Formal Upright Bald Cypress – Development 101

by | Apr 16, 2021 | Bald Cypress, Care, Most Recent, Pruning, Styling

formal upright bald cypress – development 101

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

To begin with the beginning of a formal upright BC (or most every style), you must do one thing….

Formal Upright Bald Cypress – Development 101

I have found that the collected formal upright Bald cypress is much less common than the informal upright. I suspect this is because the smaller specimens we collect tend to struggle somewhat in their competition with the very large trees they grow beneath. There’s certainly nothing wrong with trunk movement – in fact, it’s a lot easier to make a good informal upright bonsai than a formal upright. The trunk movement imparts a sense of age and persistence.

That doesn’t mean we shun the formal upright. We just recognize the extra challenge of making the bonsai look like a tree.

So this guy is a member of the Class of ’21. I knew from the get-go that I was going to hang onto it to train, for some obvious reasons. The trunk character and taper are outstanding. Add to that a terrific root base, and there’s no doubt this is going to be a great bonsai in a few years.

Here’s a closeup of the base. Those flaring roots are present all around the trunk, and they give a strong impression of age and stability. Notice that they are also buttressing roots, meaning they flow naturally from the trunk and terminate in the flaring pattern. This is ideal, and is uncommon in a tree this small (trunk base 3.5″).

 

The first chore for today – and today’s work is simply to rebalance energy – is to thin out the shoots in the lower part of the tree. They aren’t all necessary, and I want to be sure I give the more suitable choices as much room to run as possible.

Here’s where we address BC development 101. You can’t help but notice the incredible number of shoots that have emerged in the top of this tree. For those of you familiar with Bald cypress, the term “apically dominant” is well understood. There are few species (none I can think of offhand) as apically dominant as BC. It’s hard-wired into them to want to get as tall as possible, as quickly as possible. When we collect these specimens, we’re removing the top 80% or more of the trunk and all the branching that does with it. Despite the fact that we’re also removing 80% or more of the root, the tree wants to get tall again. I didn’t count them, but I’m guessing there are 20-30 shoots within the top two inches of trunk. Almost all of them must go! This is one of the key secrets to developing BC bonsai.

 

This is the end result of today’s work. I now have a leader selected. It will continue the trunk line below it, and I’ll let it run until it has thickened sufficiently to then be cut back again to repeat the process. That is likely to happen by summer – we’ll see. After that will come an angle chop at the transition point, carving and eventually a nice tapering transition that isn’t noticeable.

In addition to having a single leader to focus all of the tree’s apical dominance, I have also forced energy into every shoot that wasn’t cut away. This energy will be naturally distributed by the tree, from the top down. That’s the battle that we always have to fight when making a formal (or informal) upright Bald cypress bonsai. Eventually, when the tree has been fully developed, the apical dominance will be much less pronounced and much easier to control. But it never completely goes away.

When does the tree get its first wiring? Most likely I can start by the end of next month, for those branches sufficiently hardened off.

Let me know what you think of today’s work. Do you have experience making BC bonsai from bare trunks?

Big Bald Cypress Gets A Home

by | Feb 27, 2021 | Bald Cypress, Care, Most Recent, Potting, Styling, Wiring

big bald cypress gets a home

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

I’ve been working on this big Bald cypress since 2015. I’ve been anxiously waiting for the day when it got a home suited to it. Today it happened.

Big Bald Cypress Gets a Home

You’ve seen this big Bald cypress on a number of occasions. I’ve been working on it since it came home in 2015. I could say it’s an awesome specimen, but the tree speaks for itself. A couple of years after I started working on it, I potted it into this training pot (a Byron Myrick piece that cracked during firing – he gave it to me and I put it to good use).

The tree was last repotted in 2019. It doesn’t necessarily need repotting this year, but since I finally have THE pot there’s certainly no harm in doing so.

First, of course, the tree needs a thorough wiring and some minor trimming.

I forgot to mention that this tree was the first one to start pushing buds this year. The hard freezes we got recently did nip the new growth some, but the warm-up that’s happened in the past few days has resulted in lots more buds. The tree is certainly eager for 2021.

