by Zach Smith | May 11, 2019 | Bald Cypress, Care, Pruning, Styling, Wiring
You may remember this Bald cypress forest from my recent blog about it. I had replaced two of the trees and added another two. Those new additions are now growing, so today seemed like a perfect time to do some work on the taller specimens.
First order of business: take off all the wire.
Next, the center tree gets trimmed.
Now the larger specimen on the right.
The larger specimen at the left of the planting was the most overgrown. It just had two many branches in the crown, so these need thinning out and trimming.
This tree also needed some help in the apex. I’m using the flat-top style for the large trees in this forest, so a little wire helps with the future design.
A final bit of trimming for the day, and that’s all for now.
I really like this BC forest, and I’m looking forward to seeing it develop. What do you think?
by Zach Smith | Mar 9, 2019 | Bald Cypress, Potting, Styling
I assembled this Bald cypress forest a couple of years ago. It’s done all right, but it’s also had its challenges. I’ve neglected this planting in favor of other bonsai, but this year I decided it was time to bring it back to “life.”
All but one of the trees in this group is still alive; the smallest trunk to the left succumbed last year. Also, the trunk to the right of that one suffered some dieback last year, and its growth is now very non-forest-like. So both of those need replacing.
The non-conformer is gone.
The tallest trees have been trimmed back. My goal is to use grow-and-clip to the greatest extent I can.
A little more trimming of the tallest trees, followed by top-dressing of the soil.
Now I wait for everything to finish coming out, and we’ll see how the reforested forest grows this year.
by Zach Smith | Mar 3, 2019 | Bald Cypress, Care, Collecting, Maples, Oaks, Potting, Pruning, Styling, Wiring
I started working on this Bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, last year. The idea was to get a branch set going, and to select and position a new leader to continue the trunk to a final apex. This photo was taken on 12/28/18. Nice fall color, but the tree had grown itself into a mess while I paid attention to other trees.
With the tree already pushing buds and shoots, I have no time to lose in updating the wiring. If you haven’t experienced it before, wiring a Bald cypress when the buds are just on it is a very tricky proposition! You can’t help but knock off some of the tender buds. The good news is, there are so many just a little care leaves most intact.
The first order of business was to make the year two trunk chop to the new leader. I carved it smooth, ensuring that I had a nice angle on either side where the new leader will ultimately blend in.
You will also notice that in addition to wiring additional shoots to add to the design, I’ve also pruned them in fairly hard. Why? For now, it’s very important to allow the strength of this tree to concentrate in the leader. It needs to thicken at its base just as quickly as possible, in order to make the tapering transition blend in perfectly. I don’t want an obviously abrupt change of diameter in the trunk at this point. While it wouldn’t be obvious during the growing season, in winter you’d be able to clearly see it and it just wouldn’t look right.
As the season unfolds, I’ll have to pay special attention to the upper branches. Why? With BC, it’s all about getting tall as fast as possible. So the branches in the upper part of the tree will dominate all of the rest, unless I keep that from happening. So that means “cooling off” the growth near the apex.
This Water oak, Quercus nigra, came up as a volunteer on my property quite a number of years ago. I chopped it in the ground a couple of times, and It rewarded me by putting on a nice trunk with great movement and taper. I lifted it on 2/25/19. How about those radial roots? The trunk base is 2.5″, and it’s 19″ to the current tip of the trunk.
Assuming good recovery, I plan to add this specimen to the Bonsai South Collection as Water Oak #9. More to come on this one.
We’ve been following the story of this Swamp maple, Acer rubrum ‘Drummondii,’ for going on three years now. I’ve been waiting for signs of deterioration, but so far it seems to have survived collection. Here it is, leafing out nicely for the 2019 season. This should be the make or break year.
Yesterday I moved the tree to a new pot, a terrific piece by Lary Howard, which I think better suits it. I continued the plan of not disturbing the native soil at the center of the root mass. I also repositioned the tree in the pot; you may recall that originally there was a smaller secondary trunk on the right of the main trunk, which did not survive. So the repositioning was necessary.
Now for the real question about this tree: considering how tall it is, namely 28″ (trunk base is 1.5″ at the soil), does it qualify as a literati style bonsai? It’s way too tall to fit the normal trunk diameter to height guidelines, so the only thing left to consider is whether or not it can be considered as a literati. I really like the tree, tallness and all. The branches will be kept fairly sparse, and well in toward the trunk, as this is the only way it can really work to inspire an impression of age. If I let the branches grow out too much, it’s just going to not look right.
I’d love to hear what you think of it, and of course the other trees in this blog, so leave me a comment below.
by Zach Smith | Feb 10, 2019 | Bald Cypress, Care, Potting, ZPC
I first noticed it last weekend. Bald cypress is one of the first species to start pushing buds in spring or, technically, late winter – all it takes is some unseasonably warm weather. Well, that’s just what we’ve been getting, with temperatures reaching 75-80.
This BC, which I collected in Winter 2015, is happily budding now. Well, that creates its own problem since this specimen needs to be adjusted in its pot. When I first went to this training pot, I turned the tree just slightly thinking it would look better. Turns out it didn’t, because it diminished the appearance of the spreading root base. It’s clear with the pot turned just a bit. So any root work that needs doing has to be done now, since the tree has decided it’s go time. Go time for me, too.
Go time also means it’s time to make necessary adjustments to ensure the tree is developing properly. Of particular importance is the new apex of the tree. I have grown the apex from a trunk bud, beginning in 2015. The technique is fairly simple, you grow a leader by letting it run most or all of the growing season, then you cut it back drastically and repeat the process to ensure you get the taper you need in the apex itself. I’ve done this a few times now with this tree, and slowly but surely I’m getting there.
