Q.tree trimming and shaping
Hello – I have a young cherry tree- has 4 or 5 main branches growing out of ground (no MAIN ONE TRUNK )may be a part of the mother tree growing 10 – 15 feet away CAN I CUT THEM OFF AND JUST KEEP 1 OR 2 trunks OR SHOULD I JUST KEEP ONE AND CUT THE REST – its a young tree about 7 feet tall and it may even be part of the mother tree growing 10 – 15 feet away as I said THANKS Preston
Are you going to move the second tree? They are very close together if there is only 15 ft between the trunks. This will cause problems as the second tree matures, I fear. I think the small one is probably a sprout from dropped seed, not a sucker at that distance. Trees will send up distant sprouts if a surface root is damaged during moving so there is that possibility. If it is a seedling from dropped fruit, it will not look like the parent plant if the parent is a hybrid. A hybrid is a genetic cross of 2 different species and seedlings of hybrids will look like one of them. For instance, if. the parent plant of your second tree has frilly, double flowers, the sapling will not or the color might be different. You may not have a hybrid. When it is in flower, find a plant ID site on the web and post a picture.
Yes, you can remove all the trunks but one. I believe this is optional and that you can keep the multiple-trunked version if you prefer the way it looks. But you can also pick the strongest and straightest trunk and remove all the others, which will encourage the selected trunk to grow larger and stronger. You will need to be vigilant and remove any suckers that re-sprout from the ground:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/tree-sucker-removal-and-tree-sucker-control.htm
