Close up pic

Typical form for these trees is for them to start branching low as yours does.

BTW, is it me or does the tree lean a bit?

well..

first.. congrats.. actually planted far enough from the house ...

second ... whats your goal???

third.. i would remove the lowest branch PROPERLY ...

4th.. i would then spend the next year deciding the next step ...

NEVER FORGET.. there is no hurry with tree trimming ...

and do understand.. nobody cares about the co-dominant leaders ... this is not going to be a 100 foot tree, nor a century old.. dont worry about the ramifications of such ...

and yeah.. it has a lean.. at this point.. ignore it..

and lastly.. at the link.. form options.. pick one ... and then ask how you get there ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks guys! To address the lean it might be my pic. My yard is graded at a slope away from house which also may give it that look, but in person its pretty squared up...so Ken as instructed I have attached the pic of the tree how I envisioned it. At 3 years old with only a 25 year lifespan I predicted it to be further along then it is. I have tons of patience, but don't want to waste precious time with the tree. Understand I bought it not knowing anything about the tree. When I got it home and researched and found its short life span I believe I got antsy...Let me know if you think everything is moving the way it should.

It looks fine for 3. That tree in your pic is probably 15 years old, I'd imagine, so plenty of time for it to get that big.

Oh, one other thing: 25 years is probably the "useful" life span. I've certainly seen some that live twice that long or even a bit more, but without significant regenerative pruning they tend to start looking like crap by the time they are 30 or so.

ok.. your dream tree ..

is trimmed up to 5 or 6 feet ...

i would do such.. so i could ride under it to mow my lawn ... or walk under it without fear of losing an eye ...

when the leaves fall off.. post us pix.. and we can argue about how to get to what you want .. OVER THE NEXT 5 YEARS ... and that is key ... we do it a little at a time ...

one thing for sure.. my plan includes taking off all the side branches ... over the next 3 years .. one at a time ...

and then.. nudey [it not us] .. i want to look .. now.. at what will be left .. and give some thoughts on pruning out a little more on what will end up being the single main leader ... what is a small branch right now.. is easy to take off ...

leaves make the food to grow the roots .. to grow a healthy tree .. and if you were to remove all 3 branches at once.. you would be basically cutting off 60 to 70% of the food making machinery .. severe canopy reduction ... and you would set the tree back..

so we would take one the second or third year after planting ... encouraging it to grow taller ...

and since your is already 3 years in the ground. . i might .. key word there .. MIGHT .. in MI!!! ... take one this fall.. and the second late next spring [after enjoying bloom] ..... and third next fall ... but i do things other dont.. and i surely dont live in TX .. so others may argue with what i do ... but it is information.. for you to make your own decisions ... there are issues of weeping fluids.. and disease .. which i will leave to others.. timing might be important in TX .... and i will defer.. w/o argument about such ...

do you know how to PROPERLY cut a tree???? .. branch collars.. and all that stuff??? .. and no.. we dont paint the wounds..

ken

Sounds good I will post a nude pic after leaves drop. I prune all my trees in early February mainly because by then it has finally froze a few times to kill off pests that will attack tree wounds. I don't think the branches are big enough yet to have branch collars, but I will look closer when it is time, but I have a pretty good handle on pruning. I don't over prune ever, and do understand about tree injuries at an entry level. I have been pruning a bald cypress, summers red maple, and 2 cedar elms for 3 Februarys now (it was a new house tiny trees planted) and they have all done well after pruning. For whatever reason I have just been scared to mess with this thing...I feel like its too delicate I guess! PS Ken I was planning on going even slower than you! I want to cut the low one this winter, the 2nd to lowest February of 2014, and the next one february of 2015. Thanks for all your help!