Best time to trunk chop deciduous trees?

kompik

I've got what I think is a Chinese Honeysuckle in my back yard that my wife wants removed a.s.a.p. I don't know how good this species is for bonsai, but it's got a fair amount of movement down low on its trunk, so I'm thinking of trunk chopping it this spring as practice for the Linden and Crab Apple I'm going to trunk chop next year.

My question is mostly about timing. If I do a trunk chop in the spring, do I want to do it...
A. while it's still dormant (i.e. before the buds swell)
B. just as it comes out of domancy (i.e. just as the buds start to swell)
C. after it sprouts leaves or flowers (I'm not sure which happens first for Honeysuckles)
D. while the leaves are still young
E. after the leaves are mature
F. last summer or fall

Horticultural reasons for why it should be done at a certain time would be very helpful!

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malik

In my humble opinion, you should do a trunk chop during the winter. All the energy stored in the roots during the winter will then be focused on strong growth when directed back up to the canopy. If you do it any other time, you are eliminating the food and auxin supply in the leaves. The tree will have a much lower chance of a healthy recovery. In the fall and winter, growth is focused in the roots and not up top. This is my opinion and you might get a different point of view from someone else.

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