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redbud 'fountain'

20 years ago

I planted a redbud sapling, about 5-7 feet tall, by my front walk and a deer promptly nibbled it off. To my surprise, it has grown back, but has about 6-7 equal length branches coming out of the base and each is so rich with big, healthy leaf growth that they are doubled over almost to the ground by the weight. Is there any way to maker this fountain into a tree? None of these floppy whips actually is growing in the middle or upwards.

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Comments (2)

john_mo
20 years ago
Although redbud naturally develops a 'fountain' or domed growth form, your tree might not do too well with so many trunks. I think you have a several options:

1. Allow it to grow in multi-trunked form, but reduce the number of stems so it is not too shrubby. Redbud can grow nicely in a multitrunked form. Though it may be weakened in this growth form, this not such a serious concern for a relatively small tree.

2. Prune to return it to a single leader. You would probably have to repeat this process for a few years the main trunk becomes dominant. But redbud is good at maintaining a pretty straight main stem even though the leader often looks like it will have an arched form. The natural 'zigzag' growth patten, which results from the alternate leaf/bud arrangement, assures that there will always be a 'side' branch that has a straight-up growth path. I have encouraged this tendency in a 'crooked' redbud in my yard by pruning off the arching growth tip of the leader to select a new, more vertical branch.

3. Dig it up and replace with a nice single trunked sappling. Since the deer already pruned it back to a small specimen, a new tree might end up growing faster (and straighter) than your browsed plant.
brenda_near_eno
20 years ago
I have acres of native redbuds, seedlings to saplings to trees. The habit of the trunk is called geniculating - that slight zigzag as the branches extend. Mine all grow at an angle rather than straight up, so 2-3 trunks - or 2-3 trees close together are most attractive and graceful. IMHO, I would give it a year to grow - I suspect only one of two trunks will take over naturally - then trim to smaller ones off. I wouldn't worry about the weight of the leaves - it's about to lose them anyway.

Funny, a 5 foot tree should have a trunk as big around as your finger - bigger than my local deer will eat. Here they eat everything green, but no stems or branches unless succulent like sedums. Are you sure it was deer? At the base sounds like beaver work to me. I don't relish the thought that the deer might get hungry enough here this winter to eat sapling trunks.
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