Question
Please tell me I haven't ruined my gorgeous Japanese Maple Tree.  It had never been pruned to any depth and I decided to do so this past winter.  It is approximately 20 years old, had grown to almost 10 ft. and absolutely beautiful full red foliage.  I didn't bother to read first the proper way to prune this type of tree and I cut it back to about 8 ft. down to the bigger main runners - so, needless to say, this Spring produced very little foliage.  Will it recover and how long will it take - thanks - Donna.

Answer
Never a good idea to top prune a tree especially a Japanese maple. It should grow back but it is going to be fairly ugly for a few years until it regains its form.

Tips on pruning Japanese maples:

Try not to remove a limb that is greater than half the diameter of the trees trunk. In fact,  probably stop with a quarter to a third with older trees.

Prune out limbs that cross, rub, conflict or interfere with a better, healthier limb.

Always remove deadwood and take the time to remove even the smallest pieces. The less deadwood in a trees crown the longer the tree will live.

Structure prune young trees after they have been in the ground for 2-3 years. You can, of course prune out deadwood at any time of the year, anytime in a trees life.

Try not to nit pick a tree by making hundreds of tiny cuts. Instead, try to find whole limbs that are interfering and remove the whole limb, when possible.

Try never to reduce your tree in height. Woody plants are genetically programmed to grow every year. When we do not allow them to follow this programming we create monsters and trees that become delinquent. The right Japanese maple in the right place is the best rule, as is the rule for any species in any location. These elegant maples come in every size, color and shape. Fill the space correctly and logically and then apply your artful talents to paint your own personal picture!