Pruning a Rowan tree

Lancashire Lass · October 2019

I am itching to shorten the leader on my 8 foot tall Sorbus 'Olympic Flame' but I don't want to harm it or make it look unnatural in any way. I planted it last Autumn as a bare rooted tree and it is doing very well.
The reasons that I would like to shorten that left hand leader to the level of the right hand top branch is to give it some symmetry, to prevent the tree from growing too tall, and to help shape it.
Would it do any harm to take off the top foot of it, to just above the leaf that will make it level with the branch on the top right?

yorkshirerose · October 2019

As my Lancastrian Mother used to say "If in doubt - do nowt!"

It is only a young tree, fairly recently planted ( a year isn't long in tree terms) It will still be getting it's roots well and truly established.
I would wait at least another year and see how it develops.
This Sorbus variety will grow, ultimately to around 20-30'.
It shouldn't need much pruning.

Silver surfer · October 2019

Please leave it alone.
It is meant to grow as a columnar specimen...tall and thin.
Yours looks fab...each year it will get better.
One of the best for stunning autumn colour.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/354868/Sorbus-ulleungensis-Olympic-Flame/Details

https://www.google.com/search?q=Sorbus+%27Olympic+Flame%27&rlz=1C1CHBF_enGB785GB785&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiE0I6N2YXlAhVTiFwKHeEXCqQQ_AUIEigB&cshid=1570298525063930&biw=1920&bih=937

Dovefromabove · October 2019

I agree ... leave it alone 😊... it’s like a gangly adolescent at the moment, but it’ll grow into itself ... don’t decapitate it ... it’ll turn into a rather odd lollipop 🍭

Pruning a Rowan tree

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