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 24, 2019 | Collecting, Elms, Potting, Sweetgum
With just about everything starting to push buds now, collecting season has come to an end. Yesterday I was able to lift some more Cedar elms, including this nice specimen. I should know fairly soon if I was successful.
Here’s another nice specimen, “barky” and with some branching that can probably be used in the design. Great character.
This one is fairly tall, but it’s got loads of character and the entire trunk is complete including the apex. It won’t take long to finish out this design.
I found a couple of nice Sweetgums also. This one’s a natural twin-trunk, with some branching already in place.
Finally, I though it might be worth giving this species a try. It’s a Sassafras (S. albidum). It’s my understanding that they’re not easy to maintain in pot culture, so that could make the experiment short-lived. But you don’t know if you don’t try.
Let me know what you think of these trees.
by Zach Smith | Feb 17, 2019 | Care, Crape myrtle, Potting, Soil, ZPC
It’s been two years ago that this Crape myrtle, Lagerstoemia indica, got a new pot and some much-needed design work. The tree has been happily growing (and blooming in summer) in its Byron Myrick custom pot. But as with all bonsai, sooner or later you’ve got to repot. Crape myrtles in particular are going to need this to be done more frequently than most species. Why? They grow roots more vigorously than just about any other species. So in order to keep them healthy, they need attention every couple of years.
But first, the tree has gotten rangy on me and it’s got to be taken back in. This is one of those chores that many bonsai enthusiasts either fail to do or don’t do to the degree it’s needed. For those of you who’ve been at it for a long time, you know what I mean! It’s hard to make yourself prune back hard. But it must be done.
Next step: pull the tree from the pot. You can see how successful this Crape has been in filling its pot. We’ve got the telltale circling roots. They grow to the edge of the pot, then they circle. Happens every time, which is another reason we have to root-prune periodically.
Notice the new white roots that are growing. This means the tree is going to be pushing buds very soon.
How much root should you take off? I like to remove roughly half the volume of root. Here’s what that looks like.
Another view. In addition to removing root around the edges of the mass, I’ve also removed some from beneath. The tree also needs some fresh soil in the bottom of the pot.
I cleaned the pot and replaced the drain hole screens, then put a layer of fresh soil in the bottom.
Now the tree is placed in the pot. You may notice that I’ve turned the tree slightly. This helps fill a gap between the first right-hand branch and the apex, which I actually created by pruning a sub-branch off the first left-hand branch that had been used to fill in behind the tree. I decided this branch looked funny and needed to go.
I’ll come back and wire that right-side branch (which I had coaxed from a bud this past year), then pull it down and into position.
The tree placed on top of the layer of soil I put in the pot. I’ve made sure it sits at the proper level in the pot.
The final step of the repotting, filling in with soil.
I like the tree with this front, so until next repotting time this is the composition.
Now, you may have recognized that this tree does not exhibit the ideal design. There’s a slight curve to the trunk, taking it from left to right. If we’re following the standard design principles, the first branch should appear on the left side of the tree. Then second branch right, third branch in back, and so on. However … there’s also nothing saying you can’t break rules. I think this is most true when you’re maintaining a venerable old bonsai. This tree has been in training for about 30 years now. Should I remove that lowest branch because it’s on the wrong side of the tree? Not on your life! It can take a very long time to get your branches to the right thickness, and that right-hand branch is right at half the thickness of the trunk where it emerges. The relative proportions make it look very natural. Also notice that as you move up the tree, the branches get progressively less thick but remain proportionate with the trunk thickness. From this standpoint, the tree certainly complies with the rules. So to me, this is a very pleasing bonsai and looks its age.
Let me know your thoughts on this one.
by Zach Smith | Feb 16, 2019 | Care, Elms, Potting, Water Elm
I first showed you this Water-elm, Planera aquatica, last month. I did an initial styling on it, as it had grown out well following collection in July.
