Brand New To Bonsai - First Bald Cypress

UrbanNJPlants

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Hello all, as stated I'm brand new to the world of bonsai with that said I have a Bald Cypress that I was thinking to make my first. This tree is about 4' tall from the top of the ball. Being brand new to this I feel over whelmed but am ready to make a move. Would this one make for a decent first bonsai ? If so can anyone point me in the right direction with this. IMG_3090.JPG IMG_3091.JPG
 

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StoneCloud

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Welcome to Bonsai and Welcome to the Forum!!!

BC are one of my favorite trees! They are not difficult to care for and they are wonderful trees. I don't however think this particular tree would be the best choice as your first tree.

Also I may sound crazy but if you are already good at caring for plants and keeping alive get a few trees to start. Not too many but like 3 or 4. It will keep you busy and each tree will present new things to be learned.

Bonsai takes time. With one tree, you may only prune once a year.......with more trees = more practice

Some with great experience should also be along shortly.

What do you think of Chinese Elms? They make great starter trees
 

UrbanNJPlants

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Welcome to Bonsai and Welcome to the Forum!!!

BC are one of my favorite trees! They are not difficult to care for and they are wonderful trees. I don't however think this particular tree would be the best choice as your first tree.

Also I may sound crazy but if you are already good at caring for plants and keeping alive get a few trees to start. Not too many but like 3 or 4. It will keep you busy and each tree will present new things to be learned.

Bonsai takes time. With one tree, you may only prune once a year.......with more trees = more practice

Some with great experience should also be along shortly.

What do you think of Chinese Elms? They make great starter trees

Thank you for your time, If I may ask what makes you feel this particular tree would not be a good choice? By so do you mean my tree or the over all species in general. I have three other plants I've picked up two rhododendron one small and one med sized as well as one other Leyland cypress to practice with as well but I have no issues purchasing something else if it better suits us (me & my wife) I should say I have allot of time on my hands as I'm now disabled and home most of the time. Keeping plants alive isn't an issue my wife and I have over 175 indoor plants(mainly succulents, cacti and other house plants) in our home and our home is very nicely landscaped exterior wise all done by us and hand watered :)
 

StoneCloud

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well, in that case I would buy it! There is a wealth of info on here on the species, care, styling, etc..... Definitely take the time to read them, you will learn so much!

Sorry, what I meant was, If this was your only tree..... the steps to get this one where it needs to be will take years and the work won't be so often. So I figured you may want one that you can work on a little more often than the BC since you are just starting.

But.....

I didn't know you already had a few trees for bonsai and all those plants! That's awesome.

Get the tree and have fun with it, sounds like it'll be in good care
 

UrbanNJPlants

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well, in that case I would buy it! There is a wealth of info on here on the species, care, styling, etc..... Definitely take the time to read them, you will learn so much!

Sorry, what I meant was, If this was your only tree..... the steps to get this one where it needs to be will take years and the work won't be so often. So I figured you may want one that you can work on a little more often than the BC since you are just starting.

But.....

I didn't know you already had a few trees for bonsai and all those plants! That's awesome.

Get the tree and have fun with it, sounds like it'll be in good care
Thanks so much I'm going to look for some other species like you mentioned as well. I org bought the BC to go into the yard for good but the wife and I changed our minds so it become stock for our potted plants etc. I gotta se if I can find a Chinese Elm around me that wont cost a fortune. The hardest part for me is my bad back so growing in the ground to thicken up will prob be out.
 

c54fun

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Hello all, as stated I'm brand new to the world of bonsai with that said I have a Bald Cypress that I was thinking to make my first. This tree is about 4' tall from the top of the ball. Being brand new to this I feel over whelmed but am ready to make a move. Would this one make for a decent first bonsai ? If so can anyone point me in the right direction with this. View attachment 151166 View attachment 151167
Welcome and wow, you have plenty to work with on the cypress. Lot of things you can do with it. Look forward to seeing what you do with it.
 

sorce

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Bald Cypress is Latin for "don't lift"!
At least one good for bonsai!
Plant it in the ground for the scape!

Truth is you'll never have anything close to a good bonsai with that cypress.

I saw a shittzu the other day with a sideways gait.....
Now...of course....everyone has their own reasons for doing bonsai....it's no competition...

But...once you see the greyhounds...9f9bc54407e505f0b2ebd3b2db0be30e.jpg

You realize why that shittzu is a lap dog!
No sense watching him run around in circles!

