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Branches Grow UP??

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by LandOfOz on June 06, 2006 12:49 PM
So, I have a little maple tree that I thinks needs to be trimmed. It has a Y-ish trunk--meaning that one branch comes shooting off the main trunk and is about horizonal with the ground. I think that this branch should be cut off for a variety of reasons, but my husband insists that the branch will move up as the tree grows, and thus be part of the canopy some day. Like now the branch in question is about 18 inches off the ground and next year it might be 20 inches. Okay, did I miss something?? 'Cause I always thought that branches never moved UP only OUT... [nutz]

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Sarah - Zone 5b/6
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by peppereater on June 06, 2006 02:07 PM
Tell your husband you're absolutely, 100% correct. A branch will never move up the trunk, but it will tend to begin bending up where the new growth occurs. A word of caution, though, those bottom limbs can help a lot with root growth and overall energy production, so until it gets in the way of mowing, or until the tree is very well established and getting bigger, I try to leave such limbs on. That kind of corrective pruning can be done later. How old is the tree?

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!
by LandOfOz on June 07, 2006 01:44 AM
The tree is probably 4 years old--it was grown from seed in the spot it's still in. It's about 5 feet tall now.

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Sarah - Zone 5b/6
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by peppereater on June 08, 2006 09:37 AM
LandOfOz, at that age, it still wouldn't hurt to leave the branch awhile, but you can take it off if you have good reason to. I'd be inclined to take it off when it's about an inch thick. Then the wound won't be very big and will heal quickly.

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!
by LandOfOz on June 08, 2006 10:00 AM
Okay, then I'll wait another year or so (who knows maybe in January it will be bigger). It's at least a half inch thick now. Thanks for your help!

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Sarah - Zone 5b/6
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by peppereater on June 08, 2006 10:09 AM
January would be a good time to do it. The tree will be dormant then, and it'll have all of this season to develop more root structure, etc. [thumb]

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!

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