I have a Ruby Falls Redbud that has grown beautifully in just one year, but it is top heavy and must be staked. Can you please tell me how to trim my redbud. I have attached a photo. Thanks so much.
Thank you for contacting Toronto Master Gardeners.
The Ruby Falls Redbud is a product of researchers at North Carolina State University and is a relatively young plant, having been developed in 2009.
Ruby Falls is a dwarf weeping tree only reaching 175 to 200 cm tall. Rose-purple, sweetpea-like flowers bloom in April on bare branches and even on mature trunks. Ruby Falls prefers average, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade.
Pruning should be done in late spring, just after blooming.
- The dominant leader must be maintained. It should be larger in diameter than the branches.
- Remove diseased and damaged growth.
- Cut off dead wood to the point of attachment with live wood. Don’t cut live wood and create a new wound.
- Cut off any crossing branches. This will allow the light to filter into centre, thereby encouraging healthy growth.
- Remove any new vertical or upward-growing branches that appear at the base of young weeping tree. These will grow straight up and not form a weeping shape.
- Prune branches that touch the ground. Use pruning shears to cut next to one of the buds. This will shorten the length of the branch.
- Cut off branches that point up
- Prune carefully and continually check the shape of the crown. The crown should be balanced around the tree.
Remember to disinfect your pruning tools with rubbing alcohol before & after making cuts. For small branches up to 1.5 inches in diameter, use lopping shears.
This following article gives step by step instructions along with illustrations on how to prune a weeping shrub.
For more information about redbuds care: