Need help with Pruning/Straightening a Redbud
Hi All,
I'm new here and a complete newb with trees. We purchased a redbud 3 years ago. It probably wasn't the specimen I should have gotten, but I didn't know any better. It's about 8-10 ft tall (I'm not sure where exactly you measure to for height) and is under a partial canopy of large maple trees.
Last year the redbud had a very low leaning branch. It lay on the ground. Since this is a residential backyard, I would like to be able to at least SEE under it. So come winter, I pruned it off completely.
This summer, the tree is doing the same. It seems all of the lower branches are very tip-heavy now that the leaves are fully in and the branches are bending tremendously with the weight. What should I do? I don't feel that the rest of the tree is large enough to be used to tie these branches up.
I've also come to realize that the leader has bent off to one side as a branch as well. The leader is about 7 feet off the ground. Most of the tree, in fact, exists on the one side (in part because the sun is that way and in part because I stuck it in the ground that way?) And honestly, looking at it from that angle (pic below), the whole thing is leaning at the top. gah.
If all goes correctly, I'm including photos. What in the world can I do to make this tree aim upwards? It is roped to a stake at the 4-5" level. No building behind to strap it to, just a fence back there.
Comments (11)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years agoSnidget150
9 years agoHey Ken,
Thanks for the response! I haven't pruned this tree save that one branch last year and some dead stuff, because I thought it ought to become established better before doing anything. If you can see all the old pruned branches, that wasn't me. You ask if I know how to prune... not by any of your standards, no. I've never been trained by anyone who knows a thing or two about trees - and that's why I'm here!
The lowest branch is about 2.5-3' from the ground. The next (same side) somewhere around 4'. Obviously, they're too low, but there's a whole lot of foliage coming from those two branches and I'm hesitant to take them off. From what I understand I should have done it after bloom, but I really had no idea they would become that heavy. Silly me, yes. Please forgive my ineptitude.
The stake was put in because the tree was side heavy and leaning even further under its own weight last year. I wanted to remove the lower branches, but hubby wouldn't let me. The stake is still supporting this weight (I tried earlier), obviously because the tree hasn't grown too much on the other side and the heavy side has just gotten heavier... I need to alleviate that weight, I assume.So, yes, please forgive this newb. I want to learn and understand, I really do.. it's just something I never make time for and, well, learning off the web is dubious at best. I'm attaching a few pictures below. Sorry I only attached the one last time. It was just because it only lets you do one and I had kids to tend to. :/
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Redbud pruning dilemma
Comments (18)hey jon.. its been in the ground 5 years ... i would be rather aggressive with it ... as per what dad used to do ... first i would cut out the yellow .... then after looking it over.. i would take the whole left side of the tree out ... at the red .... and then.. next year.. i would start taking the limbs up .. including the rather larger one.. trying to train it into tree shape.. the teal dots ... while that was going on.. i would add a 3 to 4 foot mulch ring around the thing.. to add ease of lawn mowing.. and keeping the weedwhip away ... the suggestion that i come here and spend hours trying to help peeps for no other reason other than to irritate them.. is beyond comprehension to me.. seriously.. what more could i ask.. but to offer to photoshop a pic for you.. what exactly was sarcastic about that??? you take care ... ken ps: i swear to God.. if you made a 45 degree angle cut.. at 3 inches.. w/in two years.. you will have the same tree .. but you can 'guide' it into a more pleasing shape ... that is what dad did .. and if i hadnt seen it with my own eyes.. i would say nonsense ......See MoreHelp me Recover this Redbud Tree (Photos Attached)
Comments (16)i have pure yellow sand .... 100% drainage ... IT IS THE MOST PERFECT SOIL TO GROW A VAST MAJORITY OF TREES [including maples and rebuds] ... your nursery gave you bum info to sell you over-priced products that were not necessary .... i would not go back there for 'expert' information .. though i might go back to buy stock THAT I KNOW is worthy .... as you drive around your 'hood ... is every tree within 2 miles cabled and chained and tied to the ground ... i will presume the answer is no ... if that is true ... it should dawn on you.. that local trees are more than capable of handling your local wind .... i know you are excited about your new house.. new garden.. new trees ... and i thank God you found us .... but you are thinking WWWAAAYYY outside the box here .... trees can grow centuries... with little or no help from us .. yet you want to go bonzo on these things .... relax ... slow down ... we will get you where you want to go ... at worst .. you could cut it off completely at the braces.. and insure that only one new branch lives thru next year.. and this tree can double in size in the next few years ... i actually had to do that with one stubborn redbud, years ago .... it just refused to grow to my expectations ... a hobby for dad.. who cut it to the ground a couple times to get it to grow like a tree, instead of a bush ... you have months to make these decisions ... for an investment of about $100 ... you might just want to replace these two trees with smaller versions .... and just get rid of the nightmares the prior owner created .... frankly.. if i didnt know better i might guess they just liked torturing their trees .... when i bought my first house.. i tried to 'save' all the historical plants that were most likely planted in the 40's by the original owners ... the happiest day of my garden life at that house was when i got rid of the last nightmare they planted ... history or not ... if you had 5 acres.. and these things were way out back ... then a renovation project might be interesting and fun .... but if you are within the limitations of suburbia.. which it looks like with that fence.. your peace of mind ... and your enjoyment of your yard.. might be better served by starting over ... good luck ken...See Moreneed help pruning trees
Comments (1)Dave, you might not like the answer I offer, but I'd leave it be. KCT is notoriously ungainly in youth and especially in non-leafed-out condition. Despite those factors, it usually shapes up just fine on its own. Not a tree with an especially pronounced central leader-it's cool that you know about the importance of that in many species BTW-it will still do its thing and usually be fine. The tree is too young to worry about, IMHO. +oM...See MoreHELP Half of My Eastern Redbud died - Need Advice
Comments (10)Marie, one could really write a whole book on what can or does happen when trees are topkilled or coppiced. Different plants respond in different ways (in multiple aspects), and so there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Some trees can sprout back and many of the ones that do are reinvigorated (sometimes referred to as rejuvenated), resulting in relatively rapid regrowth, at least for a while. This regrowth can, in some species, result in a temporary loss of sexual maturity (sexually rejuvenation) in the plant. More often than not, this loss of maturity lasts a much shorter time than the time it takes for a seedling to sexually mature. Another aspect that could be of importance here is whether the topkilled or coppiced tree will live longer. This also is a complex subject with various factors (genetic factors, vigor, disease, etc) coming into play. In some cases, the reinvigoration does result in a longer-lived tree. Some coppiced (also pollarded) trees do indeed significantly outlast their more natural versions (similar trees that were not similarly pruned). When topkill is due to disease, the chances of the tree recovering long-term through regrowth are considerably less....See MoreSnidget150
9 years agoFull right side view. Oh, and I understand that these trees will do their own thing. My aim is for it to, umm, stand on its own and perhaps not drag on the ground. Obviously, I would like a healthy tree, as well. I'm going to get a quote from our local tree service, but the last quote I got (for a larger tree) was quite a bit of cash. Not something I have much of right now!
mosquitogang201
9 years agoSnidget150
9 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years agoSnidget150
9 years agomosquitogang201
9 years ago
jbraun_gw