But there’s a problem. Notice how below the transition point there appears to be a “shoulder” where the original trunk chop becomes the new leader. This doesn’t look right, and I need to correct it this season.
Here’s another view. The problem is on both sides, which is due to the healing that has taken place since the year two chop was made. The rolling over process has gone very well, but an unwanted side effect is this abrupt-looking change of trunk thickness.
The solution? Carve it down. This immediately makes it look smoother and more believable. Is it perfect? Not by a long shot. But it does position the development such that as the base of the transition point thickens further, the taper from original trunk chop into the new leader will look very natural.
This is what it looks like after both sides have been carved. Again, far from perfect but going in the right direction.
What about when the new cuts heal? Because they are “secondary” wounds, meaning I have wounded the scars of the original wounds, the rolling over will not be as aggressive as with the first one. So I should not have to repeat this technique again.
And now, on to the repositioning. This tree was initially potted in 2017, so it hasn’t yet filled the pot with roots. This is good: I won’t have to remove much root to accomplish today’s goal.
And the final result for today. Now the tree has its best foot forward. The root spread and fluting on this specimen is just terrific.
But guess what? There’s more.
This is a photo of the tree taken in February of 2015, almost exactly four years ago. Compare the root flare at soil level with the photo above. Isn’t it just spectacular? And even here the roots are buried to protect them. So when the tree gets its permanent home, I’ll lift it to reveal the whole basal flare.
Let me know what you think of this Bald cypress. I think it’s coming along really well.
by Zach Smith | Feb 9, 2019 | Bald Cypress, Care, Collecting, Potting
Today was our third BC collecting trip of the season. It could well be the last – many BC are budding out now, including some we collected in early January. I have successfully collected Cypress after budding, but the longer you wait the riskier it gets. So we’ll see.
Here’s one of the more interesting specimens from today’s group. Not only does it have killer surface rootage, great taper and movement, it also has some nice natural branching I may be able to work with. It’s not well organized at present, but a little wire should fix that.
Here’s a good illustration of one of my guiding principles when collecting trees. Notice how much of that rootage is buried now! It’s vital that the chopped large roots of your collected trees be kept moist. As you know, the soil in our containers dries from the top down. Just an inch or so beneath the surface, the soil can be moist while the surface soil is dry. That’s all it takes to protect your tree. So be sure to bury them deep enough to keep those roots moist. I know it’s hard to hide beautiful surface roots, but they’ll emerge in a year or two when you pot up the tree. Patience!
This Cypress has a 3″ trunk base 3″ above the soil surface, and it’s chopped at 28″. I envision a 36″ bonsai when all is said and done.
This is the best specimen we brought home today. The trunk base is 4″ across 4″ above the soil, and the fluting is just terrific. Notice how it has a gentle twist as it rises up the trunk.
Once again, bury those roots!
This tree is chopped at 30″. I plan to train it in the flat-top style. The slender, graceful trunk lends itself perfectly to the style.
Let me know what you think of today’s catch.
by Zach Smith | Jan 12, 2019 | Bald Cypress, Care, Collecting, Potting
We had another good Bald cypress collecting trip today. Here’s the take, waiting for cleanup.
Here’s a nice buttressed specimen that’s not too big. I specifically searched today for nice material in the mid-size range. The trunk on this one is 4″ across about 4″ from the soil, and it’s chopped at 25″. If you’re looking for a formal upright Cypress, this is going to fill the bill.
One of the more unusual specimens I found today. This tree has a 3.5″ trunk about 4″ above the soil. It’s chopped at 24″. But what’s out of the ordinary about it is that it’s got trunk fluting all the way around and most of the way up. Rarely do I find a specimen with this size trunk that’s fluted this way. Should I call it “Mr. Flutey”? Oh, nice roots too!
Now this was a real surprise. Someone chopped this tree about three years ago (it wasn’t me, as far as I know), and for some reason left it where it was. I suspect another enthusiast was on the hunt, chopped the tree, and then for some reason wasn’t able to complete the job. Luckily, the tree had a new leader that was just about perfect. There was plenty of other growth near the chop, which I removed when I cleaned it up. And so, with the exception of some carving I’ll need to do to overcome the strong callus rolling, I have an almost perfect trunk line for development. This means I can get this tree designed in pretty short order.
Which is the better front? I guess I’ll figure that out as I work on the tree.
The trunk on this specimen is 4″ about 4″ from the soil, and it’s chopped at 24″. Lovely buttressing, great roots.
I also put some effort into finding specimens I can train in the flat-top style. I love the slender trunk and gradual taper on this tree. Very graceful. The trunk is 2.5″ and it’s chopped at 24″. Flat-tops can be trained faster than formal and informal uprights, since most of the growth is in the apex of the tree and that’s also where most of the strength is. So you can get to a mature-looking specimen a lot faster.
Here’s the star of the show for today. This is a big guy. The trunk is 5.5″ about 6″ above the soil, and it’s chopped at 26″. What’s really impressive about it, beside the fine buttressing and subtle trunk movement, is the taper. The trunk is only 2.5″ in diameter at the chop. This makes developing the crown of the tree much easier. All too often you’ll see collected or ground/container grown BC that just don’t have much taper. This presents a real challenge when you try to make believable bonsai from them. It can be done, but if done right it takes a very long time and some real carving skill. For my money, I’d rather just start with material like this.
Let me know what you think of today’s haul. Leave a comment below.
