Maple Trunk Chop

bonsaikc

Carl,
While Brent Walston recommends chopping after the leaves have hardened(trunk choppng) , I would tend to agree with you. If you are chopping a trunk, it's to provide a new line and better taper, so of course you want that wound to produce strong growth.

I'd also agree with your assessment of both of those with regards to leaf size. I have worked with both those species and abandoned them because of huge leaves and long internodes.

If these trees are as small as you say they are, I would leave them alone to grow much bigger before performing a trunk chop. Then you can work on producing a decent nebari which you won't have because they are volunteers.

Chris

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TreeBay

>While Brent Walston recommends chopping after the leaves have hardened

Hi Chris, the article you linked is clear on the point that the timing of the chop ( or trunk cuts as the article refers to them) depends on your goals. If you carefully read the entire section "When to Make the Trunk Cuts" at the link you quoted above, you'll find explanations concerning the use either method with details.

In a nutshell,

1. Hard pruning early (before bud break) = coarser growth and more rapid development, good for developing a strong new leader for the next section of trunk.

2. Hard pruning late (after hardening off) = weaker growth with closer internodes - good for developing more refined apical growth and inducing more refined back branching on fast growing trees.

3. Hard pruning during the period in which the leaves are emerging = risky business.

Regards,

Matt

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John Dixon

Washout,

If the red is a bloodgood, you are going to have a very coarse foliage (for a maple) to work with. I don't know of anyone who has used a silver maple to good effect with bonsai. Either way, a large bonsai is your suggested size.

Other than that, I would recommend the trunk chop in the mid to late winter. Other times can be successful, but they are more risky and can't be done in conjunction with the following.

I have to assume the goal is to start a bonsai. If so, a growing container or training pot is a step that can, and should, be taken in conjunction with the trunk cut. Most growth in the ground is to thicken the trunk (for our endeavor). If you are happy with the trunk thickness, why not pot it while the tree does not have large amounts of branches to support? Less tree surface equals less need for roots. The two "cut-backs" combined actually improve the chances of survival. Once it is in the growing container/pot, good feeding and branch selection will quickly form the structure of your design. Then it is just a matter of ramification, and yes, time, for the bonsai to take on its shape.

The only time I ever did a hard trunk cut in summer was in late June one year when I returned from vacation and found that a triple-trunk deshojo of mine was under-watered. I started a complete defoliation of the tree, and then made the decision that only one of the three trunks looked like it would survive (it was in more shade). I cut the two other trunks off and sealed it with lac balsam. The remaining trunk lived, but it never regained vigor. It didn't put out a leave this spring (dead). While, not exactly the same circumstances you have, I hope you understand my suggestion for caution. Sphagnum moss, shade, careful watering/humidity, didn't make up for the trauma.


One last remark, remember that maples are often completely defoliated two, even three times, during a growing season. Therefore, the hard cut-back in late winter will allow much more potential for ramification in one year than if you try to do it later. I would think that if a maple is cut back hard in spring or early summer, any defoliation afterwards would become downright dangerous.
Just an opinion, but I have followed it myself with both bonsai and landscape trees with very good results.

Good luck,

John

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bonsaikc

Matt,
My point was that if you are doing a "trunk-chop," it's usually to create taper etc. I don't understand why I would want to prune that hard just to get weak growth.

Chris

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donovan

In backing what TreeBay stated... from http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/trunks.htm

I would think you would want to risk doing the cuts after hardening off, since Red Maple and Silver Maple have naturally very large internodes. Even though this is for "Apical growth" Shortening the trunk internodes as much as possible, early on would be wise. Thant way you'll have more choices for branch placement and reduce the possibility of waiting until you have spent years building the trunk only to find out you have to start all over again.

Sorry for not being able to be able to back up my next point with a link, but I read somewhere that it is unlikely that maples will bud in locations other than previously formed nodes. So, even though you will get "weaker" growth, that is only temporary, a sacrifice to get more branching nodes on the trunk.

TreeBay

I understand you don't, but the article quoted doesn't really take a stand on the subject as one method being preferred, viz:

>Brent Walston recommends chopping after the leaves have hardened

However, if you have material planted in the ground or material with coarse branching I am sure you can (or could) appreciate why you might want to prune hard to control growth.

Regards,

Matt

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bonsaikc

That's exactly my point. The purpose of planting in the ground is to encourage outsized growth to build larger trunk girth etc. Chopping to limit that growth simply works counter to that end.

Chris

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TreeBay

I agree with you that it's your point, not Brent's point!

Regards,

Matt

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