Acer - J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.

Our Product Line
Whips
Whips are almost always one-year-old
tops. They range from being completely
unbranched to being lightly branched
on the lower stem. Ash, Mountain Ash,
Linden and Honeylocust will generally
be completely free of branches. Some
Norway Maple varieties often have a
number of branches while others do
not. Red Maples, and to a lesser extent
Sugar Maples and Crabapples, tend to
branch freely off one-year growth. Any
branches above 2 or 2 1 /2 feet from the
ground are left on whips to help increase
caliper and thus provide a sturdier stem.
8'
1-year whip
7 - 8 ft.
Branched Flowering Trees
Hawthorns, Flowering Crabapples
and Cherries are generally 2 year
old trees topped at 4 to 5 feet,
depending on cultivar. A leader is
reestablished by taping. Flowering
Pear and Mountain Ash have a
dominant central leader and branch
well naturally, so are generally
untopped. Head height, symmetrical
branching and straight central
leader create a structural foundation
for a premium quality caliper
tree for the grower, while the heavy branch
structure and full canopy serve the needs of
the garden center.
7'
2-year flowering
6 - 7 ft.
Branched Shade Trees
Varieties including Ash, Birch,
Honeylocust, Linden, Oak, and
some Maple are produced with
a straight central leader and radiating
lateral branches. Varieties
which are not free branching,
such as Norway Maple, Sugar
Maple and Honeylocust, are
topped while dormant to promote
symmetrical branching
during the next growing season.
A single dominant straight leader
is then established by hand
taping the top shoot. Varieties
that branch well are not topped.
In either case, the resulting tree
has a straight leader and
symmetrical branching. In
general, 6 - 8' and 1" - 1 1 /4" grade
trees are two years old. Most
larger sizes are three years old,
possessing fuller heads and more
secondary branching.
14'
2-year
branched
1 - 1 1 /4 ",
8 - 10 ft.
3-year
regular
branched
1 3 /4 - 2",
12 - 15 ft.
10'
Light Branched Trees
These have the same
general form as
branched trees. They
differ in having fewer
and/or shorter branches.
They are often a good,
economical choice for
growers who are lining
out trees, as they have
good sturdiness due to
their caliper, while the
heads are lighter and
will be less likely to fall
over. Growers generally
thin out and prune back
branches when planting,
so this tree can work
well for them. Garden
centers and landscapers
2-year
light branched
1 - 1 1 /4 ",
8 - 10 ft.
3-year light
branched
1 3 /4 - 2",
12 - 15 ft.
may not be happy with light branched trees as
they don’t have the time to let the tree fill out.
10'
14'
© J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.
www.jfschmidt.com
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