Before the leaves appear this spring, do yourself a favor: Go and look at any deciduous tree you have planted in the past three or four years.
Thoughtful structural pruning now will produce a tree that will be healthier, stronger and more attractive than one left to develop unaided. Here are some things to consider:
1. Start early. By shaping a tree when it is young, you are shaping its future. You won’t be reacting to its waywardness 10 years from now, when it is too late for the best care of the plant.
2. Buy carefully. The best time to assess the branch structure of a tree, however, is at the nursery. If a tree has poor branch structure and competing leaders, move on to another.
3. Give a break. Trees planted this spring should not be pruned until next winter, except for trimming broken branches.
4. Be patient. If you do decide to tackle formative pruning, allow at least an hour per tree. It is a slow, methodical process. As you remove each branch in succession, you get to see other obvious candidates for pruning.
5. Cut carefully. Either remove a branch entirely or cut it back to a bud facing the direction you want the stem to grow. View the plant from all angles between cuts, and be conservative.
A few books on the subject: “The Tree Care Primer,” by Christopher Roddick (Brooklyn Botanic Garden, $9.95, bbg.org) and “The Pruning of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers,” by George Brown and Tony Kirkham (Timber Press, $29.95).
