My tree began leafing out this week, i was hoping to encourage branching for this particular tree to make more like a bush.  Is it too late to snip the tips and collect cuttings for rooting?

You'll probably have more branching if you fertilize then cut tips off the next day.  If you want lots of branches it's probably best to do it when the tree is actively growing.

To encourage branching, you can sever the apical bud any time of the year. If you want it to branch low (like a bush), then sever the apical bud 5-6" above the soil line, leaving 3-4 nodes on the main trunk. It will branch out from those "low" nodes. Or you can remove the apical bud 15-20" above the soil line, you'll get the same results.

Navid.

All,

Apical buds severed, sniff, sniff, but I know it's best for the plants. These are on Hardy Chicago plants I started from air-layers late last Autumn.

Thx for the help guys!

In a couple not so scientific tests, I have come to believe that letting the tree begin leafing out (good sap flow) first, and then nipping the growing tip encourages more branching. My theory is that with the sap flowing, more bud are likely to respond to the loss of the terminal bud. In contrast, in many cases, when the terminal but is removed when dormant, the next lower bud becomes dominant and is the only bud to break dormancy, much like the actual terminal bud, and the result is less branching.