I mentioned that I would be slip-potting this tree come spring. Today as I was checking the stock, I noticed that one of the Water-elms we collected last summer is pushing buds now. I’m convinced we have an early spring ahead of us, and seeing buds on a Water-elm at this time of year just serves to support that whole idea. The species is not generally one of the first to wake up.
Now, with that said it’s worth exploring one of the more interesting challenges of working with collected trees, and that’s the initial potting. You see, trees in the wild are almost always collected for their trunks. That’s it. Why? Because it’s relatively easy to correct root issues with your trees, and to grow an entire branch structure. This can be done in four or five years. But if you don’t start off with a good-sized trunk with good taper and character, you could be looking at a decade or more to develop these features.
With that said, there’s also another thing to bear in mind when potting your collected tree for the first time. Unless you’ve taken the time to thoroughly document what your tree looks like with naked roots following collection, you will forget any peculiarities the tree came with. Rediscovering those at the time of potting brings a new dimension to the challenge of first bonsai pot.
Now it’s time to select the intended pot. One thing you’ll find out as you gain experience in bonsai (for those of you just starting out) is that there are virtually limitless choices of pots for any given tree you’re working with. Some are better suited, to be sure, but you do have plenty of latitude when you’re making your selection. As long as the pot fits dimensionally, and the color is suitably complementary, go for it! There’s a very high probability that over time you’ll change pots one or more times. Nothing wrong with that at all.
Today my choice was this very nice rustic piece by Lary Howard. I think it’s going to suit this particular tree quite well.
First the tree has to come out of its nursery pot. This is where you find out what lies beneath the soil surface. It’s also where you begin to adjust your ideas about how the tree is going to sit in the pot, for those cases where your original plan just isn’t going to happen.
In this case, both trunks of this twin-trunk specimen are fed from a major root lying under the right-hand trunk. No problem with this horticulturally, of course. But it completely changes how the tree is going to sit in the pot. Actually in a good way, as it turns out.
You can’t see it too well in this photo, but the tree grew a huge amount of root last summer and fall. So much so that I have to remove a significant amount in order for the tree to fit the pot. Is this going to cause any harm to the tree? It shouldn’t. This is spring, after all, and it’s about time for roots to start growing again. I’ve found that when you do a root-pruning and potting/repotting in late winter/early spring, it stimulates the tree to go ahead and push buds and new root growth. So I expect this tree to leaf out fairly soon after today’s work.
How about this! Looking at the first photo above, did you picture the tree getting potted at this angle? I sure didn’t. What’s more, I think the tree has suddenly gained a lot of character and artistry in its configuration in the chosen pot. What was going to be a nice bonsai is now even better, as I see it.
But there are two minor issues with this tree as it sits. The first is, I need it to be closer to the right edge of the pot. This planting position is all right, but not perfect. Given the amount of root on the right-hand side of the tree, there’s a challenge in how close to the right edge I can place the tree. But I need to squeeze it on over.
The second issue is the lean of the tree. It’s certainly not bad – it actually does need to lean. But not quite this much. So I’ll use soil placement to help with this.
I think this looks much better. I’ve tucked some soil under the left-hand trunk, and this has pushed the tree just a little more upright.
I still have the problem with tree placement, however.
Compare this photo with the one above. I’ve managed to slip the tree over to the right just a half-inch or so. It makes all the difference in the world. Now the tree is placed correctly in the pot. Draw an imaginary triangle from the tip of the tree down both sides of the tree to the earth. I think the balance and asymmetry is just right.
Now all of the root space is filled with soil. Always be careful to work the soil into the open spaces. A chopstick is ideal for this work.
Well-placed moss is always helpful in retaining moisture in the root zone. This is especially important when you first pot a tree in a bonsai pot, as they tend to dry out more readily than a nursery pot will. Also in this case, the tree does not yet have its root mass fully established.
And finally, the tree is all watered and ready for spring. The only thing left to do is give it some food, which the tree will need very soon.
Each trunk is 1.5″ at the base, and the tree is about 16″ tall from the soil surface.
Let me know what you think of today’s effort.
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.
