Trunk chop trident maple?

[Pmr]

I’m working on a project with a trident maple I bought last year. It’s a 3 year old tree so it’s not big, maybe 1/2” caliber. I’m not in love with the shape and plan to chop it at some point. My plan is for a twin trunk on the same root. The root flare is nice and the roots splay out with nice spacing so I’m happy with that.

My question is this:

Would my first step be to grow the tree larger since I’m not planning to keep the top and chop it when it approaches the caliber I want? I have a place where I can plant it in the ground in a sunny spot. I can leave it there for a few years and care for it there and maintain it. At the point of chopping the trunk, do I have to have buds below the chop or will it grow from the trunk without buds? I know bud placement is tricky and not guaranteed. I could chop it slightly higher than needed just in case a second chop is needed. I guess that could also assist me in thickening the trunk, no? Finally, if I do this, would I wait a year after this chop to prune the roots and pot it up?

I’m sorry for the beginner question. I’m sure this is a little on the advanced side but I want to try it.

My next two projects are a Chinese Elm and a cotoneaster microphylla but I’m focusing on this trident right now.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Pmr]

This is the shape I’m after

 

[leatherback]

If you study the picture in detail, you can tell how this was grown. The main trunk shape with the first 2 or so branches were grown out as a whole, then chopped hard. The chops have not healed.

With trident indeed you can just set the main shape, and then let it grow big, and cut back once the size is there.
Lots of routes available. (And one of the main questions in bonsai. I have video on the process which has half a million views, my most popular one to date)

 

[Pmr]

If you study the picture in detail, you can tell how this was grown. The main trunk shape with the first 2 or so branches were grown out as a whole, then chopped hard. The chops have not healed.

With trident indeed you can just set the main shape, and then let it grow big, and cut back once the size is there.
Lots of routes available. (And one of the main questions in bonsai. I have video on the process which has half a million views, my most popular one to date)

Awesome, thank you!! I’ll check the video

 

[Pmr]

If you study the picture in detail, you can tell how this was grown. The main trunk shape with the first 2 or so branches were grown out as a whole, then chopped hard. The chops have not healed.

With trident indeed you can just set the main shape, and then let it grow big, and cut back once the size is there.
Lots of routes available. (And one of the main questions in bonsai. I have video on the process which has half a million views, my most popular one to date)

Where can I find your video?

 

[leatherback]

Where can I find your video?

 

[Pmr]

Thank you! Now to decide which way to go… my biggest problem is indecision. My second biggest problem is that I want to work with the natural shape of the tree as it is but this tree doesn’t work with my feeling for what I want it to look like

 

[Shibui]

I'm definitely on the side of regular chops as the trees develop rather than grow and make one large chop.
Grow and make one big chop will reach the thickness first but then there's many years of growing a new leader and healing the huge chop.

Many chops may take longer to reach desired trunk thickness but the next phase will be so much shorter because many previous chops have already healed and the final chops are usually much smaller. It's also likely the trunk will already have good taper which a one chop tree rarely has.

If you study the picture in detail, you can tell how this was grown. The main trunk shape with the first 2 or so branches were grown out as a whole, then chopped hard. The chops have not healed.

I see a different story in trees like this.
My guess is the initial chop was where the first fork is now. That chop gave the branch and new trunk but that chop is well healed so does not show now.
Probably more chops as it developed. Often each major branching and change of thickness indicates a previous chop but now well healed over so not obvious.
The scars you can see now are likely just the final chops in a series.
Neither of us can be sure of what went on before. This is just my take after years of field growing thousands of trees.

 

[dbonsaiw]

I have video on the process

This should be required viewing for all.

my biggest problem is indecision.

When you figure out a cure, please share with me.

 

[Maiden69]

I'm definitely on the side of regular chops as the trees develop rather than grow and make one large chop.
Grow and make one big chop will reach the thickness first but then there's many years of growing a new leader and healing the huge chop.

Many chops may take longer to reach desired trunk thickness but the next phase will be so much shorter because many previous chops have already healed and the final chops are usually much smaller. It's also likely the trunk will already have good taper which a one chop tree rarely has.

I see a different story in trees like this.
My guess is the initial chop was where the first fork is now. That chop gave the branch and new trunk but that chop is well healed so does not show now.
Probably more chops as it developed. Often each major branching and change of thickness indicates a previous chop but now well healed over so not obvious.
The scars you can see now are likely just the final chops in a series.
Neither of us can be sure of what went on before. This is just my take after years of field growing thousands of trees.

On your field grown tridents, how thick do you let them get before initiating the chops? I have a few trident and JM seedlings that I am growing this year with a washer to ground layer them and have a flat root spread, before moving them into the ground next spring and would like to experiment with a few of them.

 

[Shibui]

On your field grown tridents, how thick do you let them get before initiating the chops?

Almost all maples get chopped every year. Actual thickness is not as important as proportions so 1 year old seedlings get chopped way down to start the process then every year from there.
If growth is slower maybe chop every second year. I aim to get lots of strong shoots to share the growth and thickening instead of a single trunk.

 

[J10mann]

I'm definitely on the side of regular chops as the trees develop rather than grow and make one large chop.
Grow and make one big chop will reach the thickness first but then there's many years of growing a new leader and healing the huge chop.

Many chops may take longer to reach desired trunk thickness but the next phase will be so much shorter because many previous chops have already healed and the final chops are usually much smaller. It's also likely the trunk will already have good taper which a one chop tree rarely has.

I see a different story in trees like this.
My guess is the initial chop was where the first fork is now. That chop gave the branch and new trunk but that chop is well healed so does not show now.
Probably more chops as it developed. Often each major branching and change of thickness indicates a previous chop but now well healed over so not obvious.
The scars you can see now are likely just the final chops in a series.
Neither of us can be sure of what went on before. This is just my take after years of field growing thousands of trees.

Hey Shibui, I like the taper and over all look of the chop every couple years look vs the larger chops. In your experience does the regular chopping significantly slow down truck thickness development or do you still see trunk thickness grow quickly due to forced energy in the lower part of the tree?

 

[Shibui]

Hey Shibui, I like the taper and over all look of the chop every couple years look vs the larger chops. In your experience does the regular chopping significantly slow down truck thickness development or do you still see trunk thickness grow quickly due to forced energy in the lower part of the tree?

Not certain if regular chops does slow growth or not as I don't have the 2 methods growing side by side. My feeling is there's not much difference. After a chop I get a number of strong growing shoots that I estimate would probably equal the single thicker trunk that was pruned so growth and thickening should be similar.
Even if the initial thickening phase takes a year or 2 longer to reach the same place I easily save those years because I don't then have to go through the subsequent grow new leader to match the stump and subsequent grow and chops to establish trunk taper. I go straight to pots and branch development after the trunks come out of the grow beds.