I have a small, grafted witch hazel that has two stems arising from a short main stem. An angry youth stomped the center of the plant, splitting it into the ground to an unknown depth. Since it is grafted, I am concerned that it has been damaged more than a ungrafted plant would have been.

I pushed the two sections back together and put a zip-tie around them to hold them together temporarily, but I think that ultimately the inside is going to decay.

I guess my question boils down to - should I 1) remove one of the branches and stake the remaining branch, 2) keep it tied together and see if it knits back together, 3) cut it off at the ground and let the rootstock grow whatever witch hazel it keeps sending up shoots of, or 4) other?

Thanks for your thoughts,

Bob