Trunk chopping in Fall- vs Spring Yamadori

TwilightTrees

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I have been doing a lot of yamadori, but I usually always keep a few branches and leaves or buds. However since I now wish larger trees, I was wondering if it was possible to do a trunk chop low down near the base of the trunk?, so I just dig up a stump (on deciduous trees only). I hear it is possible on some species, but then I am in doubt if it is only spring yamadori you can trunk chop low down? Any advice and experience with trunk chopping in fall or spring wil be highly appreciated, thanks.
 

rockm

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I have been doing a lot of yamadori, but I usually always keep a few branches and leaves or buds. However since I now wish larger trees, I was wondering if it was possible to do a trunk chop low down near the base of the trunk?, so I just dig up a stump (on deciduous trees only). I hear it is possible on some species, but then I am in doubt if it is only spring yamadori you can trunk chop low down? Any advice and experience with trunk chopping in fall or spring wil be highly appreciated, thanks.
Trunk chops are not a great thing to do in the fall. Huge risk of winter die back on the remaining trunk, as that large pruning wound will remain open all winter and the healing process won't get going until the following spring. That goes triple if you just dug the tree up this fall. One step at a time.
 

brentwood

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Along this line, is there anything you should do to a tree you've identified for spring? I have a sugar maple I chopped this summer that I want to dig - just wait? Was thinking cutting it loose from some longer roots in preparation, like 18 inches out from trunk.

B
 

TwilightTrees

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Trunk chops are not a great thing to do in the fall. Huge risk of winter die back on the remaining trunk, as that large pruning wound will remain open all winter and the healing process won't get going until the following spring. That goes triple if you just dug the tree up this fall. One step at a time.
Thanks for answering, that was also what i was worrying about. So I have a second questions if you don't mind. What would be the best approach:

1) only do the trunk chop now (end october), leave it in the ground all winter, and get back in spring and dig up.

2) don't do anything in fall. Get back in the spring and dig up and do a trunk and root chop same time.

Hope you or someone else can answer. Thanks
 
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