Picked out this tree a few years ago at the nursery when I was not as educated about trees. Last year I cut back one of the two main branches trying to encourage the one on the right to become more dominant and take over. It has helped some, but I don’t know if I should continue to gradually cut back the left side every year, cut it off completely this spring, or just leave it.
by littlemissxtra
6 Comments
I’d personally nip it a slight bit and mold it outwards during the spring flush.
I am not an arborist.
There’s a bunch you can do. But crabapple trees don’t tend to get super tall. Competing leaders are particularly rough for super tall trees as they grow almost parallel and create a “V” crotch. This crotch type grows alongside each other and slowly pushes on each other causing a crack. That crack can accumulate water and debris and then rot, causing one of the leaders to fail.
Crabapple trees are supposed to brachiate heavily and don’t get tall. On top of that, your tree’s crotch is a “U” shape which does not capture debris the same way. As the branches grow they separate.
Some ways to ‘fix’ this:
1. Cut one leader in half.
2. Use twine to pull one leader down.
3. Pinch all the top buds on one of the leaders.
I personally use the twine option. It can look a bit silly for a bit, but I have had a lot of success essentially treating my apple trees in a psudo-espalier style.
I tie twine to the tip, then position the branch where I want it, then tie the twine to a heavy enough rock to keep the branch there. Some time later, you can remove the twine and the branch will largely stay in the same place.
I like this method because it introduces no cuts to the specimen.
I think almost all trees are better with a strong central leader. I’d reduce by at least 1/3.
Continue to subordinate that left leader
Picking a dominant lead and reducing is your only healthy option here crabapples are prone to splitting and a trunk cut invites too much rot. Reduce one of your choice down to a union and keep shaping it throughout its life.
I would cut the leader on the left but only about half way