Japanese maple, post harden pruning after repot

Horticulture
1

Hi everyone.

I collected this Acer from a friends yard 2 years ago. It has been in a 12x12 box in 1:1:1 until this spring when it was repotted in akadama in a 9 inch oval pot.
I also removed the to 2 feet of the tree last fall. The red leaves in the middle of the image is the growth from the cut site.

Surprisingly I didn’t have to prune many roots, mostly removed old field soil where the roots had not grown in favor of the boons mix.

Do you think it is safe to prune after the new growth hardens off? I am worried about losing some ramification near the trunk and wanted to allow more light to those areas.

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I would wait until dormancy and perform a stronger cutback to develop primary scaffolding. It certainly seems strong enough for some work now, but I think the overall design would be better served by letting it accumulate energy and begin secondary work next spring. Looks like a great foundation!

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If you have NOT, go over to ‘Mirai Live’, querry “japanese maple work” , watch these videos…
.
Oh ya, happy Mirai ‘Aniversery’ day…

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Thanks. I didn’t even realize it was my anniversary.