I agree that the right leader should be removed. and also those shorter thin branches in the lowest part of the tree's canopy should be removed.

For the well crotched tier of branches, which in the photo, appear to be growing at the height level of the top of your fence, Shorten both of them back about half way. Then after the tree flushes lots of new growth and hardens off more canopy this growing season; wait until near the end of winter 2009, and look to see if the tree's canopy/trunk ratio heights would still be in a 2 to 1 balance if you cut these well crotched branches back to the trunk. If so, prune them away at that time.

Where two or more codominant stems arise from the same location on the tunk, subordination pruning is the answer. Shorten the leader to the right by cutting it back to an outward (Away from trunk) branchlet. This will slow it down and cause it to behave as a branch rather than as main lead. This is better than complete removal because in codominant situations like this, there is no branch collar at the point of divergence. The wound resulting from complete removal will be one that the tree has a very hard time closing. Decay will almost certainly be the result. If, instead of complete removal, you subordinate it by the above- mentioned method, a wound will result which the tree CAN close off, and in time, a normal branch collar will form.

I hope this is understandable. I use techniques like this every day on my job. It works.

+oM

Thank you both for helping me on this. I want to make sure I do this correctly so I have a few follow up questions:

Katrina, I understand cutting the lower branches and the right leader but I want to make sure on the middle well crotched branches. Is the goal of this to get more upright growth on this tree? (Makes sense to me since it will start to get to far onto the deck.)

Tom, can you be more specific on "cut-back" of the right leader? I am thinking the remaining piece should be approx a foot long?

Thanks again for your time.

No, you just need to shorten it a little, cut off around a quarter of its length. That'll make it lose the race with the main leader, and within a year or two it'll be shaded by new branches off the main leader, and only grow slowly and sideways like a well-behaved branch should.

Resin

Thank you, Resin.

Truth is, there's no magic formula as to how much of the leader to cut back. When we first started using this tech about eight or ten years ago, I think we tended towards not enough reduction. Over time, we've found it better to go a little more. I usually just look for a good branchlet to cut back to. It should be a minimum of 1/3rd the size of the parent branch. This will ensure that it's able to sustain itself.....as a branch.

+oM

Thanks Tom. Makes sense to cut it back to a branchlet.