It's mostly done by defoliation of the first flush of leaves. Major trunk cutting is done to inhance tree design/size vs. trunk width and other things. It is best done in late winter while the tree is still dormant...however...most deceduous trees can handle a big cut from then to the end of the growing season.

It will have the desired effect, you will have latent buds breaking all over the place.

Bob

I stated the reasoning a little incorrectly there. I am trying to accomplish the trunk chop, not shortening of the nodes. That will come later in my experiences. I know doing certain things out of time is guaranteed death for certain plants. Just trying to make sure I wasn't wasting my efforts. I don't want to wait till next year to try a new process.

Since I am removing a vast majority of the tree, I can remove some of the root mass also? I know this would also be done at the dormant time but since it was not well cared for it's not all healthy and filling the pot. I was mainly just looking at reducing the depth to make getting to a grow box in the future easier.

I will essentially just be working the tree late in the year and should be really nice to it afterwards? Easy on the sunlight and no overwatering until new growth is present?

YOu paid $5 for it.

It's the beginning of the growing season, almost anything you do won't be too bad for the tree. All trees develop faster in the ground, the changes should be made and (if possible) it should go in the ground for a few years--if not you can also put it in a larger than normal pot to get it to grow in.

With ample water and sunlight it should pop like crazy over the next few months. Most beginners don't realize that the really outstanding trees you see were either field grown for a number of years or in a bigger than necessary pot to enhance growth. The tree is put in the right sized pot when it's time to finish styling.

Bob

Yeah, clearance rack. I have been buying a fair bit of stock so I try to keep it cheap. I had originally passed on the trees when higher because of the short life span but at this price I knew it would be a good tool to try a chop before I try it on a nicer maple. And I would love to let it have a year or two in the ground but like I said I would like to try the new procedure this year. I'm trying to learn as much as possible without doing anything too rash. I have been building my own growing flats out of 1x4 for the rest of my projects. I think this one will get put in a larger pot but done shallow just to remove a small amount off of the bottom. If it's anything like the last neglected plant I worked there won't be any real loss. Next spring I will build or recycle a flat of appropriate depth and width.

Now that I know this shouldn't be a real problem it has become an exciting project again. I was approaching this as "it might work, it might not". For the amount of reading I have been doing I feel this will really cement the information for me.

I did the same thing you did but with a silver maple.got the tree cheap and wanted to try a chop. got my saw cut it down to 12 in. at a dormont bud i found.it is budding good on the stump i left.it may not make a perfect bonsai but it did work.hope this helps ...john in w. virginia

Is there anything I can do to induce more budding? The tree has been chopped for 2 weeks now and the lone bud is about to turn into tiny leaves. Just figured I would get more than one. I guess it is actively growing so a small amount of fertilizer would be okay? I guess the response would have been better if it had been done earlier in the year?

How many leaves are left? Is the soil deficient in nutrients? Is it outside in the sun, partial sun, indoors?

If just one bud, then you'll need to allow the leaves to develop so that the plant can photosynthesize.

I would not use fertilizer at this point - I'd wait until the tiny leaves have had a chance to harden off.

Josh

It is in the front yard in largely shade. I had not put it to full sun until the leaves do develop. The soil contains potting soil mix which should have something in it for nutrients but I have not added any fertilizer through watering yet. It was a complete trunk chop to no leaves. I left it particularly long (18") hoping for heavier budding so I had more to choose from next year. Perhaps I am just not being patient enough. It certainly is alive, but the tree would not have been considered vigorous before the chop.