Here I’ve started on the right-hand side of the tree. By the way, when you find yourself wiring a tree that’s coming into bud, you obviously need to be careful not to damage the new buds … to the greatest extent you can. You will damage some buds. With BC in particular, they bud so prolifically that you’re going to knock off quite a few buds as you wire. Do your best, but don’t get too worried if you lose some buds. This is the time of year when these trees are super strong and determined to come out.

 

Here I’ve switched over to the left side of the tree. Ordinarily I wire from bottom to top, first branch second branch third branch and so on, but you can do it this way if you want. This is especially true when wiring a dormant tree or one that’s just coming into bud.

I’m almost done. There are some smaller shoots in the apex that I’m leaving to help continue the thickening of the tapering transition. No need to wire them. Then there’s that lowest left branch that has plodded along all these years. I’ll wire it today, but I also have a couple of small new shoots that could end up taking its place, if either one decides to get really vigorous. Time will tell.

And finally, this big BC is in its custom-made home. Lary Howard did a spectacular job on this pot – the color couldn’t be better suited to Bald cypress. Plus I think the rectangular shape with rounded corners is just right for this tree.

I’ll post additional updates on this tree as it finishes its transformation into a fine specimen bonsai. In about two years, I expect to have it done.

Let me know what you think of today’s work.

Post-Snow Elm Work

by | Feb 21, 2021 | Care, Chinese Elm, Elms, Most Recent, Pruning, Styling, Water Elm, Wiring

post-snow elm work

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

This past week was the worst, weather-wise, since 2014. I did better at freeze protection.

Post-Snow Elm Work

It’s been an interesting time since my last blog two weeks ago. Last Saturday and Sunday were spent putting all of my temperate trees on the ground and under benches where possible, then covering the entire system of benches with plastic. I know what can happen at 15F, with freezing rain and snow. This time they predicting 10F, after the freezing rain and snow. Last time I simply couldn’t take any protective measures; this time I did all I could.

The good news is, despite freezing rain and snow our lowest low temp was only 20F. Now that’s pretty doggone cold for some of the species I grow, deadly in fact for some, but on the ground and under cover I think everything should make it. I’ll know in about four to size weeks.

Yesterday and today were spent uncovering everything, moving blocks of ice that hadn’t yet melted, and cleaning up broken overhead shade cloth supports that couldn’t take the hundred pounds of ice that froze on it. All in all, I had some minor apex damage on about a dozen trees due to the weight on the plastic covering. But everything’s back on the bench now.

We move on. It looks like temperatures are moderating this coming week, so it won’t be long until the Chinese elms are starting to leaf out. I actually have one specimen that’s unfurling some leaves, and though they got a little bitten this past week it won’t stop the tree from pushing on ahead soon. This forest planting, which is starting to look very nice, should be budding in the next week or so. There are a couple of things that need doing today, before this happens.

You probably noticed the left-most tree – it was just too straight. So I put a piece of 6mm wire on it and gave it just a little curve. That makes a big difference. I also wired up the apex on the number two tree.

Once the tree has put on a flush of growth, I’ll trim it back pretty hard to increase ramification. Chinese elms are very cooperative when it comes to reducing leaf size and twigginess. So this forest is going to be in great shape by summer.

This is one of the Water-elms we collecting last summer. It grew really well into fall, so well in fact that it needs to be wired in order to prevent it from becoming a do-over. What’s a do-over? That’s a piece of raw material that’s so overgrown you literally have to remove all of the branches and regrow them. Left alone, most collected deciduous trees will grow branches that reach for the sky, and thicken fast enough to render them useless in a bonsai design within two years at most. That’s one reason I like to move material within the first year if possible. I don’t have time to wire everything that hits my benches, so if a customer gets a specimen in that first year out of the ground, they can get an initial styling done before the branches get out of hand. That can save at least a year in the development of a tree.

Here I’ve started by removing the superfluous low branches, and wiring the first and second (in this case left and right) branches. This, by the way, is a key milestone in the design of any tree from raw material. As you work your way from the bottom of a new piece of material, that first branch sets the tone for all of the others. And once you get the first two branches wired and positioned, the rest of your design is almost guaranteed to fall right into place.

