do you prune your mimosa (Albizoa julibrissin Durazz)

This is how it is listed in our Trees of Arkansas'book from 1972.
I see this is not how it is id'd now.
Albizoa julibrissin Durazz
Silktree, also called Mimosa


I started these from locally collected seed a few years ago and have several spotted in for their dappled shade and blooms.

Now though, they've become a bit overwhelming and I would like to try to prune some lower branches without detering their lovely feathery branches from shading our house and gardens.

I think I can just cut off lower branches at the trunk to a height we can walk under easily without loosing much of the canopy?  and also cut suckers? cut back to one trunk?

I would like to encourage them to grow taller....maybe that will happen with time.

Some of them are freezing back to the ground over the winter here but regrowing larger each time....maybe I'll need to prune those every year?

I'm interested to hear if anyone grows them in their yard or gardens where they might need a trim.

I know some consider them a 'weed' tree.

Here in SC, I've cut them to the ground mid-summer and they bounce right back the next year. This has worked on trees 3+ inches in diameter, maybe 5+ year old trees. In fact, in the past, we were trying to kill them! (In our area they are considered weedy/invasive, as you mentioned.)

I'm no longer at war with the silk trees, but I'm very aggressive with harvesting them. They're so rugged here I cut poles and leaves (green mulch) any time it's convenient. I cut them back if I notice flowering, since I do want to avoid them spreading. (There are plenty of mimosa seeds spreading onto the property from elsewhere, very abundant here)

If I wanted to be more gentle to the tree, I would cut no more than 1/3 in a year, and I would avoid peak summer heat. That's how I treat some of my other chop-and-drop trees.

Mine needed thinning more than anything, the canopy gets so dense it shades out everything underneath. I just removed the lowest branches to raise the canopy a bit and thinned a few crossing ones in the middle. They heal fast, much faster than I expected for a tree that looks so delicate. Late winter before it leafs out worked best for me, less sap weeping and you can actually see the structure.

Thank You Aaron!
Thar's just the sort of first hand information I was looking for.
I really like the idea of using leaves for mulch.  There are some areas where I might try laying light branches down as protection and shade for new seedlings.

I suppose if I regret any pruning the tree will grow back soon enough and give me another chance😊

Thank you Joao!
I think that I will have that 'problem' also where the foliage becomes denser than I would like.

I need to prune a bit now though as a couple paths have closed in at the big garden and out front some sun loving plants are too well shaded....plus the rope broke on the trunk I had pulled back out of the way so we are walking into it all day long...

Otherwise I'll add it to the pileup of late winter pruning!