The winter may not be the optimal time for a lot of gardening tasks, but there are few things you can do to ensure your plants will thrive come springtime. Gardening expert and TikTok creator Ish urged fellow gardeners to carry out one key task on their Japanese acers before December ends.
Japanese acers won’t look appealing for the time being, but it will have amazing benefits later down the line. To ensure the plant grows back bigger and better in spring, Ish urged people to prune right now in December. Ish said: “When pruning an acer in winter, it’s the best time to do it, and there are three things to make sure you do in order to get it to absolutely thrive.”
Winter is a great time to prune these types of plants, as you can usually see all of the individual branches on the plant, making it easier to identify which parts are dead and need to be removed. Another reason you should be pruning acers now is because the plant will “bleed” sap if pruning is done any later than the end of December, according to Jacksons Nurseries.
Ish explained that it’s not all about cutting away at the branches, but important to focus on making sure the plant isn’t crowded by getting rid of any “overlapping” branches. Look out for any branches that are rubbing together or getting too close, and cut those back.
By getting rid of these branches in winter, it will reduce the chance of developing infections, which can be encouraged by the moist air.
To help identify stems and branches that are dead, look out for wood that looks greyer, in comparison to the dark reddish brown the acers should usually be. These dead bits can be cut as close to the base of the stem as possible. By cutting these stems back, you won’t waste any energy on them.
The third step you want to do is cutting your acer to a height and shape that you’re happy with, Ish explained. He said: “Remember, because this is dormant, by cutting it quite hard now is not going to do any damage or stress to the plant.”
Pruning will help the leaves on the plant stay strong, as the cold weather can damage the leaves. In some cases, leaf scorch can lead to premature leaf drop and even dieback of small branches.
The Royal Horticultural Society noted that extra care should be taken during late winter and early spring as the seasons’ cold winds – and potential frost – as these can scorch the leaves. Jacksons Nurseries also shared some advice about what not to do when pruning acers.
If you have a young plant, you may find that the plant has initially developed “whippy side branches”. Do not remove these, urged the experts.
Jacksons Nurseries explained: “If you’re impatient and chop them off you’ll only make the problem worse as shortening of pruning away whippy branches only stimulates more of the same. As branches mature they’ll widen, forming the robust architectural framework you’re looking for.”
The experts also advised to leave acers unpruned for as long as possible, and only remove the dead, damaged, badly-placed or crossing branches when doing so.
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