@Psjoe I believe these plants will grow pretty fast where you live. If you want them to be trees and not bushes, you probably should keep them staked, cutting the lower suckers off as needed. The trunks need some time to get strong enough to sustain a top heavy plant. The ones I grow here spend a lot of time gaining strength in the lower parts of the plants, not rushing to bloom.
The only pruning I do, is cutting branches off that are invading my pathways, along with the sucker cutting. AND, I do this any time I want. It's not necessarily a seasonal activity.
