Podocarpus sp.?

pruning NEVER hurt anything ...

especially on the logic that it will probably collapse if you dont ...

and though an ID would be good.. dont go looking for pruning rules specific to a given plant ... as most often... you wont find that kind of specificity ...

i would cut it low.. maybe at a foot or two ... and retrain a leader ... NBD ...

ken

BTW .. part of the reason.. if not the whole reason its doing this.. is its improperly planted/sited .. to close to the house... and its leaning out to get more.. and better light ...

it might be best... if you cut it down.. and then moved it .... if thats an option ...

ken

Ted is correct, your plant is a Podocarpus. It can be cut back severely.

Thanks for the info everybody. I will definitely prune it; I was afraid if I lopped off the top, it would grow back in a ugly way.

It will come back ugly. You have to keep on it and prune it every year or it will slowly turn ugly. It's too big of a thing to have in that small of a space without a lot of annual work.

The new growth won't be ugly, it's the topped main stem that will be ugly. As the one shown is so spindly I'd just cut it down and pull it out. Otherwise you could try to move it to another part of the lot, but it will have to be staked all the way to the top, until it firms up and fills in, to keep it from snapping off or blowing over in a more exposed position. And it is genetically programmed to grow much bigger than it is now, you will have to come up with a more generous space somewhere on the property to keep it there.

People do make topiary out of these, although the leaves seem kind of big for it to me.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=podocarpus+macrophyllus&FORM=HDRSC1

Appears to have ad spidermites or some other sucker