Serviceberry pruning help

4 years ago

I planted this single stem autumn brilliance serviceberry a few years ago. Love the fall color, berries...overall great tree. But I later learned it’s not the best single stem cultivar as far as branching habit. Thinking it’s time to do some correction. I tried to number some problem spots...Any suggestions?

I have 2 leaders splitting off at #2...I think I have to live with that given the species . Thinking remove lower branch #1. At #3 we have some crossing branches. And then at #4 there’s kind of a long leader that is growing more out than up. I was thinking maybe removing the end @4.

Or maybe I need to give it some more time develop a few more branches? I dunno? I know it won’t be a perfect single leader specimen. Just want to maximize form as best I can now. Welcome any suggestions.

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Comments (5)

Embothrium
4 years ago
This how they grow, if it were mine I'd leave it alone.
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
4 years ago
So would I.
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Thanks iforgot, I didnt mean to twist your words but i certainly will give more thought to my bonemeal use next time so thanks for the heads up. Yes I may just have to decide now if I want a multistemmed tree in place of what I was hoping for as a small decorative single trunk. Lucky, there appears to be so far atleast 4 to 5 pink nubs bursting from the trunk. I guess these could eventually make a small tree, meanwhile a small shrub. I wonder how much time it would take to make a small multistem tree, 20 years maybe. I have to say, I just assumed these where grafted, I never asked (bad me). They have what I thought was a typical grafted area on the bottom of the trunks but now that I really think about it perhaps that was removal of another main trunk since these are naturally multistem. Ya know I knew better than to try to fight mother nature, she always wins in the end as in this case it seems aswell. Thanks for all the replies and advice. Barb
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Any specimen that has not yet reached the desired size may make an added amount of top growth if fruiting is prevented from occurring for the entire time up to that point. However many years it takes. With high-bush blueberry cultivars for instance, which presumably fruit more heavily than is normal for the wild species recommendations to prevent fruiting for 3-5 years seem to be fairly usual. It can often be seen looking at small examples that are not being stripped of fruits while these are first developing that growth of their tops is significantly limited by how much fruiting they are doing while still dinky. The key point with your situation is if the plants are likewise trying to load up with fruit each time, now or later. If instead only a tiny portion of their entire top consists of fruit clusters then probably whether these stay or go is probably comparatively inconsequential.
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callirhoe123
4 years ago
I agree. The somewhat "shrubby" form these trees take will provide increasing privacy from the street and the neighbors.
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
4 years ago
if the goal is privacy from next door.. and down the street ... i would say its in perfect shape ... you wouldnt happen to have a pic from last year ... all leafed out??

if the goal is for it to look like it is actually a tree .. i suppose you could play around with it ... but i would have to ask why????

if there was an errant branch poking you in the head/eye while sitting on the chair ... i might shorten it or get rid of that ...

imo.. leave it alone ...

ken
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PJ
Original Author
4 years ago
It’s part foundation vertical accent part privacy. Have a thornless cockspur (older) hawthorn on right side of porch and this SB on the left/south end. So it felt like we needed another small tree on that side. We are in an old Denver hood with houses close together so that was certainly part of the goal. I’m also a collector and love the fall color and flowers of this variety and it seemed apt to replace the gnarly old rose bush that was there before I overhauled the foundation plants. .

I added a fall pic, the only one I have with leaves....but it was from this past year when we had a very hard freeze and snow the first week of October, so not it’s best show, and not much better picture to asses structure. I added a different angle too so you can see in relation to the bay window I tried to create privacy for (hence why I don’t cut my yews back more, and roll with the natural look there too) 😂. I also have a pacific sunset maple in the yard too which is what you’d see of front...you need lots of small trees and shade in Denver if you want to grow much besides desert scrub...thankfully I have good soil for Colorado so it greatly improves my possibilities.

I appreciate all the feedback. I think I will just leave alone unless I start seeing branches rub and let it go au naturel.. I’m a tad ocd so would love a more uniform tree look, but I can also appreciate the natural look. I realize this breed was never supposed to be anything but a multistem shrub (and wish I had just chosen that to begin with) but you live and learn your garden lessons!
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Serviceberry pruning help

Comments (5)

Embothrium

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

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callirhoe123

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Serviceberry pruning help

Comments (5)

Embothrium

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

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callirhoe123

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

PJOriginal Author

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