Japanese Maple Trunk Chop?

[Botree]

Contemplating a trunk chop.... What would you do, This this is is like 2 feet tall now and trunk is 2-3 inches.... is this the right time to do it? would you go lower?

 

[rutulus]

Where you cut should be based on the style you want to make and the intended height of the finished tree. Some people uses ratios of diameter to height as a tool to help design a tree with reasonably realistic trunk proportions. If you were to follow a 1:6 ratio on a tree with a trunk at soil level of 2.5 inches, about 15 inches total is probably a good finished height. I would cut significantly lower than that so you can build taper from successive pruning chops. Maybe only 5 or so inches from the soil. Lower and you can use more chops over time to build more gradual taper. That will take a long time, though.

But you can do whatever you want as long as it achieves the look you want. I’d have an idea of the planned look before chopping anything.

 

[Botree]

Can I chop below all branches? also maybe I will air layer 2 spots above first....

 

[Botree]

Where you cut should be based on the style you want to make and the intended height of the finished tree. Some people uses ratios of diameter to height as a tool to help design a tree with reasonably realistic trunk proportions. If you were to follow a 1:6 ratio on a tree with a trunk at soil level of 2.5 inches, about 15 inches total is probably a good finished height. I would cut significantly lower than that so you can build taper from successive pruning chops. Maybe only 5 or so inches from the soil. Lower and you can use more chops over time to build more gradual taper. That will take a long time, though.

But you can do whatever you want as long as it achieves the look you want. I’d have an idea of the planned look before chopping anything.

I would love this kind of shape, do you think every angle change there was a chop?

 

[rutulus]

I do think the angle changes were most likely chops. And in general yes, you can chop below all branches and expect buds to grow from the internodes along the remaining trunk. I haven’t chopped a Japanese maple, but if you post your location someone with good experience should be able to give you advice about the best time to make a chop.

 

[Botree]

im In NYC!

 

[Ininaatigoons]

First I'd airlayer and not chop. Secondly, if you chop where you drew the line perhaps many branches will sprout from lower down. There is never a 100 percent guarantee that a trunk chop will induce buds and you already have a branch there. If you get more sprouts you can always chop lower.

 

[Jpxc17]

I would definitely air layer at your line. The tree above that has far better movement than the trunk you'd have below.