First, edlincoln, you have been an infrequent visitor. It’s good to know you’re still out there. Second, are you teasing about pruning the yellowwood?

I post less since I've run out of space for trees.

No, I'm not teasing...yellowood are notorious for developing bad crotch angles, and I want to get ahead of that.

I would give that poor sapling a chance to use every leaf it can muster to get some strength before I removed any of them. Every leaf is a little energy producing machine and it needs all it can get.

And you need more growth to even be able to choose how to best direct it- let it develop a bit before you get too gung-ho on it. I appreciate wanting to get ahead of problems but it simply is not ready.

Also, November. Not the best time.

I'd guess spring 2020.

i like that answer above.. lol ... food making machines ....

in tree time.. give it a couple more years to sort itself out ...

add some mulch ...

ken

Try instead using staking to keep a central leader in dominance. And pull the lawn back farther away from it, replace the grass and bare dirt with a nicely mulched area maybe 3 ft. across.

I’ve heard they are copious spring bleeders when pruned between now and bud break. Also see mine pull up it’s arching growth by the time mid-August rolls around.

Yup! Two of them are in the ground and doing well. One is in a pot be ause I ran out f good spots.

I aggressively pruned the second yepar because of a double leader.

I don't understand the the arching growth comment,

The consensus seems to be do nothing for now, except add more mulch.

Regarding the arching comment...Yellowwood does not have a strong central leader. Vertical growth is achieved by annual 'zig-zagging' of growth...sometimes at very tight angles and sometimes bigger angles. What I have found on my vigorous Yellowwood is that the new growth is even less erect (more arching over) but as summer progresses and the growth hardens off, it pulls itself more upright.

So don't prune floppy new growth in June because it's not going where you want it to. Wait until August to see if hardens up into the position you wanted it.

Leave that little guy alone, it would be like stealing lunch money from a kid on the monkey bars. No fair!

Tops dress with an inch of compost, at least 3', preferably further, from the stem. Then add some mulch on top of that, and talk nicely to it. In a few years time it will be ready to prune however you want to let it look.