The leader was cut off at some point, and we're looking for advice for encouraging the new one. Is it better to add a stake to help secure the replacement, or will it be stronger if it grows on its own?

Thanks for any words of wisdom!

redbud.. struggle mightly for a single independent leader ... good luck with that.. lol ...

last pic.. yes.. the dead stump must go..

the only issue is when ... odds are.. if you go in there with a saw.. you will knock off what is there.. i say observe for a few years.. and down worry about it ...

but i think i would take off 2 or 3.. of the lowest branches .... to start raising the canopy ... [next year .. see below]

but do start thinking about it as a tree ... just because something 'should be done' .. in treeworld.. that means sometime in the next 5 years.. there is no real hurry.. on a plant that could live 25 to 50 years ... mostly because you cant staple your mistakes back on .. lol ..

you might also want to look into subordination pruning ...

now that i have reread.. no canopy reduction on a recent transplant.. leaves are the food making machines.. and since you disturbed its roots system.. we want all leaves intact .. target next spring.. or summer to start training ... based on what i said above ...

ken

Your tree appears to be grafted, which is fine, but I doubt you want to try to make it a single leader tree. The results could be ugly because the normal growth is for the tree to have long stretches of no branches, then a sideways branch that grows up and out. Cutting the sideways, up-growing branch will leave you without any leaves on the side. Unlike a lot of trees, a Cercis doesn't seem to grow like a Maple, Oak, etc. that put out lots of shoots that allow you to choose one and prune the rest out. It takes very judicious pruning to keep a Redbud looking normal.