Marco, nice to meet you. Are you in Torino? We're watching all the games and seeing your beautiful country. It is best to cut the root maybe half this time (in spring just before buds open) and half next time you repot. I would not cut any more roots this year at all, or foliage. In fact, until the trees are about 4-5 years old, there's no need to cut anything, and whatever you cut will slow growth, which I am sure you don't want to do now. Maples don't get very fat trunks anyway, and letting them grow for a few years now, will at least help them get as large as possible. If you want to begin shaping the foliage, I would wait til December, or even next year before buds open, and then cut the small branches so that you only leave 2 pairs of leaves (4 leaves altogether) on each branch, so you will get more smaller ('twiggy') branching and leaves. I wouldn't cut the top yet either - you can always do it some other year once the trunk is better developed and has some personality! When you cut too many leaves on a young tree, there is nothing to catch the sun, to feed the tree, so it's better to wait a little while. Arrivederci!

What's a pivotant root? Is it the taproot?

Thank so much lucy, unfortunatelly i am not in torino but i am looking evrything from the tv.
yesterday i have been caught by artistic skateing on ice.
it's been fantastic.
I have just trimmed the pivotant root a bit on each maple and repotted ( there where not many lateral roots starting from the same point, i hope to get to improve the nebari during following years, finger crossed :).
Probably it would be better to repot and trim the pivotant root as soon as the seeds start to have their first leaves to let them have good lateral roots as soon as possible, what do u think about this?
Is it possible to use the tecnique japaneese use for black pine ( cut the stem just under the red portion and put back in ground after let them be in rooting ormones ) to acers too?
If someone has already tried this can answer my question?
cheers
Marco

AAAAHHHHH!!! FANCY/BIG WORDS!!! AAAAAHHHH!!!

Marco,
If you have a back yard, just transplant and let them grow. If not use large pots and let them grow awhile.
Vernon

The following web site page can be for your reference.

If don't understand from pictures pls ask me again.
(I translate for you)

http://forums.plant-seeds.idv.tw/showthread.php?t=8414

Flash what do you mean with that?
VCD1 i have already cut a protion of the root and replaced them in the pot they were in.
since i am planning to do mame with them i don't want them to grow too fast.
Larry all that web pages are in japaneese.
i cannot understand anything.
I may ask my sister she's a translator from japaneese but she's always too busy to do anything extra work.
can you help me?
thank you all so much
Marco

I repeat: "What's a pivotant root? Is it the taproot?"

I'm just curious

Pivot in French (or a similar Italian/Latin version) means 'to turn' (as you probably know from the English word) so I assume pivotant (pivoting) means a root in the middle that the rest of the plant could pivot on (if plants actually did so!). He doesn't know the English word is taproot, so stop asking him already :-).

Marco:

Follow this link, read the first page then jump to the page concerning maples. This has a lot of good information.

Norm

Here is a link that might be useful: Seedling development

Thanks lucy for the english lesson i love to improve my english :)
Norm That webpage is amazig thanks for the link
cheers
Marco