I often try to get a leg up on developing bonsai. I typically do this by selecting trees I’ve collected that don’t need any trunk development, or at most only minimal development. What does this mean? If you collect a tree and chop the trunk, and at the point of the chop the trunk is more than about 1.5″ in diameter, the speed with which you can build a tapering transition at that point will be tremendously slowed in a bonsai pot. Because you have to devote so much time and energy to just getting this right, developing the tree’s branch structure is hampered. So in the end you don’t gain much in the way of time.
This Bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, presented me with the opportunity to get a leg up on developing it into a bonsai.
The trunk base is 2″ across, and you can see just by examining the photo that the diameter at the chop point is right around 0.75″. That means all I really have to do with this tree is to develop the branch structure.
So this was a perfect candidate to go straight into a bonsai pot (this gorgeous Chuck Iker round).
Fast-forward to today. The shoots have grown long enough that I can reasonably go ahead and wire them. That means I’ll get my branch structure off to a good start.
Incidentally, from the very beginning this tree struck me as suiting the literati style. It’s very tall for its trunk size, 24″, so with two options available – make it look shorter or accentuate the height – the obvious answer to me was to make it look really tall.
The dead snag, which originally I’d hoped would be a secondary trunk, will actually benefit the design I have in mind. So it stays. As for the foliage pads on the main trunk, my goal is to draw the eye upward and give the impression of a very tall swamp-dweller. The best way to do this is to focus all of the foliage in the uppermost part of the tree.
Less is more.
After removing all of the foliage in the lower 80% of the trunk, I was left with three branches and the apical leader. I knew before I started working on them that they would always need to remain very close to the trunk in terms of the tree’s silhouette. So armed with that knowledge, the wiring and positioning were a snap.
I also shortened the side branch in the apex of the tree. I’ll make a dead snag out of it, to complement the one that appears on the shorter trunk. Both will be stripped of bark and treated with lime sulfur, but probably not until next year.
I’ll post updates as this tree develops. In the meantime, I think I’ve got a nice Bald cypress bonsai on the way. What do you think?
I planted 12 cypress trees (seedlings) in the ground over 6 years ago. I have been taking out the upward growth after they reached 30″. They now have numerous long side branches some over 10″. How long should they be? (near the bottom). And, should I wire them while they are in the ground?
The trunks on them range from 1 1/2″ to 2″ (across). Should I leave them on the ground or dig them up and place them in plastic containers? Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
For a classic BC look, I’d leave the trees in the ground a while longer. I’d also encourage a single leader to grow out, which should help to thicken the base and perhaps help them produce buttressing. This will happen when they get to about 4″ across.
I’m working on my first bald cypress. Its has great taper and nebari and all I have to do is develop branches. I understand BC are extremely apically dominant. How do you develop lower branches? I’ve been pruning heavily on top. I have two branches below as possible 1st branches but they are not growing as quickly. How heavily do i prune the tip to ensure those lower branches grow strongly? Do i prune heavily or completely?
Jay, to develop lower branches you need to do two things: one, keep pruning back the growth in the upper part of the tree, and two, help the lower branches maintain strength by wiring and pointing the tips upward. This boosts their strength. Also don’t restrain those lower branches in the first year or two – they need to grow and thicken, and every pruning of a growing tip will slow them down.
Hey Zach. Thanks for the fast reply and sound advice. As far as I’m concerned you have the #1 bonsai blog! Keep up the good work!
Hi Zach. My name is Steve and I’m from the Chicago area. I’ve been following you for years now and really like the style of your craft. Recently I purchased some bald cypress trees from the Depot. Having never seen them there in the years I’ve been doing bonsai, I just had to get them. The biggest is about 2 inches. What I want to know is do you think it is wise to chop the tops this late in the year. They are in 3 gal pots which I plan to leave them in for now. I’d really like to get them started as soon as possible. I’d appreciate your advice. Thanks.
Assuming they’re healthy, Steve, go ahead and chop now. Be sure to seal the chops, and chop them straight (not at an angle). New buds will appear near the chop and will grow straight and strong. Select one for your leader and remove the rest. If you want to put some movement into it, go ahead and wire this year. Next year, depending on how thick the new leader is, you can make your angled cut and continue on from there.
Do you worry about surface roots when you direct pot? Is it sometimes not necessarily to pot a newly collected tree extra deep?
I do, and they get potted deep enough to give an extra measure of comfort. I also sometimes add some moss on top if I’m especially concerned.