Does bark-nicking work on Japanese Maples? : Grows on You

Hampshire, United Kingdom

Does bark-nicking work on Japanese Maples?
I'm trying to salvage a poor abused specimen, only 3 feet tall and 18" wide of what I think is dissectum Garnet. It is a scrawny head on 18" of bare trunk, and has been topped at 3 feet by its previous owner.
I would like to know if I can get any dormant buds on the trunk to break into growth using the same sort of technique I've read about for roses, nicking the bark above a bud to kick the hormones into gear. Will it work? Will it produce a black stain on the bark? Any other thoughts? Thanks!

On plant Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Garnet'

26 Nov, 2013

Answers

Moon_grower

Gosh I don't know but am curious to find out!

26 Nov, 2013

Badfish

Don't know but i do know (having spent many years growing them for bonsai) that Japanese maples can be cut back very hard to the main trunk and new growth will follow from those dormant buds.

Surely either bud nicking or giving it a light prune and maybe wire it to get the shape back is worth a try.

Good luck

27 Nov, 2013

Teadrinker

Thanks guys, if there's nobody here who's tried it I might chicken out for another 12 months and see how it likes its new home first...

28 Nov, 2013

How do I say thanks?

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