Pruning a young Catalpa tree - Ask Extension
Hello ~I have a young Catalpa tree that I planted a few years ago, and I'm wondering if I should prune it, and if so, how and when. I've included a co...
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Pruning a young Catalpa tree #570507
Asked June 14, 2019, 9:59 PM EDT
Hello ~
I have a young Catalpa tree that I planted a few years ago, and I'm wondering if I should prune it, and if so, how and when. I've included a couple pictures from a couple different angles for reference. It's a beautiful little tree (about 7' tall), and there is another one a little ways away, but it is fully mature.
I have 2 questions:
1. The red circle in the pictures is a low branch coming off the trunk. Should I prune this off?
2. More importantly, the blue circle in the pictures is where the trunk has split off into a perfect Y shape, so there now appear to be 2 main leaders. Is this OK, or should I be pruning one of these off to force it to concentrate on only 1 main trunk? That would essentially mean cutting off about half the tree.
I would appreciate any help. I really love these trees. I really like the way this one looks right now, but want to make sure that it also grows into a healthy mature tree too.
Thank you,
Dan Markus
I have a young Catalpa tree that I planted a few years ago, and I'm wondering if I should prune it, and if so, how and when. I've included a couple pictures from a couple different angles for reference. It's a beautiful little tree (about 7' tall), and there is another one a little ways away, but it is fully mature.
I have 2 questions:
1. The red circle in the pictures is a low branch coming off the trunk. Should I prune this off?
2. More importantly, the blue circle in the pictures is where the trunk has split off into a perfect Y shape, so there now appear to be 2 main leaders. Is this OK, or should I be pruning one of these off to force it to concentrate on only 1 main trunk? That would essentially mean cutting off about half the tree.
I would appreciate any help. I really love these trees. I really like the way this one looks right now, but want to make sure that it also grows into a healthy mature tree too.
Thank you,
Dan Markus
Anoka County Minnesota
Expert Response
Catalpas can be pruned anytime. I would hesitate to remove lower branches until the tree is older. Instead I would trim them back slightly (1/3 or less) to reduce the weight and create a more balanced look. It is very important to choose one leader. Two leader trees are not healthy. They can split later and you can lose the tree. See the following websites for further information. See: https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/pruning-trees-and-shrubs Also see: https://www.hunker.com/12526734/how-to-prune-a-catalpa-tree-in-the-summer
You may want to have an onsite inspection by an arborist to help decide which leader to cut.
Mary ~
Thank you so much for your response. I pruned my Catalpa tree yesterday morning, and it doesn't look as bad as I thought it would with cutting off one of the two leaders. I've also got the remaining leader staked to help it grow a bit straighter.
Thanks again,
Dan
Thank you so much for your response. I pruned my Catalpa tree yesterday morning, and it doesn't look as bad as I thought it would with cutting off one of the two leaders. I've also got the remaining leader staked to help it grow a bit straighter.
Thanks again,
Dan
Great! Be sure the staking doesn’t cut into the tree and it has some movement. Trees should not be staked more than a few months up to a year because it interferes with strong root development of staked longer. You are welcome. Thanks for the question.
