Pruning advice for Kentucky Coffeetree

[bhicks]

I have a Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus ‘Espresso’) that I planted from a nursery last year in the spring before the buds were visible. It struggled a lot last year from the stress of transplant. It stalled foliage growth after just a few weeks after coming out in the spring and looked rather weak the whole season. It also had a bit of die-back. I lost two larger branches (about 3/4” to 1”), that you can see the cuts for in the attached image facing away from the sun that were lost, one at the lowest joint, the other about 1/2 way up.

It’s looking better this year so I think it will pull through, but there is a question I have about one of the major branches. After doing some reading and closer inspection, it looks like the notch in the lowest and largest branches is rather acute, and it may result in a serious structural defect over time. What should I do about it? I was thinking that I’d slowly reduce the branch over the next couple of years, and force the tree to put energy into the rest of the canopy before eventually removing it, but I’m looking for advice. Without that branch the tree would be seriously lacking in lower branches. Thoughts?

 

[Del_]

I would consider subduction pruning making the cut at the yellow marker this year and at the red marker next year. It looks like your tree may be suffering from a lawn applied broad leaf killing herbicide. It looks like a good planting depth and that a mulch volcano may have been removed.(mulch piled too high and removed) The root zone of trees extend further than most people think.

 

[Raintree]

I would hold off on pruning until the tree has established itself.

 

[bhicks]

@Del_ , that is interesting that you marked that branch. I’ll look at that one. I was more concerned with the large low one in the picture you marked. Is that v-notch not a concern? The picture is a bit deceiving, the one you marked really isn’t conflicting with the higher canopy. No herbicide has been sprayed in the area that I know of. It looks a bit off because it’s still struggling to get established, and the first leaves of the season are yet to fully grow out. It’s doing much better than last year, but it still has a lion-tail appearance.

@Raintree thanks for the advice. I agree, I won’t touch it until next year, and even then go very lightly.

Any other thoughts about the lower v-notch branch?

 

[ATH]

KY Coffee seems to struggle after transplant. I'd agree waiting a year. Then, I'd take @Del_ 's yellow mark. I'd also take half of the branch with the V-crotch.