New member oak question

[rapax24]

Hi everyone.
I am new here and new to bonsai.
Over the last year I started with some small tropicals species indoor and i am trying to move into the outdoor species now.

I bought a 4m tall red oak (quercus rubra) in a 12l pot as it was dirt cheap and had a decwnt flare at the base about 2" thick just above the roots.

The intention is to trunk chop it and let it grow to start building taper and i am wondering when it would be best done.

Harry Harrington on bonsai4me suggests that this would be best done in June for the European Oak (quercus robur) but it is my understanding that this is an American native variety and it's behaviour might be different.

At the moment the tree has been cut down to about 1m just above the lowest branch to fit it in the car.

Any information on dealing with the trunk chop and this species will be really appreciated.

I populated my user information but, in case I got it wrong, I live in the north east of England.

Attached a photo of my overgrown ficus forest and the red oak.

Thanks

 

[Trenthany]

Hope you get responses because my seasons are very different from yours! I’d assume during dormancy.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I would have chopped lower. The "trunk chop" should be somewhere around 25% to 33.3% of the desired final height. So if you want a one meter tall oak, the trunk chop should be at about 33 cm. or less. You can let it grow for a season or two as is, then chop it again. Or you can re-chop again right now to see how it responds. Don't worry about reducing to a branchless trunk, it will back bud even through old bark.

You do the chop, then let it grow out for a year or two. Then do some branch selection, and pruning, then let grow out for a year or two. Oaks generally are pruned once per year, maybe twice. I prune right around the summer solstice, and then a second time right before the autumnal equinox.

 

[rapax24]

Hi Leo, that is the plan but i was unsure about the timing to do the big cut and i was scared to kill the tree.
I was aiming at doing the cut right above the first node, about 6 inches above ground.
I'll get on with it now then.
Thanks for the tips.