catalpa tree triming question

treeluver

i have a small catalpa tree, it is only 3 years old and im wondering if i can cut off the side branches as they keep sagging more, will doing that hurt the tree?, or would it be possible to stake them so they grow upward?

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Eric Frei

Well, considering mature height and spread I think they'd get pruned off down the track anyway.

I reckon prune off half the foliage on each of those side branches and next year remove them. They'll help thicken the stem, less foliage loss in 1 hit and next year the collars will be clearer to cut too.

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vl2007

I would consider the size as nersery stock. Young trees and shrubs compartmentalize easily, so now is the time to to do the subordination pruning.

TreeSpecialist

Limb subordination helps form a better branch collar (do a google search for branch collars.) Subordination pruning can even turn a codominant stem into something that more closely resembles a true branch over several years.

I would suggest leaving them on for several more years since they don't appear to be interfering with anything. When they reach the diameter of a quarter, then start subordinating them (cutting them back as Ekka?mentioned) and remove them the following year.

Leaving the low limbs on the tree will help to increase the trunk diameter and trunk taper making it a stronger tree.

You could "pinch" the tips (take off only the growing buds or leaves at the very tip ends of the branches) of the lowest limbs if you wanted to. Pinching the two upper branches back a little while leaving the center leader alone would be a good idea as well.

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treeluver

today we had some strong winds and one of the top branches on the main trunk broke off leaving an open wound, being a young and vigorous growing tree should i just leave it alone or do something to the wound?

treeshaveneeds

That would really depend on how big an injury was caused. It sounds like a small hole on a big stem, so leaving all alone is probably ok. I'm not aware of anything to help an injured area to help the tree "heal" that actually benefits the tree or enhances callus tissue formation.