Angle for a chop.

Bonsaifreak

I have had a BC in training for 2-3 years now. I initially chopped the apex at an angle of 40-45 degrees. One of our club members is telling me this is not the best angle to achieve a realistic taper. He advocates an even sharper angle, which leaves a rather large chop scar in the back.

What is the best approach in this case?

Jorge

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bonsaikc

That all depends on what you are trying to achieve with the tree. Can you post a couple of pictures?

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Bonsaifreak

Will be posting some pics later. The project is your average formal upright BC. My tree is actually very similar to the one in this thread by Thomas J:

http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthr...ht=bald+cypress

Thomas' tree was the subject of a very informative article and I sort of followed his technique when designing and training this stock.

Jorge

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Bonsaifreak

118 views and no suggestions? Something is not working...

Jorge

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agraham

Jorge,

I don't know very much at all about bald cypress.After looking at Thomas' thread though,I would say that the trunk chop was made very high on the trunk.The taper it created is minimal and located only in the top 10% of the tree.If the chop had been made lower and at more of an angle I think the taper would have been more complete and visually satisfying.

andy

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bonsaikc

You may get some helpful information from this thread at BonsaiNut.

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Chris Johnston
"She was a critic, and lots fo critics who aren't called to do what they write about grow jealous and mean and small in their disappointment." - Stephen King, Duma Key
Sashi-no-eda.blogspot.com

grampz

Mr. Jorge,

As you are aware after visiting my garden I do not use the same method of trunk chop that you are speaking of, but I have used this method in the past and Mr. Andy is on the money in my opinion...Far too often the chop is made too high on the trunk in order to 'speed' the process by not having to re-grow the wood, however this leaves a rather ugly taper...The bald cypress is quite a fast growing tree in our area if heavily fertilized, well watered, and given enough room for the roots to grow...One can chop the trunk every year or two doing so at an extreme angle and achieve a much better looking taper...On the first few chops I would even suggest making the cut so that it is 3 or 4 times as tall as it is wide, then allow the new leader to grow until the scar calluses over and chop the leader again a bit higher...

I would highly recommend a visit to the website of Mr. Gary Marchal Cajun Bonsai, go to the bonsai page, and near the bottom of the photos is a collected bald cypress that Mr. Gary titled "Sarah's Bald Cypress"...Mr. Gary gives a really good explanation of the process he uses as well as the reasoning behind the technique...

Regards
Behr

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Bonsaifreak

Thanks Andy and Mr. Behr for your input!

Mr. Behr, I have visted Mr. Marshall's website and enjoyed his articles thoroughly. I do agree in that it is difficult to achieve a believable taper using this technique and, from what I can tell, artists tend to disguise it by strategically hiding it with the BC crown or top (not difficult to do in this apically dominant species as you know). I am also experimenting with the technique you recommended on a smaller and more immature BC. The end result was not as visually appealing as yours and my tree sort of resembles the Washington memorial obelisk. We'll see what happens, I might be able to disguise it as well.

The point our club memeber is trying to make is that by chopping the tree at the right height and using an extreme angle, you are able to create a more convincing taper in the long run...

Cheers!

Jorge

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Vonsgardens

Guy Guidry does something similar, but as you will notice, he frequently puts the broken and pulled wood scar at the front of the tree- better looking taper. It will heal. John

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