These spiral cherries are usually always grafted so any trunk growth is typically understock (not the weeping type of cherry). So yes, remove any growth you see coming off the trunk. If it is young enough, rubbing it off is better than pruning it off.

this is going to hurt .... THIS IS THE PRIME TREE OF YOUR HOUSE!!!! it has to go ... now .... if you do it now.. in 5 years.. you can have a well established prime specimen that offsets and compliments your beautious house ... or ... you can fool around with a dying tree for 5 years... and probably end up starting over in 5 years... your choice ... IF IT WERE ME .... it would be gone in a couple hours .... as soon as the ground thaws ... if it freezes ... i would go shopping for a new specimen tree ... something that will make your toes curl .. something more size appropriate to your lot size .. and something that will make a great statement ... right now.. the only thing this tree is saying ... two things... my owner is overly attached to a dying tree ... and i am dying ... attached below .. is a picture of one tree.. that may or may not fit in your yard... but is presented to show you the possibilities that replacement will bring ... ignore the dwarf ... lol sorry for the bad news .... good luck ken PPS: its a tricolor beech .... with only two colors.. lol ...

beany.. i have read this 5 times.. i have no clue what you are getting at ... you start by air layering the trunk ??? .. and then immediately call it a branch ... whats that all about ... if you cut off the trunk.. the single trunk.. on most trees ... it will regrow two or three new sprouts.. and you have to reduce to one trunk.. if thats the form you want .. i have no clue why you would air layer such ... i have never heard nor thought about air layering.. in this situation.. maybe you need to tell us.. more specifically ... about what you are thinking about doing ... beside butchering your young tree .... this better not be another pear post.. lol ... [which is usually how you do it.. when you dont want the screeds ... lol] bottom line.. maybe you ought to give this plant a few years.. to actually branch.. before you dream about propagating it .... ken

baby scale move only at a certain moment in time ... and you have to kill them right then ... before they develop the hard cover that protects them .... you might contact your local county extension office.. to find out when they are active in your area .... once they get where they are going ... they attach themselves to the tree and start sucking vital juices ....... and can be killed by the proper oil treatment ... the down side is.. they dont disappear ... so you have to scrap a few off.. and see if they are already dead.. or still alive.. and then act accordingly ... what i trying and failing to get to.. is that it is possible.. they are all dead .. and we would suggest you not continue treating.. until you figure out if further treatment is necessary ... gently scrape a few off... and see whats underneath ... if it is just an ornamental flowering tree ... no fruit to eat.. you might be able to treat the soil with a systemic so that it will kill all the sucking scale ... and a lot of other bug problems .... if you move toward a more powerful resolution.. make sure you use a product labeled for scale .... not all insecticides will work ... thats a pretty nice young tree .. i dont see any reason to get rid of it... IF you are willing to do what is necessary to solve your problem ... ken ps: last year plague is not related to this plague ...