Yamadori Trunk Chop

[57vert]

So I was thinking of collecting a couple yamadori from the area in the back of my yard. But these are tall thin deciduous trees (not sure what kind they haven’t budded yet) and since they are in my backyard, I thought, don’t dig up, leave in place and work on there before digging up!
So I want to trunk chop them. How high should I make the cut? Currently there are no low branches.
Here are a few examples of trees I’m considering.

 

[BrianBay9]

If you put your general location in your profile it will help people give you better advice.

You should consider chopping the trunks on deciduous trees to a place with good characteristics - at a point where the trunk stops showing movement or taper. There's no point keeping a trunk segment that is a straight cylinder. Without knowing what species you're working with it's hard to say how well they'll respond to a hard trunk chop. Most deciduous trees will back bud and give you something to work with.

 

[57vert]

Thank you, I’m new around these parts.
I’m in Connecticut, USA, zone 6b.

 

[Shibui]

Agree that most deciduous sp will bud well after a chop. If the trees are redundant as garden specimens it won't really matter if they don't bud after the chop and you will have learned something from the experience.
Bark on some looks like birch or cherry of some sort. One may be an oak and looks like some oak leaves nearby too. First trunk does not ring any bells for me but fallen leaves acn give some possible clues as can nearby adult trees because the seed has to have come from somewhere.

Chop at a good characteristic is a great guide but if you can't pick a good spot just chop and see what happens.
First chop needs to be quite low. Most first timers tend to chop around the height they think would be a good height for the tree. Need to go much lower as they only grow upwards from a chop. Usual rule of thumb is around 1/3 of finished bonsai height.
Trees only ever grow taller and larger so probably better to go lower rather than too high for the first chop.

 

[sorce]

You got me googling Classic Chevy's doing skatepark tricks!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[57vert]

You got me googling Classic Chevy's doing skatepark tricks!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

Haha, con"vert"ible.

 

[57vert]

Agree that most deciduous sp will bud well after a chop. If the trees are redundant as garden specimens it won't really matter if they don't bud after the chop and you will have learned something from the experience.
Bark on some looks like birch or cherry of some sort. One may be an oak and looks like some oak leaves nearby too. First trunk does not ring any bells for me but fallen leaves acn give some possible clues as can nearby adult trees because the seed has to have come from somewhere.

Chop at a good characteristic is a great guide but if you can't pick a good spot just chop and see what happens.
First chop needs to be quite low. Most first timers tend to chop around the height they think would be a good height for the tree. Need to go much lower as they only grow upwards from a chop. Usual rule of thumb is around 1/3 of finished bonsai height.
Trees only ever grow taller and larger so probably better to go lower rather than too high for the first chop.

Thank you for your response. These aren't even "garden specimens" they are wild grow in a swampy/boggy area of my back yard. So, if they don't bud, no big deal, no loss, except for oxygen levels, haha.

 

[57vert]

I believe they are yellow birch, also known as swamp birch which makes sense do to the nature of where they are.

 

[sorce]

Haha, con"vert"ible.

Nice! Ha!

Thought you were a .... Tony Hawk!

Share it up!

The Car Thread

I don't own a car, but about everything else w/a motor.

www.bonsainut.com

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

You don't know what they are but want to dig them up anyway.
Hmm.....
Seems odd to me that people do this.
How do you know it is something that will turn out to be a decent bonsai?
How do you know how it will react to collection?
How do you know where to chop it?
How do you know sun placement?
How do you know it's water needs?
All of those questions depend on species identification.
Then,is it even worth the effort to dig it up?
Looks like the feeder roots are going to be fairly far from the trunk judging from those roots that look like legs.
The trunk is straight so unless you have a broom in mind you'll need to chop it low,grow it out,chop it again and so on and so forth.
Which all depends on identification.
I'm not against collecting trees.
All for it but why dig something up just for diggings sake.

 

[57vert]

You don't know what they are but want to dig them up anyway.
Hmm.....
Seems odd to me that people do this.
How do you know it is something that will turn out to be a decent bonsai?
How do you know how it will react to collection?
How do you know where to chop it?
How do you know sun placement?
How do you know it's water needs?
All of those questions depend on species identification.
Then,is it even worth the effort to dig it up?
Looks like the feeder roots are going to be fairly far from the trunk judging from those roots that look like legs.
The trunk is straight so unless you have a broom in mind you'll need to chop it low,grow it out,chop it again and so on and so forth.
Which all depends on identification.
I'm not against collecting trees.
All for it but why dig something up just for diggings sake.

All those are good questions.

I would be doing it mainly as a learning experience. It's readily available in my backyard so if it doesn't work out, nothing lost, and hopefully learn from the experience.

Having gone out and looked again I believe them to be yellow birch, which upon reading through the site here, are difficult. So it is giving me pause.

 

[57vert]

Nice! Ha!

Thought you were a .... Tony Hawk!

Share it up!

The Car Thread

I don't own a car, but about everything else w/a motor.

www.bonsainut.com

Sorce

Just posted a pic to the car thread.

 

[Joe_B]

I trunk chopped a Shishigashira during summer last year and had incredible die back. It would not stop dying back and would consume many branches and just not stop dying. I chopped back again in late fall and over winter and up until this springs new growth it finally stop dying. Good luck with yours.