Redbud – Seed Pod Removal

Q: I have a six-year-old redbud tree. Each branch is covered in seed pods. Should I be removing these pods each year?

A: To my knowledge there’s no effect of the dried pods on next year’s flowering or growth. I’ve read that named varieties of redbud, like ‘Forest Pansy’ and ‘Covey’ are said to produce few pods; my ‘Forest Pansy’ has pods but perhaps not as many as the two wild ones in my back yard. My guess is that yours sprouted from seed. If you don’t like the look of the brown pods you can easily remove them. Otherwise leave them be.