This spring I want to begin trying bonsai out of some local maple. If I were to buy nursery stock and plant it in open ground, could I begin air-layering that same spring or should I give it a year? In general can one do multiple layerings at once on a tree or is that too stressful?

Also I found a good natural specimen, either oak or beech, whose trunk had been broken off some time ago. A promising new branch had formed very low on the trunk and grown quickly. If I taper the trunk (about 4 in. diameter) into said branch, can I begin tipping the branch to induce back budding, or again should I wait a year between steps?

Thank you so much to whomever takes the time to answer these questions: I am brand new to bonsai so any "knowledge" at this point is purely theoretical.