I acquired this trident maple about 6 months ago, I’m trying to figure out what to do with the shoots that are upright, thank you in advance
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One option is to wire them out and undulating to form a spreading canopy as would be seen in many large maples. You might only use the first few inches of the branch and cut back to create some additional branching and spread. I am thinking of more spread and variation of branch angles than is seen in a classic broom.
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Well this is the head in full view. I’ve done some pinching as it has grown this spring
to understand the way that it would react later down the road and have seen a nice reduction of internodes.
Looks good and this view makes me think even more about the spreading deciduous model.
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Thank you for your advice!
Could be wrong but I don’t think trident maples do well with pinching. Partial outer canopy defoliation after first flush hardens off I thought. Maybe partial defoliation even but not pinching.
In refinement, the second extension of trident maples are generally pinched out (often with tweezers) drive the growth of two buds at an acute angle from the leaf axials. they are then partially defoliated once they harden off. If the branch needs to thicken or extend they are allowed to elongate and then cut back. If the tree or branch is overly vigorous it can be allowed to elongate and then cut back to the shorter first internode.