The next two branches are done, a back branch and a left side branch (which will also provide some front-facing foliage to cover some of the trunk). The left branch is just an elongated stub with a few nodes, as it hadn’t ramified yet. Once it does, which will happen starting in spring, I’ll be able to fill out its design.

The was a lot less than met the eye in the apex. While there was a good bit of growth, most of it was unusable. Not to mention the fact that there’s some dead wood that was just below the original leader. I didn’t like that as a starting point for my apex, so I cut it away. The current leader is emerging from what should be a good and healthy point on the trunk. I’ll let it grow unrestrained for at least a month once the tree comes out, and start building the crown from there.

I hope all of you affected by the deep-freeze came through all right.

An American Beech With Potential

by | Feb 3, 2021 | Beech, Care, Most Recent, Pruning, Styling, Wiring

an american beech with potential

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

I seldom collect American beech, despite their natural beauty. They’re just way sloooow to train. But sometimes you find one with potential.

An American Beech with Potential

I rarely collect American beech, Fagus grandifolia. Despite their natural beauty, as bonsai subjects they seem to take forever to train. Why? Because you can only reliably get one flush of growth per growing season. With most other species there are two or more, and you can get additional growth or regrowth by hard-pruning. Not so with American beech. If you decide to hard-prune in, say, June, at best you’ll probably get some weak regrowth. Not very rewarding and it doesn’t get you much closer to a design goal.

Now, this is a specimen I spotted two years ago while hunting for hornbeams with a bonsai friend. In winter they’re easy to spot – the clinging golden leaves are a dead giveaway (though you may get fooled if there are hophornbeams around). In the case of this one, there was also a set of branches and considering how long it takes to grow your own set, I had to jump on this possibility. So home it came, looking like this.

Fast-forward ten months, and this is the season’s growth. It’s actually not bad, considering. But if I hadn’t had something to start with, I most definitely would not have had this result in this timeframe.

Fast-forward some more, to today. After two growing seasons, you can see a branch structure taking shape. From the beginning I saw a classic stately beech shape, with horizontal branches and the lovely smooth gray bark. There’s no doubt in my mind that this tree can make a fine bonsai.

Today’s work will be selective pruning, wiring and shaping.

Beech trees hold their leaves through winter because the species is one that does not form an abscission layer when its leaves turn in the fall. But once spring is in the offing, the leaves do release on their own or can be gently pulled off without damaging or pulling off the dormant (and quite prominent) buds. This is essential for ease of wiring.

I’m working my way up the tree, wiring the branches and positioning them. They naturally grow where they want, and while enough time would resolve any odd branch placement issues in the wild, bonsai training demands that we step in and shorten the timeframe (this is never so true as it is with beech).

Continuing the process. The leader needs wiring, in order to continue the graceful line of the trunk. I’ll leave the leader and its terminal (apical) bud intact, as I need another season of strong growth in order to make the tapering transition look smooth and natural. Eventually, the tree will terminate at a height roughly halfway up this leader – but it’s going to take another three or four seasons to do all of the work that needs doing in the crown.

I had a little more work to do on that lowest right-hand branch. Now it looks more in sync with the remainder of the design.

We have another month at least until our beeches start showing signs of budding. Those tight dormant buds will unfurl, and the growth that is “baked in the cake” for this season will push on out. I’ll need to do some pinching, of course, but no other wiring until at least summer.

Let me know what you think of this beech. As the blog title says, it’s got potential.

Spekboom Styling

by | Dec 25, 2020 | Care, Jade, Most Recent, Pruning, Styling, Wiring

spekboom styling

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

You can style a Spekboom bonsai just about any time. The nice thing about them is, they’ll keep on growing right through winter with the right conditions.

Spekboom Styling

So it’s winter now, and the only things I’ve got that are growing are my Spekbooms and (to a very slight degree) my Rubber trees. One thing I’ve come to understand about the Spekboom (Portulacaria afra, or Dwarf jade) is that all it needs to grow is some heat and light, with minimal water and a little fertiflizer. I’ve had these guys both in my house and my new shipping shed (which I fondly call the Shipping Department), since they won’t take but a light freeze and I don’t like to take chances. Yes, I’ve also schlepped them back outside when the temperatures have gotten back above freezing, and that does help. But the growth just hasn’t stopped.

