heptcodium advice please

I have a little heptcodium that seems to have 2 leaders
question 1. I am not sure which if either has to go? .
question 2. it is a 3-4 years old and has had flowers but it is not particularly happy and I was considering moving it but the place I have in mind is where our septic system is so I wondered if anyone knows if it is one of those trees that will hurt the septic system? .
I have loved this little tree since I saw the one at tower hill botanical gardens in boylston ma in full bloom just covered in blooms and buzzing with bees I had to try one .
laura

the last question is do you think this hole is from a borer? or just from the two leaders ?
thanks for the help laura

Hi Laura, I am also a heptacodium lover, I have a plant nursery that grows them !! www.plantandgnome.com I'm mostly replying because no one else has. Its always difficult assessing from photos but here goes. I would leave it as it is because I'm a natural kind of gardener. Its not a large shrub, the worst that will happen is one branch gets ripped out by a storm but I think this is unlikely. You will also have a character plant as opposed to a parking lot single stem cookie cutter plant. It is not apparent if the plant is mulched. I would put a nice ring of hardwood mulch around it, at least 2 1/2ft in diam. You might also get some 'suckers' to make this more of a multi stemmed plant. I love this look. With it being 4 years in the ground leave it where its is. The roots are already out and the mulch should make it lift of. I am not sure whether the whole is insects or not. Good luck, Chris.

I'll make the statement that this definitely is not an insect problem. It is included bark from a codominent stem. The union of codominent stems is an area of weakness. Eventally one of the stems will crack and break away. Rot will also develop at the weak union. If it was mine, and I could inspect the other side for confirmation of which side is stronger, I would remove the weaker stem. The sooner the better.

The following is an illustration, on a much larger scale, of the eventual fate of your heptacodium.

http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5043014

chris , thanks for taking pity on my unanswered question and bringing it back to the light of day : ), it is planted in a bed so it is mulched but I do have to move it. I am afraid that snapple is right , as long as it has that little pocket it will collect water and debris and that = rot. I was just not sure if it might be a borer. I have seen their entry hole before but this didn't look the same ( saw dust ) and a little more random site . to me the leader on the left seems to be the stronger of the two , but it is not as well branched as the right.
snapple which would you go for strength or branched? and would you make the cut now , let it settle then move it when the soil can be worked ? that is what I was thinking

Go for strength. Do it now. Move it while dormant, so yes, as soon as the soil can be worked. I'm not aware that they have an invasive root system. Since this a small tree or large shrub you should be fine. Keep it in full sun for best growth and blooming. Don't be afraid to prune for shape next year, but this year keep it mulched and watered and let it find it's own way in producing new branches. Newly transplanted trees and shrubs should not have to compete with grass over the root zone for the first two years after a move. I hope you have the time to post a picture in late June. It would be nice to see the plant's response to the corrective pruning and transplantation. They're a really nice addition to the landscape. I wish you succees with it.

thanks, I will post follow up pictures

here is the cut I made today it looks pretty good but the saw slipped and I hit the bark above the cut and scraped off a little bark
it has nice exfoliating bark , I hope it will be ok

Looks good from this angle. If the angle of the cut is correct new callous will "roll in" from the edges and eventually seal off the exposed heartwood. Now you just have to wait until spring to get it transplanted.

The cut looks fine Laura and will callous over. As you are going to move it, it does need to done as soon as you can work the ground, while the plant is dormant. The roots are very fleshy, you will need a sharp spade and maybe some lopers. I am assuming it has been 3or 4 years in the same spot. I would try and dig at least a 2 ft trench, 2 spades deep around the plant. You are trying to make an island. Then undercut the root ball. You may be able to lift it up to see a root that is holding it up. You may have to be quite brutal, 4 years in the same spot is quite a time. Once you have it free you can lighten the load of the root ball by knocking of dirt. Depending on how much soil you carry with you the plant it may need to be staked in its new hole, as it will probably suffer from wind rock. Stake low. Taking of the branch will certainly help with transplant shock. Hope it goes well, Chris.

I had to get a little closer than I wanted because of the holee from the included bark but I think I left enough of a collar to give it a good chance of growing over with bark. I do have to move it but as you can see from the picture it is still covered with snow so I will be a few weeks before I can move it . I'll post pictures
Thanks for you help
laura

I have had great success patching cuts in bark and even taping up small broken branches that were still attached by about a third with duct tape. But make sure you tape it up immediately.