Question
QUESTION: Hi! I have a fruitless mulberry and I was wondering if the removal of some of its branches would at all promote the thickening of the other branches, or if I would just end up with a lot of extra new growth. The reason being that I would like some of its more uniformly shaped branches to increase in overall size. So would "pruning" the branches I have no interest in, help to increase the thickness of the others?

ANSWER: Yes in general the growth of a tree is spread out over the folaige and the limbs and if there is less branches the remaining  will receive more percentage of the "growth". This can be over done if you leave only a couple of limbs on a large tree. But the pruning of lower limbs will help the growth of the ones left.

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QUESTION: Thanks! From what I have read about it, the best time to prune is "winter-ish" so the tree is relatively dormant. If however, the tree is just beginning to put out its first leaves of the year, would it be too late, i.e. have some negative effect on the tree or the said growth increase?

Answer
Trees such as maple, elm, birch, and fruitless mulberry often experience sap flow or 揵leeding?from pruning wounds made in  early spring. Although sap flow is not injurious to trees, it may be upsetting to the homeowner. Pruning in early to midsummer, after the leaves have matured, will prevent unsightly sap flow. In the spring the tree is transport more sap from the roots to the new foliage and the increased pressure will cause the sap to flow out of the new pruning wounds.

I would either wait until late summer or better wait until next fall after the leaves have dropped to do the pruning.