I am in no hurry to do anything

==>>

good.. because in tree time.. counted in decades.. you ONLY HAVE about 20 years to get it right ..

ALL mail order companies top trees.. its a requisite to fitting them in boxes .. unless you are buying really small.. and frankly.. with a fast growing maple.. you could have probably gone about half the size .. and avoided this ..

anyway.. lets give it next year to get over all the stress of being sent to you.. and planting ... and come next bare naked period.. lets resurrect the topic with some new pix ... and we can suggest what to do ..

right now.. every leaf will be an energy producing machine..to grow the root mass.. to get your tree fully established ... so no canopy reduction the first season ...

and this winter.. as you drive around town... look at the maples .. they are pretty easy to ID from the car.. and not the more natural form.. the biggest mistake you can make.. would be trying to make it into some preconceived notion of what it looks like.. rather than just letting it do its thing ... i would be easy to do.. but why fight ma nature ...

if you look at the second pic here .. and really look at the structure.. it really isnt that much different than yours ...

https://www.steintree.com/stein-offers-a-tree-and-shrub-trimming-and-pruning-guide/

i tried searching pic of dormant autumn blaze.. but because it sold for its leaf color.. apparently no one ever took a pic of a bare dormant tree.. lol.. go figure on that.. maybe one of us could do that for you??.. hint.. hint ...

anyway.. looks like you got a pretty nice tree .. just keep it properly watered.. let it near dry between deep waterings.. and dont rely on lawn sprinklers .. the real key with watering trees is DEEP INFREQUENT waterings.... down where the roots you planted are.. not surface spraying ...they arent grass..

ken

Great guidance, thank you.

You've no idea how many times I've wished I'd gone smaller with this guy.

as a plant collector.. i ALWAYS went cheap ... the cheaper the plants.. the more different ones i could buy ..

and price is size in the hort industries ....

ken

Maple trees in general have a 'mind of their own' when you're trying to grow a single leader. They tend to grow in a decurrent manner and want to form a 'ball' shape with branches going outward in all directions, especially when grown in the open. So, expect doing light pruning over the next few years.

I wouldn't touch it during the cold season. Branches tend to be quite brittle in colder weather and could snap/break trying to bend them. Also, the top branches look to be on the slim side, so I'd just use a bypass cutter or lopping shears to remove the extra leaders and stub.

I've been working on this tree for several years. You can see the trunk is not perfectly straight but will become less noticeable over time. It's getting to the point it's too tall to continue reaching up that far, so it will be growing in a more decurrent manner as the years go by.

picture from 10-1-2022:

Thank you. Is the saw you're recommending a power tool?

if you buy a sawzall...also buy the tree blade...blades for dry lumber dont cut wet trees easily ..

bit of overkill for what you have now ...

a good hand tree saw would do the trick .. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=folding+hand+tree+saw&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

be careful cutting on a ladder .. and dont try to pull the tee over to try to cut it ..

by now.. you might be appreciating the advice to just leave it alone.. lol ...

and who marked his answer as the FEATURED ANSWER???

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=sawzall&iax=images&ia=images

This is similar to what I use. Climbing ladders or foot stools are a thing of the past for me.

I have a 12 ft. pole when extended. I do recommend getting one with the steel pruning hook. The plastic hooks tend to crack after a while and are thicker so not as easy to get into the branch crevases. The hook will clip up to 1" diameter branches and the saw takes care of larger limbs.

I also have a hand saw and other tools for when limbs are low enough to be working from the ground.

Oh my aching back,a gauntlet has been thrown for a pi$$ing contest.

• ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
  9 hours agolast modified: 9 hours agoif you buy a sawzall...also buy the tree blade...blades for dry lumber dont cut wet trees easily ..
  bit of overkill for what you have now ...
  a good hand tree saw would do the trick .. https://duckduckgo.com/?q=folding+hand+tree+saw&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images
  
  
  be careful cutting on a ladder .. and dont try to pull the tee over to try to cut it ..
  
  by now.. you might be appreciating the advice to just leave it alone.. lol ...
  
  and who marked his answer as the FEATURED ANSWER???
  ken
  https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=sawzall&iax=images&ia=images
  
  I would much prefer op and lurkers see for themselves which does the BEST job removing small limbs like those on op's tree, sawzall or pruning saws being recommended here. Have someone show you proper way of using all tools suggested and more important,have an expert show you EXACTLY where cuts should be made in relation to collar then try each to find which does most precision work. Were we talking about limbs the size of your arm I might recommend a chainsaw IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE using chainsaws. Otherwise I might recommend a sawzall with 3 tpi blade in hands of novice simply for safety concerns. That pole saw is fairly safe for novices but next to impossible making precision cuts and you have to try one to appreciate strength and stamina required to use the thing. Get pruning advice from arborists NOT forums and utube. Disease ,decline,insect invasion and tree death from improper pruning is second only to weed-n-feed on lawns beneath. If you are serious about trimming,pruning and shaping trees go old school borrowing or buying books by arborists holding a doctorate. I agree with my detractor "it is better left alone than improperly done".

klem1,

You need a vacation.

Christy, that one pruning chop is just one of my many grievances of professional tree growers. If I had been the recipient of your tree, I would have refused delivery. But how were you to know?

Sorry but I didn't read through all the posts, so I don't know if this was suggested. It's a very easy fix. Prune off the top immediately below where the 4 top branches converge. Leave the stub because you'll be using it as a stake. Select a lower branch that looks flexible and is oriented at least somewhat vertically, and tie it to the stub, using a strip of towel or something similar that won't cut into the bark. You might need to use more than 1 strip and tighten it monthly if the branch doesn't bend willingly. You could also make a few shallow cuts with a hacksaw blade on the outside of the bend in the new leader if it is uncooperative insofar as bending it. It will make it easier to bend and it will heal just fine.

Prune all growth off the stub above where the new leader is attached, and allow nothing to grow from the stub, it is only there to provide a temporary anchor point.

By next fall, the new leader will be set and you can remove the stub. There will be no branch collar because of the disparity in diameter between the new and old leader, so leaving a short stub is fine. When the new leader adds secondary growth (thickens), you'll eventually be able to identify a branch collar you can use as a pruning guide.

Too, it looks like the primary branch below where the 4 branches converge has a secondary branch very close to the trunk that looks like it is almost vertical. That near vertical branch could also be manipulated to serve as a new leader, unless the camera is playing tricks with reality. It might just be another primary branch on the opposite side of the tree. I can't tell.

Al

And just to add another method (which I was going to do with my maple picture above).

I've used a wooden dowel to direct a new leader (branch) into a vertical position.

I don't have pictures anymore but here's an image from the U of Mn.

I used plastic garden tape in several places along the trunk and new leader.

With this method, you could use one of existing leaders at the top for the new leader.

Remember to remove the tape or fabric connections after the first year so they don't begin to constrict the trunk, which they will eventually do.

That's a really good idea!