AusBonsai

Ok , so I have a young maple in training that still has last years foliage on it , I decided I can't keep ignoring it and pulled it off the stand to defoliate. As I was cutting the leaves away from the top of the tree ( the only place if still had the ) I noticed that it has already started to push through new growth. What is going on.
I have a tree that is in three different stages in the one time of year. Half naked half autumn foliage and a tiny bit of new spring buds Coming through.
Has this happened to anyone before?

Totally normal. The top is pushing new buds as the top (apex) is usuallythe strongest with the most energetic. Let the tree followits natural path. Soon all leafs will drop as all the buds will start to push...then when spri ng kicks in the tree will be bakck to normal with new foliage everywhere.

Don't fret and keep up the keen eye you have

I have an twin trunk Acacia, which thanks to you blighters is now a Vachellia. One trunk lost all its leaves as per normal in Autumn and early winter, the other trunk happily shot new growth and all through winter its looked like it is in mid spring/early summer!

What I did was defoliate the new growing part to try to energy balance the tree. I was worried that the second trunk would not bud strongly if left behind like that. Whether that was the right thing to do or not, I guess only time will tell, but either way, at least you know you're not the only one!

I just realised that the one that kept going was north facing, so maybe that had something to do with it, and perhaps there's a lesson in there for us? Keep the weakest side of your trees pointing in the direction that gets the most sun!

A couple of years ago I pruned a row of tridents in the grow beds quite late. They all budded and grew new shoots very late in autumn then kept the leaves all winter then shot again in spring and back to normal over spring and summer.

The new buds are at the bottom of the tree on the base of the first branch. , I just went about my normal procedure at defoliated and cut off the new buds.

shibui wrote:A couple of years ago I pruned a row of tridents in the grow beds quite late. They all budded and grew new shoots very late in autumn then kept the leaves all winter then shot again in spring and back to normal over spring and summer.

Same for me with a coral bark maple this year although now it dropped the new growth as well.