okay I was just wondering the places where the leaves come out of the main trunk on a japanese maple do those turn into the branches. cause my maple seedlings don't have any branches comeing off of it. mainly I'm just thinking about trunk chopping it sometime. but I want brances a little formed.
thanks
max
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Max,
New shoots will indeed become branches given time. Each set of leaves emerges from what is known as a node and the space between the sets of leaves is the internode. Acer palmatum has a strong tendency to back bud only at the location of previous nodes. Even if you don't see buds, that is where they are or, such as in your case, will be.
The real trick with developing trunks is not allowing the nodes to get too far apart. Branches too will elongate quickly and get out of control if not handled properly. Once you get that coarse growth (long internodes) your only recourse is to prune it out. I'm talking Maples now, Elms, for instance, are entirely different.
On your trees it sound like they need to grow some more before you do too much to them. Remember you can chop them back years from now and as long as there is a node below the chop you will get new growth. This is a traditional technique used to induce movement and taper.
You have mentioned previously that you are joining the military soon. It really would be to your advantage to begin thinking long term and not see your trees for what they are today but what they will be in five years, or even more. Consider if you can establish a growing bed (not for tropicals
) on a piece of property of someone you trust so that they can water your things during dry spells. Otherwise all of your efforts may be in vain by the time you get back and find all of your potted trees dead. Not everyone is suited to take care of these things on a daily basis. Besides young material will greatly benefit from some time in the ground.
Norm
New shoots will indeed become branches given time. Each set of leaves emerges from what is known as a node and the space between the sets of leaves is the internode. Acer palmatum has a strong tendency to back bud only at the location of previous nodes. Even if you don't see buds, that is where they are or, such as in your case, will be.
The real trick with developing trunks is not allowing the nodes to get too far apart. Branches too will elongate quickly and get out of control if not handled properly. Once you get that coarse growth (long internodes) your only recourse is to prune it out. I'm talking Maples now, Elms, for instance, are entirely different.
On your trees it sound like they need to grow some more before you do too much to them. Remember you can chop them back years from now and as long as there is a node below the chop you will get new growth. This is a traditional technique used to induce movement and taper.
You have mentioned previously that you are joining the military soon. It really would be to your advantage to begin thinking long term and not see your trees for what they are today but what they will be in five years, or even more. Consider if you can establish a growing bed (not for tropicals
) on a piece of property of someone you trust so that they can water your things during dry spells. Otherwise all of your efforts may be in vain by the time you get back and find all of your potted trees dead. Not everyone is suited to take care of these things on a daily basis. Besides young material will greatly benefit from some time in the ground.Norm
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ya my mum is going to take care of them I'm prolly gonna plant them in a bed next spring but for right now there chilling in a pot. and on of them has a nice trunk so I'm gonna trunk chop it and but it into a large pot and wait for the branches to look cooler then root prune when I get back from basic training and check it out if it isnt cool then ill wait a year.