Help Pruning a Young Tree (Eastern Redbud)
Eric Griffin
7 years ago
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Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
7 years agobossyvossy
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoRelated Discussions
Eastern Redbud: leggy, needs severe pruning - how much and when?
Comments (12)i dont understand.. why you planted a TREE .... and insist it be a shrub .... not that it cant be done ... but it ALWAYS will want to be a tree .... the simplest solution is to cut it down to within 6 inches of the soil ... at the proper time of year ... and it will resprout with multiple leaders ... i had one once that refused to be a tree.. so we kept doing that until it got itself sorted out to its treeness ... BUT IT IS ALWAYS GOING TO WANT TO BE A TREE ... yes there are methods to grow trees as shrubs .. but it will take multiple prunings per year .... FOREVER ... and that will have an impact on how it flowers ... if at all ... frankly.. if it were me.. i would let it be the small tree it wants to be .... and i would plant proper shrubs under it .... it would be much simpler.. and less work ... and if you did this.. you would prune it higher.. for the garden beneath .... the term to research .. as noted above is 'pollarding' ... its a pain in the behind... and i gave up on it long ago ... it is easier to admit the purchasing mistake.. rather than force it into what it refuses to be ... or you are the type who likes the challenge.. i respect that.. good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.google.com/search?q=pollarding&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a...See Morepruning Eastern Redbud
Comments (10)Thank you, all.. I'm sorry I don't have a photo at this time. The tree is planted mostly under large old pines, but in a bed about 5-6 feet from a garage, in a smaller suburban yard. Ken, it would seem great to 'live and let live' as I do with most other plantings... but... The "shoots" literally poked out (think of the Statue of Liberty's crown - it's the best I can do to describe it) of the entire perimeter (about 10 of them) of the crown at least 5-6 feet all-around. I couldn't imagine those branches surviving winter here (if we had a bad one), and was also interested in branching for flowering purposes in the longer term. Re "1/3 cutting'... Brandon... I generally took the larger of 3 stems of a branch back to the node.. trying to use that as my method for the 'shoots.' Otherwise, they seemed to be extensions of branches that were rubbing. What is meant by 'the correct branching angle of limbs, correcting those too narrow as early as possible'..? Again, any advice, info and guidance is much appreciated. It can be such a beautiful (and healthy) tree.....See MoreDoes anyone on here have a Cercis canadensis - Eastern Redbud Tree?
Comments (47)I live in the north shore of Massachusetts. I installed a Cercis Canadensis - Rising Sun Redbud last October - a 5 gallon container tree in a full sun area of my front yard - where there is decent drainage. Made it through the winter with no problems, and the tight lavender buds popped in April . The bark and branching is a light grey and it all appears to be healthy - all branches are still pliable. The tiny lime colored leaves that appeared after budding have now morphed into larger, darker leaves. Watering has been a consistent once / wk process, but we did have some pretty intense rainfall about a month ago. I began noticing slight drooping and wilting of the leaves right before the heavy rains we received. Since then, it has been dry and warm, and the leaves have gotten more wilted and curled. At the recommendation of one of our nursery managers, I tried soaking the root area. There has been no improvement, and the smaller leaves are now drying up. No spotting on the leaves or signs of leaf decay, and no insect issues.. If it weren't for the drooping and wilting of leaves, they'd look completely healthy. In other words, the color and structure of the leaves are fine. The Rising Sun Redbud is a relatively new cultivar, so not much to go on re. diseases, insect issues and tree care solutions... My first inclination was that the tree might be suffering from root rot or a root fungus - based on the wilting and curling of leaves. I checked the soil around the root ball, which is cool and moist, but not wet, and there is none of the distinct smell you commonly get with root rot... When soaking the root area, the water pooled then drained fairly quickly. If anyone has any information on the Rising Sun, this particular issue, and a possible solution please pass along.. Many thanks!...See MorePlease Help Me w/ Eastern Redbud
Comments (11)Don't I feel stupid now! Babying a weed for the last couple of months. Oh well, back to the drawing board. A very nice lady (horticulturalist from Penn State University) has also concluded that the "weed" is a Paulownia. At first, she too suspected it was a velvet leaf. And wow, what a wealth of information you folks have been. Thanks for taking time in your day to help me out by responding. Like I mentioned, I have a tree in my yard with seed pods on it, is it to early to try to germinate them? Shall I wait till the fall? Any tips or advice? Would it be easier to take a cutting and try from there with rooting powder? I would like to thank each and everyone of you for your time and let you know its greatly appreciated!...See Morewisconsitom
7 years agoi_like_pi
7 years agobossyvossy
7 years agoCaldwell Home & Garden
7 years agoEric Griffin
7 years agoCaldwell Home & Garden
7 years agobrandon7 TN_zone7
7 years agocearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
7 years agoEric Griffin
7 years agoMonica Mimier
6 months ago
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