a picture would sure help..

since your words seem to imply that it is putting up a new leader.. and your idea is to cut off the new leader .... so it can form a new leader ???

want to try again??

ken

Cut the trunk either completely off or cut it to a place where it would become a new, side-branch. Stake the other to become the new main-leader. Others will say it's not necessary to stake it, however, personally if it were me - I would.

Dax

Thanks for the followups!! i guess the basic question i had was, i want the main trunk to keep growing and continue to be the leader. but if i had to cut it at the top, will it still grow or will it stop growing?

thank you!!

I had what I thought were Thuja Green Giant arborvitae.
I now read that a true Green Giant Arborvitae has only one leader it grows like a tree, But my supposed Green Giants have multiple leaders, it's growing in bush form, The Foliage looks like Green Giant, Shoul I prune out the extra leaders, leave only one main leader?
What would be the proper way to prune?
Al

hey al ....

single trunk GG are best ... especially if snow load is an issue ...

i presume you replied to this very old post.. because you were searching for answers.. good for you ... but if you started your own post.. answers could be sent to your own email ...

multiple leaders are a problem caused by the propagation methods ... single leaders are not indicative of plant ID ...

in other words.. just because they are not single leader.. does not mean they are not GG ...

take off multiple leaders at the trunk ... leaving the branch collar if possible .... if there are many.. i dont know how many i would do at once .... if there were 4.. i might take two.. and cut the others halfway down.. to make a single dominant leader.. and then next year take the other two out ....

dont worry if the plant looks thin.. it will fill in nicely ...

but before you act.. when were these planted ...

ken