Trident Maple Question (chop)

[TimberLakers]

I have had this Trident Maple for ~4-5 years now.

I originally purchased because it has really nice movement in the trunk, and beyond that - I would buy just about anything 4-5 years ago. It was field grown with some wiring, but at the midpoint there's a kink of sorts.

I have been testing wiring, chopping and growing methods on this tree, including wound closure, but as you can see - above the trunk line, this tree is a bit of a mess.

Along the way, I've been hoping to get some buds on the trunk so I can confidently chop and start this tree in the right direction. However, despite a few heavy chops I haven't seen anything develop.

Question is - what are the odds I get some advantageous buds were I to chop this at the line? I'll be repotting this soon, either in a deep pot or a pond basket.

Thanks!

 

[FreshAirSunshine]

Question to me is - would it be worth developing if you didn’t chop? It may be do-or-die, but if the only way forward in your mind with the material is for buds to form below that point maybe it’s time to force the issue.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Question is - what are the odds I get some advantageous buds were I to chop this at the line? I'll be repotting this soon, either in a deep pot or a pond basket.

My newb opinion is that chances are good on a trident maple.

 

[TimberLakers]

Question to me is - would it be worth developing if you didn’t chop? It may be do-or-die, but if the only way forward in your mind with the material is for buds to form below that point maybe it’s time to force the issue.

This is basically how I've been thinking about it.

The tree grows extraordinarily strong, but can't really progress to a state I'm happy with sans chop.

 

[NaoTK]

Assuming you want a bigger tree, I don't think you should chop! That kink will smooth out if you just let the leader grow a few years. By then you will have a nice fat interesting textured trunk. Kinks are gold

 

[bonsaiwood]

Curious to know if you decided to bust out the saw.

 

[TimberLakers]

Curious to know if you decided to bust out the saw.

No decision yet!

Have been focused on repots while I continue to think about it.

 

[FreshAirSunshine]

Take your time, but not more than that!

 

[TimberLakers]

I went ahead and proceeded with the chop on March 7th after thinking about it for a couple of months. Could argue the chop was a little premature given the buds were just starting to push.

I elected not to do a repot this year due to the inbound chop - and it's also in a nice big pot, not a lot of weeds and was repotted up sometime last year.

This is what the chop looked like:



I sealed the top of the would with wound sealant - the glue type, as I wanted to see the top heal over. The tree was placed under the shade of another tree in an area that gets intense sun late in the day for a time, but not too much in the early hours of the day.

I did one small scratch per month (3 total) - no issues there. The tissue was/is nice and green all the way up to the wound - despite that, a LITTLE concern that I may have lost the tree given there has never been any budding below the chop.

Few days ago, noticed my first bud! It is pretty low on the tree, so not going to be a long term usable bud for structural stuff - but regardless - a good sign that this tree is going to pull through.



Any suggestions on sun starting now? The initial bud popped facing the sun, which should be rather obvious - but thinking I'll just keep in the same spot for the time being and hope I get some buds soon near the chop site. If you look close enough, you can see the wound starting to roll beneath the bark at the chop.

 

[JeffS73]

In this situation, why not put a few grafts on there in the spring, cut back first flush to see what takes, then trunk chop in the Summer when you've got a safety net. Less do or die and good grafting practice.

 

[TimberLakers]

In this situation, why not put a few grafts on there in the spring, cut back first flush to see what takes, then trunk chop in the Summer when you've got a safety net. Less do or die and good grafting practice.

In retrospect, I've thought about this.

It would have been my first thread graft, but a perfect situation and specimen.