Bald Cypress Question

mushashi

Hi,


I recently acquired an approximately 10 year old collected bald cypress it is about 14-15" tall has a really nice knee and about a 2.5 inch across trunk width and I think potential

It was sent to me almost bare root and it is now sitting in a rubber maid bin with water.

Anyway, what I am wondering aside from the nicest container to put this ancient looking guy,is since this is a deciduous conifer should I feed it with acid fertilizer like miracid or just regular bonsai fertilizer.

Also this guy has very little old branch development, alot of new stuff is coming out but very low on the trunk maybe 1-2" above soil line. What is the best way to encourage growth towards the top? I have some 1/2 way up but none towards the top

I removed most of the very low growing suckers down ayt the bottom today, hoping it would force growth further up the trunk. Hopefully, this will do something. At any event those branches would have been way too low.

Any suggestions on this and more would be helpful. Thanks.......

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Thomas_J.

Yes bald cypress do like somewhat of an acid fertilizer, which is something I give mine all the time along with my procumbens junipers.

If you don't have much branching at this time, you probably will next year.
It's also not necessary to keep it in a tub of water. Of course the knees will like it but it's not necessary for the life of the tree.

When your new branches begin to pop out, let them grow long so they will thicken up to match any others that are of any thickness.

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Thomas J.

mushashi

Thanks for the tips! Well, I hit it with 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of Miracid and as I said removed all the really low branches starting to form.


What I don't understand is that the tree is about 10 years and was cut off at about the 15" height. You would think this guy would have some serious branch development by now. Also, I thought that I read that Bald Cypress tend to branch heavier at the top than bottom.

Oh well, all I can do is give it great care and keep forcing the growth up the tree by removing low branches. By the way I notice that in several places instead of one branch breaking through there might be 4 or so coming out of the same spot. What is the best way to handle the multiple branches in one spot?

I think it will really be a cool tree once it branches more.
Oh, the only reason it is in a bin of water is because it was shipped almost bare root and I don't have a pot this big or the time to pot it just yet. I will try to do something soon.

Thanks.....

Kansai

A 2 1/2" BC 10 years old in the wild would probably be 10'-15' tall with, as you said, the heavy branching toward the top. BCs backbud like crazy so you shouldn't have any problem developing new branches provided the tree is in good condition. I'm not sure about bare rooting BC at this time of year, but I would pot it up in regular potting soil and keep it good and watered. I also probably wouldn't take any new growth off until winter. I would also make sure that the chop is at a sharp angle and dressed with pruning paste.

As far as multiple branches go--here again I wouldn't cut anything that's green. Of course a photo would help. I would just pot it up and let it reestablish itself. And again I would put it in a big roomy standard pot with regular potting soil while it developes the branch structure you're looking for. Next year you can trim it up and then stay as busy as you want rubbing new sprouting buds off the trunk.

Sounds like you're shooting for a flat-top. Bald cypress are great trees. Good luck with yours.
DR

ripssurf

what do the roots look like?

i live in florida as you can see from my profile, and i was told by some very knowledgable people in my club (and BT) that it was too late in april for collecting BC. at that time of year, they gave a bare-root BC a less than 5-% chance of making it. i dont mean to scare you, but i personally would go weak on fertilizer because of the young roots (if i used any at all!). i wouldnt even cut shoots off...

these trees are hardy, but even the hardiest of trees can be killed with too much TLC.

good luck,

jeff

rockm

You're a little unclear about what's going on. Was this tree recently collected? or has it been containerized for more than a year?

Those are important points. If it's recently collected, removing new growth, or any growth now could seriously weaken the tree and slow root development. It should be put in a deep growing container, not a bonsai pot, immediately. A large plastic bucket with drainage holes punched in the bottom will work. I have used a five gallon bucket that once held bulk maraschino cherries (any plastic bucket, like a $5 plastic paint bucket from Home Depot will work too).

Also, if newly severed roots are exposed to sun on their tops, they could die. They need to be buried at least four inches under the soil surface for a year or so to recover from collection.

As for keeping it in a tub of water, don't. Won't help much, may even slow it down. Well watered bonsai soil heavy in organics will work much better.

Regular bonsai fertilizer is fine. Miracid fertilizer isn't "acid" it's formulated to be taken up in already acidic soil. If your soil isn't already acidic, you might as well be using regular fertlizer. BC will grow in just about anything. Doesn't need overly acidic soil. Basic bonsai soil will work fine.

I doubt you have a knee. BC bonsai with knees are very rare and command higher prices. Knees don't develop very well in containers. If your tree has little root mass, knees aren't likely.

You may have confused root buttressing with knees. Knees are separate from the trunk, rising like cave stalagmites from the soil surrounding the tree. Root buttresses are big flares almost like rocket fins coming off the base of the trunk as it enters the soil.

mushashi

bOkay, okay,


I guess that I need to clarify a few things. Firstly, the tree is about 10 years old and was collected. The person I got it from has had it for about 4-5 years in a container, probably a 5 gallon. Before that it was also containerized. So, it is not newly collected and the roots have not been touched. The only reason it was semi-barerooted was for shipping purposes. There is still a fair amount of soil left, but not complete.

It most definitely has a knee! This was one of it's interesting points. Unfortunately, my digital camera is not working or I would post a pix.

What worries me a bit, is that as I said before, I removed several lower branches and basically cut them flush with the trunk because they were VERY low and undesirable. I did not put cut paste on the flush cut. I hope in my ignorance of these guys, I did not do damage. Do the very new growth need to be cut at an angle and cut paste used if it is only from this season?

I also used the Miracid but will not again if that is the prevailing opinion.

Anyway, I will not do anything else with this guy except for putting it in a basic bonsai soil before I get some kind of consensus of what to do.

Any other tips will be greatly appreciated! Thanks......

P.S. The knee is about 1.5" from the trunk and DEFINITELY has the shape of a knee. This is one of the things that attracted me to the Cypress, even though the branch development needs work......

Here is a picture of it. The only difference is that the new branches you see mostly in front way down have been removed. As you can see, it was in a 5 gallon container.....

Attached Images

2c_1_b.jpg (47.0 KB, 126 views)

mushashi

Above is a picture of the tree. Thanks......

BrianBay9

Mushashi,

Is that the knee on the right, in front of the Pepsi can? I take your word for it, it's a "real" knee, but can you or anyone else explain the difference between a cypress knee, and a root bent up at a relatively sharp angle above the soil? In other words, what does it take to define a cypress knee?

(admitting I wouldn't know a real cypress knee, if it...well...kneed me)

Brian