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Assessing Freeze Damage on Japanese Maples

Don't Prune Until You Check for Life

After a late freeze (below 20°F) killed new leaves on Japanese maples, the owner wonders whether to prune now or wait. The rule: never cut until you confirm a branch is dead.

The Scratch Test Method

Start at branch tips. Scrape bark: green = alive, brown = dead. Work downward until you find green tissue. Prune only dead portions. Branches with green cambium will often releaf. Patience prevents removing living wood that would recover.

Trees: Japanese Maple Transplant Shock and Leaf Scorch; Transplanted Maples Leafing at Base: Check Top, Prune Dead; Red Maple Tornado Defoliation: Will It Recover?; Japanese Maple Leaf Spots: Phyllosticta Fungus — Mostly Cosmetic; Recovering a Japanese Maple After Severe Topping; Insecticidal Soap Damage on Japanese Maple: Recovery Outlook; Japanese Maple Planted Wrong Season: Stop Overwatering; Why Japanese Maple Leaves Stay Brown and Attached; Japanese Maple Delayed Freeze Damage: Secondary Leaf Loss After Easter Freeze; Japanese Maple “Sport”: Green Shoot on Purple Cultivar

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