I have a desert willow, planted 3 years ago, it about 12ft tall.
There are 2 low branches jutting out sideways that I think I should prune to encourage upward growth, but I’m nervous because they are so large, I don’t want to hurt the tree. I probably should have done it sooner but I wasn’t paying close attention.
These are 2 photos of the same tree from opposite directions. I’m in the Mojave desert.
by llamafilm
4 Comments
No
I don’t think upward growth is an issue here, and I also don’t think pruning a couple low branches automatically results in a tree deciding “ok, time to not grow laterally, I’m gonna grow upward now”. Can an arborist give a perspective here?
The flowers are stunning i like this tree leave it be
Long desert willow branches are prone to ugly splitting and bark peeling. Yes I’d remove the long horizontal laterals and correct inclusions.