Partial defoliation on shohin Japanese maple

Last year I defoliated a shohin Japanese maple in an effort to stimulate back buds (see “Defoliating a Japanese maple“). The approach worked (see the “Follow-up“).

This year I want the shoots that developed from these back buds to grow strong. To encourage this, I removed the leaves from the established branches and left the new shoots alone. This gives the new branches a chance to catch up while the older branches produce new leaves.

Shohin Japanese maple

After removing the leaves on the outside branches – 7″ tall, 13″ wide

From above

That’s the bulk of the work for the tree this spring. Depending on how it responds, I’ll look to prune later this summer or in fall.

Related Posts

Defoliating a shohin Japanese maple

Follow-up – defoliating a shohin Japanese maple

Reducing internodes on Japanese maple