rockm
Spuds Moyogi
"At this point, the new shoots from this year are bending over themselves. What used to be the tallest part of the tree is losing ground to more sturdy growth from previous years. I don't want another year's growth on these shoots. I'd rather have it lower on the tree than way up to where it seems to be doing no good. I think I'm cutting back after leaf drop. "
Your logic is flawed. You tree won't be doing much of anything from leaf drop to spring. Pruning it now won't produce anything until next spring (hopefully). Any new growth produced in the fall will be killed off in a few weeks, possibly weakening the tree. If no new growth is produced in the fall, the tree will wait until spring to push it. Why prune after leaf drop, have the tree wait with possible die back on the pruned shoots through winter, when pruning in the spring would avoid all those complications?
Your logic is flawed. You tree won't be doing much of anything from leaf drop to spring. Pruning it now won't produce anything until next spring (hopefully). Any new growth produced in the fall will be killed off in a few weeks, possibly weakening the tree. If no new growth is produced in the fall, the tree will wait until spring to push it. Why prune after leaf drop, have the tree wait with possible die back on the pruned shoots through winter, when pruning in the spring would avoid all those complications?