Question
My husband and I just moved into a new home and there is a 6 foot Weeping Willow tree in the front yard, that looks like it has never been pruned.  It has tipped over (almost completely) and the branches are now growing down.  We tried to stand it up, but the weight of the branches want to keep pulling it over.  What do I do?  How do I prune it?  I have never had a weeping willow, so I do not even know where to begin.  Help!

Answer
A  weeping willow tree is one of those trees that you can prune if you wish and don't have to if you don't want to. If you have a large yard with plenty of space for your tree, weeping willows look great natural without any pruning or shaping.

Shape the weeping willow the way you want it when it is young. Pruning a young weeping willow tree helps it to have the shape that you want as it grows larger.

Cut away suckers that grow from the ground and travel up the trunk of the weeping willow tree. Suckers stress the tree and prevent it from growing well. Cut the suckers off at the ground, remove them from the tree trunk, and dispose of them.

Trim back the branches of the weeping willow tree if they get in your way or if you want to let more sunshine into the yard. Weeping willows are hardy trees and can be pruned to fit your needs without causing them harm. Most of the pruning of live branches should be done after the leaf fall. Do not prune the top leaders while they have leaves on them--this is the growing part of the tree and cutting them will stunt the tree. Any side branches that are hanging too low for you can be pruned at any time.

Remove dead and broken branches as soon as you see them. Weeping willow trees have brittle soft wood that breaks easily. Periodically prune dead wood, to prevent a build up of tree litter in the yard.

Here is a web link on how to stake a tree that will give you infromation and pictures. http://www.daytonnursery.com/tips/Tree_Staking.htm