Weeping Mulberry – Pruning

Q: On one of my weeping mulberries I have thinned out some dead bark and on a second I have not. They are both about 8 feet tall.

How should I prune these? There is a lot a dead, “knotty wood. Should I thin/cut out the dead wood or should I consider topping them off at the top of the trunk where the limbs begin to spread and start over?

A: I think the first photo shows a much healthier tree.

The second tree shows limbs that are really crowded and that’s not good for beauty or for health.

I’d do the normal pruning process of removing dead wood first and then taking out crossing branches second. Then prune out a few more limbs to make the tree symmetrical.

 Pruning weeping mulberry