Well just so you know, I took my own advice and did a little pruning on one of my standard acers this morning. There was no sap bleed at all. I was only cutting the straggly ends of fine branches anyway, so as I said before I think you just have to get on and do anything needed ASAP. @GardenerSuze, I agree with all that you said. I have commented on the forkers thread several times my old Bramley apple tree still had some leaves on right up to Christmas. @Pete.8 I think I heard that about dormancy too, it makes sense. Several years ago on the life scientific radio series there was someone explaining how plants "know" when to break dormancy. It was all to do with a temperature dependent enzyme reaction that worked on another chemical that inhibits bud break. Each time the reaction went a full cycle the concentration of inhibitors dropped until it was no longer active and buds would swell and new leaves unfurl.
That makes sense @Allotment Boy We just don't get a cold period that's long enough to induce dormancy any more.
Along the same lines as winter flowering cactus I guess - chemicals start to react at nightfall, but the reaction stops at sunrise. Only when it's dark enough for long enough can the reaction complete and flowering is induced. It's all clever stuff!
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Don't get hung up on bleeding. We get a cut, we bleed, we survive. If I cut one of my silver birches, it bleeds like mad for weeks. No lasting ill effect. I prune my acers carefully, they bleed sometimes. Often a branch dies for no reason that I can see.
A lot of garden folk law is passed down from book to book without any confirmation. It must be worse on social media.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
@bede Pruning a birch when the sap is rising can cause it to literally pour along the branches and down the trunk. It takes along time to kill one, a slow process over many years, you can look back and realise that mistakes were made in the past that is the point at which it is too late.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
Made a tentative start. Finger thick twigs. Seems OK. BASIC QUESTION If I cut half way along a thick twig / thin branch on an acer, will it die back or is there a chance it will sprout?I
News just in - you are on social media if you post here @bede
The problem with advocating pruning of Acers when not dormant is - it's not simple, and never really has been. There's a huge difference between snipping small bits off a healthy shrub/tree at any time of year, and cutting back lots of branches by a foot or two at a questionable time of year that could lead to it's demise. If someone has had an Acer for along time, the risk of losing it is enough to put them off pruning. What @B3 is looking to do is major pruning, not just the odd snip here and there. The difficulty is that dormancy isn't quite as clear as it used to be in many parts of the country, as @Allotment Boy has already indicated. Perhaps a better time to 'hard' prune in those areas would be early, rather than late, winter ie late November/early December.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks @Fairygirl. You've got exactly what I want to do and my fears of damaging my favourite plant😊 I think I've missed a very small window of opportunity for anything major - if there ever even was a window so I'm going to satisfy myself with a tidy up again this year.
You might just have to try one or two branches @B3- perhaps ones which you don't see as often, and see how it goes. We're lucky here that it isn't a problem. We still have a proper dormant season, although maybe in fifty years time that won't be the case. I'll be long gone so I won't have to worry about it
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Did you see my question above @Fairygirl? There are some thicker branches out of sight that I might practise on. Checked out how to saw them on you tube. All I 've seen are pretty consistent so assume advice is good
Sorry @B3 - I missed that. I think that's fairly sensible - but there's a slight chance it could die back if it's that thick - depends how think your fingers are I've mainly done it on thinner branches, if needed, but all you can do is keep an eye on it. If the cut is clean, it's less likely to be a problem.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
@GardenerSuze, I agree with all that you said. I have commented on the forkers thread several times my old Bramley apple tree still had some leaves on right up to Christmas. @Pete.8 I think I heard that about dormancy too, it makes sense.
Several years ago on the life scientific radio series there was someone explaining how plants "know" when to break dormancy. It was all to do with a temperature dependent enzyme reaction that worked on another chemical that inhibits bud break. Each time the reaction went a full cycle the concentration of inhibitors dropped until it was no longer active and buds would swell and new leaves unfurl.
We just don't get a cold period that's long enough to induce dormancy any more.
Along the same lines as winter flowering cactus I guess - chemicals start to react at nightfall, but the reaction stops at sunrise. Only when it's dark enough for long enough can the reaction complete and flowering is induced.
It's all clever stuff!
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
A lot of garden folk law is passed down from book to book without any confirmation. It must be worse on social media.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
It takes along time to kill one, a slow process over many years, you can look back and realise that mistakes were made in the past that is the point at which it is too late.
BASIC QUESTION
If I cut half way along a thick twig / thin branch on an acer, will it die back or is there a chance it will sprout?I
The problem with advocating pruning of Acers when not dormant is - it's not simple, and never really has been. There's a huge difference between snipping small bits off a healthy shrub/tree at any time of year, and cutting back lots of branches by a foot or two at a questionable time of year that could lead to it's demise. If someone has had an Acer for along time, the risk of losing it is enough to put them off pruning.
What @B3 is looking to do is major pruning, not just the odd snip here and there. The difficulty is that dormancy isn't quite as clear as it used to be in many parts of the country, as @Allotment Boy has already indicated. Perhaps a better time to 'hard' prune in those areas would be early, rather than late, winter ie late November/early December.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I think I've missed a very small window of opportunity for anything major - if there ever even was a window so I'm going to satisfy myself with a tidy up again this year.
We're lucky here that it isn't a problem. We still have a proper dormant season, although maybe in fifty years time that won't be the case. I'll be long gone so I won't have to worry about it
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
There are some thicker branches out of sight that I might practise on. Checked out how to saw them on you tube. All I 've seen are pretty consistent so assume advice is good
I think that's fairly sensible - but there's a slight chance it could die back if it's that thick - depends how think your fingers are
I've mainly done it on thinner branches, if needed, but all you can do is keep an eye on it. If the cut is clean, it's less likely to be a problem.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...