A few weeks ago I posted a blog about a Bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, that I collected in 2015 and that failed to bud all the way up the trunk. I have a couple of others hanging around that I had been planning to make something of. Today it was time to work on one of them.
This specimen was collected this past January. It’s a relatively small cypress by most standards, with a 2″ trunk, but the taper and movement of the trunk are superb. Originally I felt it could make a nice addition to a forest, if not a specimen bonsai on its own, but unfortunately it decided not to bud all the way up the trunk.
The good news is, it did bud all the way around the lower part of the trunk, meaning the roots were alive all the way around. So today I decided to take advantage of the trunk and the largest of the shoots.
I peeled away the bark down to the living tissue, then wired what will be the new trunk of this tree. It’s not at all uncommon to see old cypresses whose main trunk has died, to be replaced with younger growth. As always, the cypress does its best to get tall. My plan is to develop the living leader into a complete tree. I should make a lot of headway next year.
You can get an idea of my vision here. I potted the tree at a slight slant, which brings the new leader more upright. This suggests that something may have happened to the tree in the course of its life, perhaps a storm that pushed it off its upright position and caused it to die back. But the will to live remains.
I’m looking forward to working on this tree in 2017. But if you’d like to take on that challenge, you can reserve it at our Bald Cypress Bonsai page and it’ll head your way next April.
Ok ill email you a pic as soon as I get the chance. So last winter that tree over wintered in my attic with my tridents because I figured its used to Louisiana winters. I mulch my other BC in my backyard during the winter and they do fine. I would like this tree to join the mulch pile this year because it seems like trees in the attic push buds too early. What do u think? Wind chills can reach -20 where I am in the winter.
This tree should be able to join the others. Wind chill is not an issue since there’s no evaporative moisture loss in deciduous trees during winter. Just be sure the roots don’t get too cold; the mulching should take care of that.
Haha funny u mentioned that. Im the proud owner of that tree. It will be pretty close to hollow this winter. I’m doing it a little bit at a time do to the fact that I’m not all that experienced with carving (one of the many things I need to practice). Ita definitely not an everyday BC. That’s what I love about it.
After I posted the comment I thought I remembered it was yours, Tim. I’m glad to hear it’s getting closer to being completed. Would love to see a photo.
When this happens to me I usually chop it all the way down to where the shoot emerges from the trunk and try to pull off a sumo look. I haven’t tried it with bald cypress (because we don’t have them up here to collect :() but it has worked great on privet and hornbeam. There are 2 trees specifically that I’m glad they didn’t bud up high because I never would’ve cut them so low otherwise. Its like the specimen decides what kind of bonsai it wants to be.
I had a bald cypress I did this with a few years ago. It had a good size trunk and I ended up carving out the center with the idea of eventually hollowing down into the ground. I sent it on to a new owner before I got to that point.