Hello,

From your picture it appears that you are in possession of an Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). The Eastern redbud variety usually grows with the trunk divided close to the ground forming a spreading, flat-topped to rounded crown. The picture provided looks as if the tree is growing into its natural shape. The tree at this point doesn’t appear to need any extra support.

With regard to pruning your tree, it is usually best if such were confined to pruning dead, damaged, diseased and weak branches. As well, you may cut off low-hanging branches that interfere with mowing. However, the caution is not to cut too much at once and to prune at the right time. As a rule, it is best not to take any more than 25% in one growing season, and to prune in late winter to early spring, prior to bud break.

I am adding some useful links that may prove helpful to you.

Pruning Trees in the Home Landscape | University of Maryland Extension (umd.edu)

Eastern Redbud | Department of Horticulture (uky.edu)

Redbud | Home & Garden Information Center (clemson.edu)

hello thanks for your reply. 

i am posting a new photo from this spring. 

i am very concerned this tree will literally bend to touch the ground! 

it i hold it up the shoots are about 15 feet tall. all appear to be same diameter from trunk to top! why is this tree not supplying itself?  my other native red buds branch off of a strong trunk. 

i feel like i should cut off the weight on top? no? 

thank you

Hi Gina, I understand your concern about this tree! It certainly is showing a strange growth habit. I suppose it's possible there is a single "trunk" under the soil and that this is just normal growth. But it appears that there are six different trunks and they're each doing their own thing...not as one tree but as six. Waiting until this spring has given you a good idea of what will continue to happen. I can't see that any of the six trunks have produced any lateral limbs growing from them. (Am I correct on that?)

Another concern I have is that this tree (these trees?) are much too close to your fence and much to close to the adjacent trees to remain healthy as they get larger and more mature. So that issue may help you decide what to do about this strange tree form.

I do believe you need to do some judicious pruning. Since this tree is a "volunteer," you won't lose any money if you make a mistake in your pruning, just time and effort, which is important. To be perfectly honest with you, I've never seen this phenomenon. It seems unlikely that six seeds fell into the same hole and each one germinated. I cannot find any research-based information on fixing this type of growth, so what I would do (see below) if this were my tree may not work. (full disclosure)


IF any of these six "trees" have any lateral branches growing from it, select that one to be the main trunk of the tree. Then stake it  so it stands upright and is not drooping. IF none of these "trees" have lateral shoots, this may be a lost cause. But still worth a try.

I would then remove one (or maybe two) of the upright trunks at ground level. Expect them to put up some suckers from the ground. These you can safely remove. Most sources say you should not remove more than 20% of the tree at once in order to reduce stress to the tree, so you decide ... remove one or two. Next year, you can remove another one.

By the time next year rolls around, you will have a better idea of how the tree will respond to pruning off a trunk or two. Hopefully it will put out some lateral branches. If not, another possibility would be to lop off one of the trunks so it's only 1-2 feet tall and hope it develops some lateral branches. If it does, you could then determine that one to be your keeper and begin to eliminate the others.

Redbuds should only be pruned when they are dormant (late winter) or soon after they have bloomed. An exception to these times would be to trim dead branches.

Having said all that, there are actually "weeping" redbuds, and you will see one pictured in the link below. However, they are rare and still weep from one main trunk. The first picture in this link show the typical form of an Eastern Redbud tree.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/eastern-redbud-an-all-american-star

Good luck!