Casia after Irma

[Zundweebi]

Hi all,

Im green to the site and hoping for some help.

My three year old Pink Cassia Bakeriana had a perfect canopy before hurricane irma decided to do its own pruning.
I did prune some new, lower branches a few months ago but as you can see, the tree is funny looking.

My questions are:
1. Should I trim the large top branches and shape it even and round? Will it ever grow tall?
2. Should I leave the top branches and prune off all the mid and lower branches? Will it ever grow a normal canopy?
3. Do i leave it alone? will the top branches drop and the lower ones catch up and eventually look normal?

Thank You!

 

[JeffGu]

I haven't seen too many of those since I was in Thailand in the 70's.... they have a very open, spreading canopy naturally... trying to shape the crown isn't going to give you the results you want. The bushy, new growth is the tree's reaction to injury and your pruning. You might want to leave it alone for a couple of years and let it sort itself out. They evolved in the tropics and recover nicely from storm damage. They're more of a shrub than a tree, and every cut you make is going to cause it to sprout more new growth. I'd give it some time to recover and you'll be able to get a better feel for the natural form and shape.

 

[Zundweebi]

Thanks Jeff. That makes a lot of sense.
It did indeed have a large canopy even at a young age. Very cool that you remember the tree. Thanks again.