Trunk chop

Hi there,

I'm coming into my 3rd year of having a bonsai. I have decided to trunk chop the 2 that I have as I'm not happy with the way they have been trained. One was bought at a garden centre (chinese elm) and the other a birthday present (scotch pine). I am wondering when will it be best to do the trunk chop. We are half way through winter now in the UK and I normally prune the roots just at the start of spring. I don't want to do both at the same time as I'm sure it will cause a lot of stress to the plant. Can anyone let me know the best time to do the trunk chop?

Thanks in advance

Pete NW UK

Keeping in mind that I am NOT from the UK, I'd suggest that very early spring would be an OK time to chop the elm. I'm not at all certain that I'd ever chop the pine.

Thanks Jim, the Elm am sure will survive as they are very sturdy, the pine was in no fit state when given to me so I will take the risk. I have 2 elms, from seed from the garden centre elm which i have nurtured and they are my future babies. These older two are my learning plants which I will do my best to make beautiful.

do you have any pictures?? in my opinion, there are a few questions you should ask before chopping a trunk...are you happy with the girth of the trunk? what size do you have in mind for the finished tree? is the tree healthy? could the upper part in question be used to enhance the final design (such as in a jin) is the top worth air-layering? etc etc etc.