bnsaijim

I though I'd share the story of one of my trees, one which will explain why I keep telling people to cover their buttresses deep for at least two years.

I had the opportunity to purchase this tree 3-4 years ago for little more than the price of the pot. I had recently stumbled on cypress and wanted a "finished cypress" really bad so this one was added.

This is a collected Pond Cypress Taxodium dictichum "ascendens"; it differs from the Bald Cypress, Taxodium dictichum in range, (excuse spelling and any failure to adhere to whatever is the popular taxonomy of the moment) being more tropical in its preferences. It has "alligator" bark rather than flaky, tends to dislike developing fine ramification and has foliage described as "corded".

Although not as "slutty" (yes I mean that the way you think) as the evergreen oaks, cypress variants will cross and give you all sorts of characteristics. Rumour has it they will express variances differently based on environmental factors, although I have not seen extensive signs of this in mine, i.e., soil pH affects foliage.

This specimen has the bark, obviously, the ornery nature regarding branching but luckily not quite as rough in the foliage as the Banting Flat top I have in my collection.

It's 10" above the buttress- that pot is something like 17" x 30". It sported two knees at the time of purchase. While a snapshot is probably floating around somewhere it really hasn't changed much... here's one after the first repot. I really just had let it go all summer to heal a chop wound at the top.

I've mercifully blanked out much of the background so you could see what's going on.

Shortly after this repot I met Gary Marchal, was introduced to Vaughan Banting, and started to study cypress bonsai techniqies closely.

Jim Stone
TX

Attached Images

pon.jpg (70.4 KB, 379 views)

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