Hi . I've planted a Forest Pansy Redbud and I'm looking to train it to suite the area. It is near the drive way so I would like to have it so that the branches are at least 6 feet high. Then cars & tree will not be effected by it's branches. I'm puting pics of the tree in so you can see it. I want to prune and train it further than the nursery I bought it from already has trained it to 4 feet high. I'm scared to prune it higher,as I've already taken 4 or 5 lower branches off @ the trunk.Planted it @ the end of the Summer. I'm looking for a High canopy on this tree. ? What should I do ? Thank for any replies. Mark Bugden
if you want to have a higher lowest permanent branch, have patience, when it is 3 to 6 years older than now, remove the lower branches selectively to raise the skirt gradually.
I agree with Paul that you can trim a few low branches in later years. But I think you also need a taller stake so you can pick a leader and train it higher. You don't actually need to stick another stake in the ground, if you can stand the sight for a while you can just tie a stick to the existing stake to extend it. Or get a longer stake and insert it in the hole left when you take this one out. The thing is, you don't want to go ramming sticks indiscriminately through the rootball. Also watch the ties, that they don't start strangling the tree.
ty fr your reponses I will consider training a given dominent brach higher But I'm nervous about letting other branches @ same level in other directions (less dominent) stay or remove ? Thinking they many make tree heavier on that side if left on .
I have a very small redbud that has been growing this year and it has a central leader and lots of long branches. Should I cut all of the branches off and just have the leader?
