Aquired Bald Cypress...What to do?

[fraser67]

My neighbor gave me his last tree, hoping I might be able to do something with it...
I've done some reading, but not familiar with Bald Cypress. I repotted it and will let it go this year...making sure she's healthy. As for styling in the future...ideas? Do another chop and pick one as a leader? I'm tempted to leave all 3 and see what happens. They've already shown natural signs of a Flatop.
And what to do with those roots. They radiate but are on different planes. Is that just time??
Thanks for your input.
Best,
Jonathan

 

[ironman]

No expert here but will offer suggestions based on my 50+ B/C collection of collected B/C.

Pot up when dormant in a shallow, wide container, water heavily every day and feed once a week till Fall . The pot should be sitting in a container which holds 2" min water.

Easy/peesy...

 

[fraser67]

No expert here but will offer suggestions based on my 50+ B/C collection of collected B/C.

Pot up when dormant in a shallow, wide container, water heavily every day and feed once a week till Fall . The pot should be sitting in a container which holds 2" min water.

Easy/peesy...

Hey thanks...I was starting to think nobody cared
Soil? Leave it in standing water or should it drain into a deep drip tray. Should I remove the two roots that are a little high out of the soil?
Do you use a special feed? I use "Green Dream" 7-5-5...
Thank you very much for your insight!!!
Best,
Jonathan

 

[ironman]

Soil; I do a mix that we can discuss later...no worries now about existing soil. The mix is for next year in January when you will change to a bonsai/soil mix and comb out roots.
Water tray; I let my pots sit in that 2" of water ALL the time.
B/C are different creatures. 'Most' live at the river's edge and their feet are wet all the time.
Feed it with whatever is cheapest...
Let it grow.......

 

[Poink88]

Hey thanks...I was starting to think nobody cared

Felt aweful right? This is the down side of discouraging newbies from responding. The "experts" can be busy or just don't feel like responding. The newbie also need to start carying the torch...no better time than now while the experts has time to correct them.

I only have one BC and it was potted in a dish pan. After it was secured, I double potted it. The bottom pot/dish pan don't have any holes. These plants can be really thirsty!

Try poking below the soil line and see if there is a better nebari under it. On mine that is the case and I removed numerous higher roots like yours after to expose the bottom ones.

BC are very hardy so no need to fuzz about them.

Good luck!

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I have several bald cypress and my dad has a bunch, he grows them from seed, you can check them out a www.bnjl.com .

Ironman is right, they do like to have their feet wet so the dish that holds water is a good idea. Any fertilizer like miracle grow or such is fine, I use whatever is on sale. I would cut the two highest roots off, as the trunk will fatten above them but not below. And as ironman said, let it grow.

 

[mcpesq817]

Felt aweful right? This is the down side of discouraging newbies from responding. The "experts" can be busy or just don't feel like responding. The newbie also need to start carying the torch...no better time than now while the experts has time to correct them.

Didn't we already go through this? It's clear you completely missed the point. Time to give it a rest?

 

[fraser67]

Thanks to all for posting. Tips much appreciated!!
She's sitting in water and I'll follow up with pics in a few weeks.

 

[Poink88]

Didn't we already go through this? It's clear you completely missed the point. Time to give it a rest?

Sorry to miss this, I did not intend to ignore you.

Truth hurts?

Why not take your own medicine and stop riding me? You obviously do not get my point so why don't you give it a rest? Or is it because I have to follow your way? ...and it is the only way.

Good morning!

 

[mcpesq817]

Sorry to miss this, I did not intend to ignore you.

Truth hurts?

Why not take your own medicine and stop riding me? You obviously do not get my point so why don't you give it a rest? Or is it because I have to follow your way? ...and it is the only way.

Good morning!

Naw, it's more that your constant whining on here about newbies having the ability to comment on every and all posts, even without any knowledge or experience because others will jump in and correct them, is getting annoying.

You have been giving a lot of bad advice here in your desire to respond to every thread that is posted. Yet you think this is ok because someone that actually has some knowledge or experience on the subject will post and bail you out. The issue is not how long someone has been doing bonsai - it's whether the person has the knowledge and experience in the subject matter. Thirty years from now I will still never post on a tropicals care thread because I don't work with tropicals (sorry Redwood Ryan). On the other hand, Ironman may not have many years of experience, but having collected and cared for 50+ bald cypress, I will be very interested in what he has to say.

Sorry Jonathan for the digression. Nice start with your BC - they are great bonsai material

 

[Poink88]

You have been giving a lot of bad advice here in your desire to respond to every thread that is posted. Yet you think this is ok because someone that actually has some knowledge or experience on the subject will post and bail you out.

You think it is bad advise because you ALWAYS choose to see it that way. I think you only look for the bad in whatever I post...almost like your personal mission (what a goal!!! LOL ). We will NEVER agree so I will let you be...IF you do the same. Hmmm maybe we should just add each other to our ignore list? Yes?

Peace out and I am out of this thread.

To fraser67, sorry for tainting your thread.

 

[ironman]

Sooo, how about an up date on your B/C.
Did you re-pot, trunk chop or throw it away and take up drag racing?

 

[fraser67]

Sooo, how about an up date on your B/C.
Did you re-pot, trunk chop or throw it away and take up drag racing?

I took up drag racing... Right after I repotted. She's happy. Lots of new growth. I'll post pics later.
Thanks for asking...

 

[Mic E]

Would a Montezuma cypress (same genus) be treated the same, or are there differences?

 

[fraser67]

Soil; I do a mix that we can discuss later...no worries now about existing soil. The mix is for next year in January when you will change to a bonsai/soil mix and comb out roots.
Water tray; I let my pots sit in that 2" of water ALL the time.
B/C are different creatures. 'Most' live at the river's edge and their feet are wet all the time.
Feed it with whatever is cheapest...
Let it grow.......

Hey...it's January. I just saw my old post looking for info. Ironman...care to elaborate? Soil mix? Higher % of organic material? Anyone care to join in? I left all 3 leaders and just let it grow, and grow it did... I think I'll choose one and cut the other two and leave the deadwood ...carve something down the road.
Best,
Jonathan

 

[sikadelic]

I acquired two late in the fall of last year. I repotted them immediately due to 2 inch roots growing out of the bottom of the containers. I put them in big training pots with no drainage and made a rough, large particle mix and left them full of water. I plan on checking them later around midspring to see how they faired and I will update you.

 

[coppice]

Bald Cypress, alder, tamarack, bless them they cannot be killed by wet soil. Every new grow should try one or t'other.

You could spare the most left branch and prune out all the rest, or let your tree grow.

Love BC...

 

[jk_lewis]

Would a Montezuma cypress (same genus) be treated the same, or are there differences?

Yes. In fact, some taxonomists think the Montezuma cypress is merely a subspecies of the bald cypress.

 

[Dav4]

Yes. In fact, some taxonomists think the Montezuma cypress is merely a subspecies of the bald cypress.

...though they are considered less winter hardy then bald cypress.

 

[fraser67]

Bald Cypress, alder, tamarack, bless them they cannot be killed by wet soil. Every new grow should try one or t'other.

You could spare the most left branch and prune out all the rest, or let your tree grow.

Love BC...

I repotted last year and cleaned up the roots above the soil line. It's in a much larger pot...sitting in water. My concern with three leaders is that they might cause some reverse taper. I'll try and post a more current photo. Thanks for your response.