Deciduous Pruning for Backbudding: How Late Is Too Late?

[ShadyStump]

Assuming a tree is healthy and vigorous, and a rather stout species, how late in the spring can prune, specifically if I'm trying to get it to backbud lower down?

In my current case, I've been so caught up with the spring projects around the house, I've missed my ideal window with my choke cherry. It's now in full leaf, though nothing hardened off yet, and working on blossoms it looks like.
I was hoping to get it cut back just enough to maybe spur some sacrifice branches on the trunk, but it really needs growth brought in if I'll ever have a chance to develop some decent taper and ramification.
So have I missed my shot this season, or can I still hope for back budding if I do it now? Could I prune and hope for back budding in a second flush in summer?

I of course have my situation in mind, but general discussion of when and how to get the canopy lowered on temperate deciduous is very welcome.

 

[TomB]

Depends on whether it’s a species that can produce multiple flushes of growth. In any case, wait a while after the first flush of leaves has hardened off, to allow the tree to build the resources for another push.

 

[ShadyStump]

My personal tree in question.

It was the dead wood that attracted me to it. There's an almost vertical branch straight above the trunk that's dead. I'm considering a jin there, but the rest would be almost a traditional broom style.
Mostly working on branch placement right now. I will need to consider how best to fix the nebari.

 

[ShadyStump]

Depends on whether it’s a species that can produce multiple flushes of growth. In any case, wait a while after the first flush of leaves has hardened off, to allow the tree to build the resources for another push.

I've read conflicting information on the multiple flushes, but I recall a very light second flush last year. It had been potted very late in the spring when I got it, so I made no assumptions about that being normal.

 

[BobbyLane]

If I wanted the tree to back bud in different places, id probably hack it back hard around mid june to july. Works for all deciduous species. I'd water and feed heavy up until that point, hit it hard and water n feed generously again.

 

[Shibui]

Assuming a tree is healthy and vigorous, and a rather stout species, how late in the spring can prune, specifically if I'm trying to get it to backbud lower down?

The other assumption is that the species is capable of back budding. Quite a few of our Aussie trees don't have that ability so no amount of hard pruning will produce buds on bare wood.
I have no experience with Choke cherry so the following is just general observations that may or may not apply to your situation and species.

Some species do it better than others but, in general, hard prune any time that allows for the new growth to mature before winter. For most plants mid summer would still be OK, in some places even late summer is still OK. One year I pruned Japanese maples close to fall. They all produced new growth but the leaves did not fall that winter. The following year they reverted to normal cycle.

Even species that don't multiple flush will respond to hard pruning but may just wait until the following spring to produce those buds.

 

[ShadyStump]

You're right.
Up here there's hardly a deciduous that won't back bud a reasonable amount given reasonable treatment, but I forget there are thousands of trees I've never seen or even heard of.

I think I'll wait for the foliage to harden off and the blossoms to do their thing, then prune judiciously. I should get something before summer is out, and maybe give it a second light trim after fall depending on how it's doing.