I drove by a young pecan tree in my orchard and it had turned into what I call a "lolly-pop tree" (photo at right). The tree had a nice central leader but was topped by bushy ball of leaves. The ball on top was actually four new shoots that had sprouted from the top of last year's terminal. This growth pattern is normal for pecan but is the leading cause for a tree to lose its central leader. I've discussed this growth pattern in detail in a previous post
HERE.
At this point in the growing season, a couple of quick snips with the pruning shears will quickly re-establish a dominant central leader while encouraging lower buds to grow and form lateral branches. The photo at left shows my "lolly-pop tree" after I cut off three of the new shoots growing from the top. I left the one strongest shoot to form a new central leader. This entire process took only a few seconds and will save me from having to make corrective pruning cuts next winter.
