to the end of the year to defoliate. If they’ll stay dormant for a month or two before growing, I’d defoliate them now. And if you’re not sure either way, I’d defoliate at least one tree now as an experiment and see what happens.
Lowell Tilley says
It looks great, do you have any pictures before it was cut back?
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi Lowell! Good question – I don’t have a photo without leaves and before cutback, but I do have a shot just before I got started. I just updated the post with the before photo.