I got a question about this tree which I ordered from Forest Farm. It seems all the trees I bought from them were very young (graft not healed completely) and not in good overall health. Well the 'Shin deshojo' needs a little help. The main trunk rises about 4" then splits into an almost perfect "Y". Should I sacrifice one side and stake the other as a leader, Or should I leave well enough alone. If I do nothing, will this not be a very weak spot and in time the tree split right down the middle? Thanks for any advice. Bob
Bob I wouldn't be in a hurry to cut one of the trunks off. I would brace the trunk with a piece of bamboo or something like it, to take the pressure off of the weak grafted area. Later you may can arrange the tree so that one branch becomes the main leader and the other becomes the first or lower branch. Or you can air layer one of the forked branches when the tree gets a little older. I got a Shin Deshojo last year and gradually moved it out into full( Gulf Coast) sun , and planted it . This spring it was the star of the show. Good Luck with your tree Dave.
Hi AcerBob: Most Shindeshojos are willowy trees. Mine from Koto Matsubara was the same way as yours is and I never worried about it. If need be just prop up both lateral side branches and let the inside areas fill in. Hopefully, you will get more lateral branches later. As for a good reason not to cut one of the side branches I can tell you of my tree in which a pruning service working on my next door neighbors Modesto Ash dropped a large limb right on my Shindeshojo last year. Now it only has the one lateral limb and is not a "good looker" at the moment. It will take me about 4 years to get any shape back into that tree. Best advice is to leave your tree like it is. Jim
Hey thanks guys for the advice. Wow, Dave full sun on the coast. Here I was worried partial sun would be to much, just because the leaves look so thin and fragile. Maybe I acn eventually move it to a little more sun. The colors would probably be more vivid the more sun it got. Thanks again, Bob
Shindeshojo pruning Hi AcerBob, As Jim says, the tree has a spreading habit, and quite naturally develops a goblet shape when left to its own devices. The tree should be fine, and naturally spreads. After one season of whippy growth, the braches harden and shouldn't spilt. This is part of the tree's natural habit. You will probably find that it will shoot out in all directions if there is even light getting to it. Generally the tree will spread, mine is probably as wide as it is high, being about 7 - 8 ft across. The upper branches make off at an angle of approx 45 degrees to the horizontal. I have a shindeshojo that is 4 - 5 years old now on the South Coast of the UK. The tree has suffered some die back in smaller braches and over a couple of years in the largest braches. I cut back a major branch to below what I took to be wilt, back to green cambium. This included chopping off a 1 1/2 inch main stem in the dormant period over the winter. The tree has always recovered, and fills the gaps with shoots from other braches. Regards -Pete
