Red bud tree

[HEIDYJOE]

I have a red bud tree that died on one side. I want to trim the other side
so the dead side will grow more and not become lop sided. When is the best
time to trim it and how do I trim it? It is only about 3 years old and this
is the first year it got the purple buds (a few).

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

You dont give your location, and in some areas redbud is marginaly hardy. It is also suseptible to infections like verticillium wilt wich can kill the tree. Also with only 3years after install, there may be some siting problems causeing dieback.

Pruning to balance is not alway best on a tree under stress.

Call a pro. in to look at it. It may be best to replace it.

 

[Treeman14]

Its difficult to diagnose and treat tree problems via internet, but never the less, here goes. Generally, on a tree which is dying back, I would remove only the dead portions and leave as much living tissue (read leaves) as possible. Yes, the tree may be lopsided, but if you cut off the food source(read leaves) the tree will have less chance to survive. The best course of action is to determine why half the tree died and treat that problem first.