Raft style Sugar Maple first major pruning/repot questions

[NamesakE]

Major trunk is hidden under the soil and I can't can you get the file that shows what it looks like the pull up but I plan on taking this out and put it in a much narrower container and cutting those tall skinny trunks and start cleaning them up. They have a bunch of crazy branches that grow everywhere (this is collected material from Northern Michigan) . I was wondering though if I cut them down if I would get additional branches on the trunks growing back or if they would just die back and a bunch of skinnier do branches grow from the raft. Hey can get some pretty small leave so I have hope for this thing. Any opinions?

 

[Forsoothe!]

All branches are skinny to begin with and grow from there, if you keep them on the tree. What style/design is your first choice?

 

[NamesakE]

Here's the picture I was looking for. My thought was a traditional raft style with the main trunks coming out of the... raft? Horizontal trunk? I don't know what you would call it. : ) being formed into traditional uprights. I wanted to cut them down way shorter and start from there but i'm not sure if the trunks would just die back to the raft. I'm not sure how sugar maple acts with major pruning like that.

 

[NamesakE]

All branches are skinny to begin with and grow from there, if you keep them on the tree. What style/design is your first choice?

Thanks for the reply Forsoothe! The two main approaches in making making sure the trucks don't die back are cutting back all the trunks to the first branches and hoping they back bud before them and/or look forward to a ton of grafting

 

[sorce]

I'd let it go to establish in that pot well, grow some more raft roots...blah...

Experiment with the tops through the summer. See how predictable they are. Then use the findings on the low when you know.

Sorce

 

[NamesakE]

I'd let it go to establish in that pot well, grow some more raft roots...blah...

Experiment with the tops through the summer. See how predictable they are. Then use the findings on the low when you know.

Sorce

You're probably right. Something tinkering is in order. Thanks for the suggestions on the roots Sorce. I was planning on cutting them back but hadn't thought about selecting them for development. That last picture was actually taken a couple years ago when I was potting for the first time after collection. From what I can tell they've basically filled that entire container. I'll keep posting the outcomes.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I would leave it grow roots and build up vigor for a full year, before starting.