Removing side branches

Pre-bonsai maple ready for trunk removal
Pre-bonsai maple ready for trunk removal

Last fall I bought two big maples from a growers’ field. This weekend I was looking at one of them and decided.. it was time.. Time to remove one of the two main trunks of this plant.

I did this major cut now (The first big push has extended and there is a good head of foliage on the tree, even after cutting) as the tree now has the rest of spring, and all summer to respond. It will hopefully pretty much immediately after the work finished start to produce callus tissue. The very strong top-growth will push sugars towards the roots, aiding the closing of the cut area. The actively growing roots will help in reducing die-back by continuously pushing water and nutrients up. (This in contrast to late fall or winter where everything is in a pause mode and you have to wait months before anything happens.

Maple prebonsai trunkline
Maple prebonsai trunkline

The big root stump bottom left will be removed later this year, or next spring.