Horse chestnut

[mrhobbes]

We are looking at buying a young (10 ft) Horse Chestnut tree....but the lead (top of tree) has been snapped off. Will the tree repair its self in a way that we should not concern ourselves?

Thanks. Ed Nickerson

[Lysichiton]

It will break iinto 2 or 3 stems at that height, I expect, if left to itself. You can pinch off any extras & go with 2 stems that have a good wide angle between them, or pinch-off all the stems but the biggest one & it will turn back into a single-trunk tree over a couple of years. Many horse Chestnuts I see around the Lower Mainland break at 10 feet or below. You will just get a broader tree if you leave all the breaks.

...now I will wait for an arborist to correct any errors. Always glad to learn.