Them Chinese...or ANY elms for that matter....
They can be a great bonsai in a short order...
Small ones!
So you can still toss them around!

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/mallsai-chinese-elm-into-two-shohins.11112/

And...they range from from free to cheap!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce
 

rockm

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Thank you for your time, If I may ask what makes you feel this particular tree would not be a good choice? By so do you mean my tree or the over all species in general. I have three other plants I've picked up two rhododendron one small and one med sized as well as one other Leyland cypress to practice with as well but I have no issues purchasing something else if it better suits us (me & my wife) I should say I have allot of time on my hands as I'm now disabled and home most of the time. Keeping plants alive isn't an issue my wife and I have over 175 indoor plants(mainly succulents, cacti and other house plants) in our home and our home is very nicely landscaped exterior wise all done by us and hand watered :)

This particular tree is neither a good nor bad choice. It depends on what you want from it.
Bald cypress is valued for its trunk buttressing,

buttress roots.jpg

which your tree doesn't have and won't have if kept in a container. That impressive buttressing at the soil level (not knees) is mostly why this species is great for bonsai. The other attraction for BC is that they are pretty hard to kill.

With that in mind, are you looking to create a tree for the attractive roots, or just keep this as is? As is , it's kind of, well, boring. Straight trunk with no taper, no interest at the roots, no cohesive branching...all that can be changed, obviously, but it will take time.
That time will be a few years planted out in your yard. BC will grow extremely fast and can develop impressive root bases in a few years if left alone in the landscape to simply grow. After the trunk and root buttress have reached a decent size for bonsai, BC are lopped to a foot or two and dug up (roots can be SEVERELY pruned, as in 95 percent removed) at collection. The next few years are spent growing out a new leader and then moving on to branch development.

The BC in the pot pictured below was collected last Feb. from a La. swamp (by Zach Smith at Bonsai South). It was originally about 30 feet tall. It's now a foot and a half...)



BTW, skip the Leyland cypress. They're not worth any effort and are crappy material for both landscape and bonsai. They are only adequate for a fast-growing screen from roads, neighbors, etc.
 

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rockm

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Sorry, just saw that you can't do the "planting out" thing. If you're set on BC as a bonsai, you can buy already grown out trunks collected from the wild that have been prepared for bonsai use. Some of that material is pretty pricey, but some is affordable.

Check out Bonsai South--

https://bonsai-south.com/bald-cypress-bonsai-for-sale/

A great bonsai place in New Hope, near Philly, a little closer to you.
http://www.rosadebonsai.com/
 

UrbanNJPlants

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Thanks everyone while yes I may never have any great with this one Sorce I will in my heart know I tried and it was worth the effort. Im not in this for comp perfect Bonsai's I feel every one as a person has their own concept of the art if that person likes their outcome then its a win.
 

UrbanNJPlants

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This particular tree is neither a good nor bad choice. It depends on what you want from it.
Bald cypress is valued for its trunk buttressing,

View attachment 151214

which your tree doesn't have and won't have if kept in a container. That impressive buttressing at the soil level (not knees) is mostly why this species is great for bonsai. The other attraction for BC is that they are pretty hard to kill.

With that in mind, are you looking to create a tree for the attractive roots, or just keep this as is? As is , it's kind of, well, boring. Straight trunk with no taper, no interest at the roots, no cohesive branching...all that can be changed, obviously, but it will take time.
That time will be a few years planted out in your yard. BC will grow extremely fast and can develop impressive root bases in a few years if left alone in the landscape to simply grow. After the trunk and root buttress have reached a decent size for bonsai, BC are lopped to a foot or two and dug up (roots can be SEVERELY pruned, as in 95 percent removed) at collection. The next few years are spent growing out a new leader and then moving on to branch development.

The BC in the pot pictured below was collected last Feb. from a La. swamp (by Zach Smith at Bonsai South). It was originally about 30 feet tall. It's now a foot and a half...)



BTW, skip the Leyland cypress. They're not worth any effort and are crappy material for both landscape and bonsai. They are only adequate for a fast-growing screen from roads, neighbors, etc.


