[Arid_gardener] When is the right time of year to trim new trees?

[Tracy]

Hello:  I planted 7 trees in April of this year as part of a landscaping project.  I wish I could have gotten them into the ground earlier, but I had to wait until some construction was finished.  Turned out to be a perfect year for it with all the rain in Tucson though.  They're doing wonderfully and are growing like crazy.  A few of them look like they need some trimming now though, but I think I read somewhere that I should wait to do this until about February, at least in their first year?  I'm concerned though because a few of the branches are getting in that 1-in thick range, and I'm afraid if I wait too long its going to be difficult to remove them (at least with my pruners)!  My trees are:  2 Acacia farnesiana (Sweet Acacia), 1 Acacia willardiana (Palo Blanco Acacia), 1 Pithecellobium flexicaule (Texas Ebony), 1 Sophora secundiflora (Texas Mountain Laurel), 1Chilopsis linearis  (Desert Willow), and 1 Pistacia lentiscus (Mastic).  I know that some of the are really
 large shrubs that can be trimmed into trees.  The Pistacia lentiscus is the one that currently has two 1-inch branches extending off the base of the tree/shrub, almost horizontally.  Its my main concern now.  I would like to trim this into a tree shape.  Can you tell me which trees are safe to trim when?  Don't want to do anything that would jeopardize their wonderful start.  
   
  Thank you.  I have benefited tremendously from being on this list!  
   
  Tracy

 		
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