Leafless lower branches on my Locust trees...?

Question

I'm thinking I didn't water them enough in the spring - since we had such a wet winter early on (in northern California) and I've given them a good soaking a couple times in the past few weeks, but the lower branches have practically no leaves on them.

They are the "Purple Robe" variety of Locust.

Thanks for any suggestions / help.

Answer 1

Hey Shades, believe it or not I actually know a thing or 2 about botany.  If the leaves don't come back on the lower branches, just prune them off at the trunk.  Otherwise they will rob the rest of the tree of water and nutrients.  The good news is, Locust trees are notoriously hard to kill, so you won't harm them by doing so.  Good luck.