This tree put on a good bit of heft this year, and it’s a nice looking little specimen. The base is now 3/4″ across, and it stands 10-1/2″ tall. And you can see that this tree has grown with nice, gentle trunk curvature and good taper. So it’s on its way. But it does need some branch styling.

The main issues with the branching on this tree are two-fold: one, they’re all trying to grow upward (and that’s a bonsai no-no); and two, since Spekboom produces opposite leaves and hence branches, there are the inevitable bar-branches that have to get removed.

In this shot, the first two branches are wired and repositioned.

Continuing higher, the next two branches are wired and brought downward, with some movement introduced as with the first two.

You may notice that the wiring is somewhat “loose” on this tree. Spekboom is not like most of the trees you’ll wire in your bonsi endeavors; their growth is quite tender, meaning you can shape the branches but they can snap if you overdo it, and you’ll inevitably knock off some leaves and smaller shoots. You’ll see proof positive of this principle in that small shoot lying on the soil surface. The loose wiring is just a way of being as careful as I can.

In this shot I’ve wired the next two branches, plus I’ve removed a bar branch that emerged from the trunk behind that semi-front-facing branch I wanted to keep.

Getting closer to the top now. If you study this progression of photos, you’ll likely be struck by the opening up of the interior of the tree. This is a principle of bonsai design that is often neglected in the pursuit of ramification and dense foliage masses on our trees. Remember John Naka’s observation that bonsai should have spaces for the birds to fly through. In the wild, large trees are not large hedge bushes. There are indeed spaces for the birds to fly through, and our ability to see a suitable amount of the trunk and branch superstructure lends to the believability of our trees. I’ve advanced the design of this tree very nicely, just by keeping to this principle.

Now I’m just about to the top of this specimen, and with the light fading for today I’ll have to put off completing my work until tomorrow. I’ll update this blog once I’ve finished. You may be surprised by what I do, so do tune back in.

Here’s the answer. If you look closely at the photo above, you’ll notice that there is a loss of taper in the very top of the tree. The cure for this is to cut back to restore the taper, and that’s what I’ve done here. I’ve also added some trunk movement right at the very top, which will become more important as the apex resumes its growth.

With the reduction at the top, I then had two branches just below that were a bit long so I trimmed them back. Now I’ve got a good working silhouette!

Let me know what you think.

Huckleberry Flower Buds Are Setting

by | Dec 5, 2020 | Blueberry, Care, Most Recent, Pruning, Styling

huckleberry flower buds are setting

the bonsai files

Sneak Peek

With winter closing in fast, most of my deciduous trees are quickly dropping leaves. The Huckleberries are just about bare, but they’re also setting flower buds.

Huckleberry Flower Buds Are Setting

Winter isn’t all bad, though frankly it’s an upleasant time of year and I never look forward to it. Most of my deciduous trees are losing their leaves, with the Huckleberries almost completely bare. But there’s good news – this is the time of year when they begin setting flower buds.

Here’s a small specimen I potted just over a year ago. It has really put on some ramification this year. By next February, it should be full of blooms.

 

Here’s the after shot. I did some light trimming, removing crossing branches and shortening others that needed it. I also adjusted a couple of the branches slightly, to get the design back to what I had in mind when I started work on the tree.

Next came my large twin-trunk specimen. As with the first one, this one has really kicked in a lot more ramification. It bloomed some early this year, and next year looks like being much better.

A little light pruning, and we’re ready for 2021.

I’m still trying to decide where to go with the leader on the shorter trunk. Luckily, there’s no rush.

This twin-trunk is destined to be a literati bonsai. I just let it grow all this year.

Those low branches are now gone, and with selective pruning I have a shape in progress. The final design isn’t a mystery – the tree made that happen for me.

Finally, the large specimen I blogged about earlier this year. I only did minimal trimming on it. It needs to grow out all next year, to thicken the leader and all of the branches.

Huckleberries root slowly. A specimen this size will take up to five years to build a substantial root system, and it’s extremely fibrous like an azalea’s. Also like the azalea, Huckleberries need an acid soil. This is important to keep in mind during periods of drought.

Let me know what you think of these trees.