Thanks so much for the detailed info it is greatly appreciated. I may built a large about grade box for the BC to grow in for awhile to overcome the not being able to dig/bend low problem I live with. I figure I can break the box apart when the time comes to free the tree. I was reading somewhere I wish I could refind the article where a guy grew his in a large container in which he created a swamp type soil / sludge for it to grow in. He was successful and they looked great. Not sure if anyone else has ever tried this. I know it would require being drained prior to our freezing NJ winters here. I'm going to check out the shops you recommended too. I have a friend who moved to South Carolina and is huge into Kayaking if only I could get her to get me a swamp one and drive it up here LOL ;-) For the time being I've got some other low buckets to repot some of these other ones and let them root out some and grow up a bit. Gonna build some benches outside to keep them on etc. And of course keep reading, posting and researching here. Once again thanks for the insight and help. I'll be sure to share my Charlie Brown BC Bonsai as I work on it :)
 

GGB

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Hey I second/third the sentiment. BC are the best. It seems like that tree has a scar down low and branching that grows upward. Is this another instance of that grafted up right variety that walmart had? Maybe I'm just bent on that but grafted trees are a different beast. unless of course you do a super chop. Someone chime in and correct or back me up
 

rockm

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Thanks so much for the detailed info it is greatly appreciated. I may built a large about grade box for the BC to grow in for awhile to overcome the not being able to dig/bend low problem I live with. I figure I can break the box apart when the time comes to free the tree. I was reading somewhere I wish I could refind the article where a guy grew his in a large container in which he created a swamp type soil / sludge for it to grow in. He was successful and they looked great. Not sure if anyone else has ever tried this. I know it would require being drained prior to our freezing NJ winters here. I'm going to check out the shops you recommended too. I have a friend who moved to South Carolina and is huge into Kayaking if only I could get her to get me a swamp one and drive it up here LOL ;-) For the time being I've got some other low buckets to repot some of these other ones and let them root out some and grow up a bit. Gonna build some benches outside to keep them on etc. And of course keep reading, posting and researching here. Once again thanks for the insight and help. I'll be sure to share my Charlie Brown BC Bonsai as I work on it :)
FWIW, bald cypress grow in water BECAUSE THEY CAN, NOT necessarily because they want to. It's a mistake many make. They don't require standing water and can even de slowed down by such treatment. the fastest growing BC grow in seasonally flooded land that dries up a bit. You will never get much root flare in any container, unless that container is an acre square. BC require unlimited room to push roots as far as they can. Those extending roots cause the flare over time.
 

UrbanNJPlants

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Hey I second/third the sentiment. BC are the best. It seems like that tree has a scar down low and branching that grows upward. Is this another instance of that grafted up right variety that walmart had? Maybe I'm just bent on that but grafted trees are a different beast. unless of course you do a super chop. Someone chime in and correct or back me up

You called that one perfect this is in fact a wally world (Walmart) special I got I think I paid 15$ for it if I remember right. I too thought maybe it was grafted but wasnt sure. I'll run out back now real fast before it get to dark and grab a better pic.
 

UrbanNJPlants

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IMG_3127.JPG IMG_3128.JPG
Hey I second/third the sentiment. BC are the best. It seems like that tree has a scar down low and branching that grows upward. Is this another instance of that grafted up right variety that walmart had? Maybe I'm just bent on that but grafted trees are a different beast. unless of course you do a super chop. Someone chime in and correct or back me up


Here is some better pics
 

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GGB

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There was another thread about these walmart trees. I suggested they were grafted and was told I was wrong. Fair enough, I'm a noob for sure. BUT! someone, I forget who, pulled the clearance stickers of his tag and found a genus species and variety name. Skyward something or other. Which explain the upward growth. upward growth + bonsai = Nothing good. At least to me. But Like I said before. If I'm right and I might not be about that. You can chop the tree at that scar mark and you will get a true bald cypress with horizontal branches. The reason those bottom branches below the scar are growing upward is because they're fighting to become leaders, I would assume. I try to add disclaimers to everything because I'm newish to bonsai but I'm pretty sure I'm right on this
 

GGB

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@UrbanNJPlants haha we posted at the exact same time. But yeah, that is a variety, that's why the bark changes. Feels good to be right once in a while
 

UrbanNJPlants

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Damn it no doubt walmart got me on this one, the tag was for a reg bald cypress, not this upright version that the sticker on the pail is. Just researched it more here is what it shows.
 

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UrbanNJPlants

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@UrbanNJPlants haha we posted at the exact same time. But yeah, that is a variety, that's why the bark changes. Feels good to be right once in a while


No doubt you nailed it on this one. Thinking how I want to handle this now, back into the yard somewhere for good or chop and try like you said. Damn Walmart was slick on that one LOL
 
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