Interesting choping method for formal upright

[szelelaci]

I've found these pictures about a choping method to create formal upright trunk. It seems like a good idea, but there are no pictures about how it heals, or did the new leader survive the intervention at all. Have any of you ever applied the method and if you have, would you share your experiences and post pictures about the healing process, please?

http://bonsaisite.com/chopping.html

 

[penumbra]

This is how I am doing my ginkgo. I have left a bit of the old trunk that will be removed later.

 

[vancehanna]

Here’s the result 46 years later on a Juniperus Virginianna

 

[JoeH]

that is interesting and am sure it would work well for a Bald Cypress.

 

[Vinnie Charity]

View attachment 247577Here’s the result 46 years later on a Juniperus Virginianna

I've always loved this tree @vancehanna, Eastern Red Cedars are one of my favorites but they are HARD to train. This tree motivates me to keep going with mine...

 

[penumbra]

It does make you view the Eastern Red Cedar with more respect. They are weeds here but I will probably try it sometime.

 

[Vinnie Charity]

It does make you view the Eastern Red Cedar with more respect. They are weeds here but I will probably try it sometime.

They are pretty much weeds here too, but I think they have great character with their mature foliage and flaky bark. They are just hard to get the branches to set into place, and they suffer from Cedar Apple Rust every year which is why you don't see them often.

I have a few I'm growing now...

 

[rockm]

They are pretty much weeds here too, but I think they have great character with their mature foliage and flaky bark. They are just hard to get the branches to set into place, and they suffer from Cedar Apple Rust every year which is why you don't see them often.

I have a few I'm growing now...

FWIW, cedar rust is about seventh on the list of why they're not used-- uniteresting trunks, wispy persistent juvenile foliage, not much nebari are the top. Vance's tree is probably the best one out there. It has been around 20 + years. No one has posted another decent one. Wonder why that is?

 

[Vinnie Charity]

FWIW, cedar rust is about seventh on the list of why they're not used-- uniteresting trunks, wispy persistent juvenile foliage, not much nebari are the top. Vance's tree is probably the best one out there. It has been around 20 + years. No one has posted another decent one. Wonder why that is?

I agree with all of the above, and yes, the juvenile foliage is VERY persistent indeed. I'm going to keep growing mine and while it may never make a good bonsai, it's still a pretty cool looking little tree to fiddle around with.

The president of our Bonsai Society here in Richmond, VA has a great looking piece of material in her collection...

 

[JoeH]

I think I am going to give this a try on a BC this weekend. it really looks like it would work well.

 

[Forsoothe!]

View attachment 247577Here’s the result 46 years later on a Juniperus Virginianna

Believe it or not, I recognized this tree immediately. It was People's Choice in the Four Seasons Bonsai Club Show in 2005 (et al). Hi Vance!

 

[Forsoothe!]

Here's a Gold Rush Dawn Redwood made in the same manner...
This photo was taken May 30th, the branches and pads are well positioned and filling out perfectly today. Next spring it will be perfect as long as Lady Winter cooperates...

 

[Lazylightningny]

How is this chopping method different from a "normal" chop?

 

[Forsoothe!]

The chops are higher on the trunk, at a steep angle, and are rear-facing on the trees. Other than that, a chop is a chop.

 

[Johnathan]

So he concaves the top of the chop, allowing the branch to be bent over the center of the chop instead of off to the side???

Totally want to see a top view of this immediately after its executed.

 

[leatherback]

It was People's Choice in the Four Seasons Bonsai Club Show in 2005 (et al).

Wow.. Glad to see it has lost the pompom look and is styled in a more realistic style. Much better looking in the newest picture, which was posted earlier.

 

[Forsoothe!]

So he concaves the top of the chop, allowing the branch to be bent over the center of the chop instead of off to the side???

Totally want to see a top view of this immediately after its executed.

No bending anything. And ~concave, yes, but just slightly from flat or if edges are too thin they dry out and die back and take longer for the bark to grow over the open wood, if at all. The emphasis is on tapered to a point that contributes to overall taper of the trunk to a pointy tip-top. All this depends upon having a live twig to wire vertically, very near this pointed end-of-chop, without which most or all of this chop will die back and be a useless exercise.

Now comes a debate about applying a sealant on the fresh cut wood, or not. I always apply paste to open wood area of greater than 1 square inch so it doesn't dry out before growth can occur. The thinner the section of wood below the living bark, the quicker it dries out. Also, I believe it is better to do this when the sap is presently flowing to growing leaves than in autumn or winter when the wood is naturally drier. There will always be a temptation to do a higher degree of taper than is wise. The base of the twig needs to be undamaged by the bending upward and wiring, too. The top of the tapered cut near the base of the twig needs to be substantially wider than the base of the twig for the twig to be undamaged when you bend it upwards. 45° cut is much safer than a 60° cut, and anything that is greater and looks really pretty is probably a death warrant to that exercise and you'll wind up with a stub at the top that needs to be overcome by many years growing.

 

[Forsoothe!]

It's been pointed out on another thread that I forgot to emphasize that the chop faces the back of the tree, so choosing a tip-top twig to wire vertically also means one that is in the front of the tree so only the bark side of the chop faces the viewer. If the only twig available is shifted 20° or 30° from the center line, then you get some trunk movement, but shifted more than that can haunt you for a long time. Nothing is really easy...

 

[Johnathan]

Hmmm, so the 1st thing to do is identify a clear front of the tree. Then identify a suitable branch and chopping point.

Now when you say the chop is to the back I assume you mean this?



The bending I meant appears that the branch has been moved to be vertical directly above the center of the trunk..... and the concave in the trunk is what makes this possible??? So obviously the concave needs to be off centered closer towards the branch. Is that correct?

 

[sorce]

Just pointing out that right above that old thick branch that swelled the trunk here is a piss poor place to start a new leader.

We can do better without a "technique".

Sorce