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| I had an 11 ft River Birch planted in October 2010. When do I start pruning it? It has 3 trunks and one is leaning in toward the other two at the top. Is there a way to straighten this so it points outward like the other two trunks do, or should I not be bothered? Also, how far up should I trim off the lower limbs. It's only about 12 feet tall right now and looks very unshapley.
One or two limbs are much longer than the others - like 2 feet longer. Do I cut the long limbs back half-way or all the way to the trunk? If I cut it all the way off it will leave a gap. Overall the tree has a very uneven shape. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| You can always remove dead, diseased, damaged, or rubbing branches at any time. I would wait until after the tree is fully leafed out (if it's not already) before doing any major pruning. Be sure not to remove more than 1/3 of the tree's foliage. Heading cuts are rarely advisable on trees. Reduction cuts/Drop-crotch pruning can be useful, especially on smaller branches. Pictures would be very helpful and might lead to more specific and more complete advice. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Apr 25, 12 at 8:56
| w/o a picture.. its near impossible to give you any real good advice ... i would not stub out a long branch.. to 'match' the others ... oh crimminey.. there is so much wrong with what you wrote.. that i just dont know wear to begin.. we need a picture or two ... but i think.. the bottom line.. is that you have some personal expectation of shape.. and frankly.. there is no real 'shape' to any given tree ... you might want to learn to love it in the shape its in.. rather than try to force some preconceived notion upon it ... but again.. without a pic.. that is all speculation ... ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
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- Posted by sallyreams seven (My Page) on Wed, Apr 25, 12 at 10:57
Thanks for feedback!! Here are some pics. First the full tree shows an xtra long limb sticking out near top and long ones on bottom right. Also you can see the left trunk and how it bows inward 2/3 the way up.  Second one shows how one of the main trunks bows inward about 2/3 the way up the tree. The other 2 trunks lean outward. Next you see an xtra long limb on bottom right of tree. And lastly, there are some strange leaves on the tree, are these of concern? |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Apr 25, 12 at 11:23
| man.. thx for the pix.. not anything like i was picturing.. ignore the top .. prune up a few of the lower scragglers ... the leaf thing is irrelevant... and totally escaping me right this second. of course.. as soon as i hit send .... i might even go straight up the middle and remove any interior branches ... as to the major trunks... they will go.. where they will go.. as the tree grows ... i 'bet' they will start growing away form each other... ken ps: it looks telephone poled [planted too deep] .. can you find the trunk/root interface ... kill the grass in a 5 foot circle.. and add a 4 foot ring of mulch.. but not w/in 3 inches of the trunks ... |
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