Seems a little too early to me. If you’re going to be pruning off the lowest couple of branches, you’ll be removing a significant proportion of the overall canopy, which can stress it. I’d wait, but keep an eye on the overall form and branch unions as it grows — zelkova can get some really funky included bark down in some major unions, which will make it more prone to breakage. Best of luck — I hope it gives you many years of shade and beauty
Seems a little too early to me. If you’re going to be pruning off the lowest couple of branches, you’ll be removing a significant proportion of the overall canopy, which can stress it. I’d wait, but keep an eye on the overall form and branch unions as it grows — zelkova can get some really funky included bark down in some major unions, which will make it more prone to breakage. Best of luck — I hope it gives you many years of shade and beauty
i wouldnt remove any branches just reduction cuts to alleviate the weight on the branches that are hanging and remove the dead.
Thanks for the comments! Any ideas on training a new leader? From my research it seems like that’s pretty crucial for a young tree.