BALD CYPRESS

[barrosinc]

This is where I order mine from. I usually like purple the best!

good to know! My daughter has heaps of that stuff

 

[Vin]

Either BG or just up your applications with something else on a more regular schedule perhaps. I use teabags with BG and on a weekly basis I supplement with fish emulsion.

I need to revise my statement from earlier. After I got home tonight I studied my Bald Cypress trees a bit more. There is plenty of growth. What I don't have is much secondary and tertiary branching. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[MACH5]

I need to revise my statement from earlier. After I got home tonight I studied my Bald Cypress trees a bit more. There is plenty of growth. What I don't have is much secondary and tertiary branching. Any help would be appreciated.

Vin, how I created the secondary branching was by cutting back and thinning the foliage in early summer. That's what I did. That forced heavy back budding. Perhaps others with way more experience with BC can chime in with their own techniques and methods. The challenge with BC is that some buds are just leaves while others become branches. Not every bud that sprouts at any place becomes a branch as you probably are already aware.

 

[Lars Grimm]

Vin, how I created the secondary branching was by cutting back and thinning the foliage in early summer. That's what I did. That forced heavy back budding. Perhaps others with way more experience with BC can chime in with their own techniques and methods. The challenge with BC is that some buds are just leaves while others become branches. Not every bud that sprouts at any place becomes a branch as you probably are already aware.

I had the exact same experience with mine. After the initial push in the spring it just sat there. I then did a cut back and it responded with lots of new growth and secondary branching.

 

[JudyB]

Sergio,

If only it had a pear to keep it company!

Regards,
Martin

Hmmm, what is this pear you speaking of?????

 

[Vin]

Vin, how I created the secondary branching was by cutting back and thinning the foliage in early summer. That's what I did. That forced heavy back budding. Perhaps others with way more experience with BC can chime in with their own techniques and methods. The challenge with BC is that some buds are just leaves while others become branches. Not every bud that sprouts at any place becomes a branch as you probably are already aware.

Yes exactly, in the spring and summer you have leaves all over the place and begin to think some will develop into branches. Then as they begin to drop in the fall the needles/leaves fall off the stalks and you hope you have a branch. Then,,,, the stalk drops and you end up with the same branch you began with in the spring just a little fatter and longer. Thanks for your input Sergio.

 

[MACH5]

Hmmm, what is this pear you speaking of?????

LOL is nothing really. Martin just had a really nice little pear that I was looking at. He kept nagging me jokingly to get it all throughout the weekend at the Winter Silhouette show. It was a really nice little tree but I am looking for a much larger pear.

 

[MACH5]

Yes exactly, in the spring and summer you have leaves all over the place and begin to think some will develop into branches. Then as they begin to drop in the fall the needles/leaves fall off the stalks and you hope you have a branch. Then,,,, the stalk drops and you end up with the same branch you began with in the spring just a little fatter and longer. Thanks for your input Sergio.

Yeah I know Vin. That's the luck of the draw with BC. I kept anxiously waiting for whatever buds popped in the right places to develop into branches. When some did, I was hoping for them to stay and not fall off in the fall. I managed to keep enough to give this tree enough of a detailed styling. All I wanted was enough of a framework to build upon next year.

 

[Zach Smith]

You get two types of buds with BC, leaf buds and branch (shoot) buds. With enough experience you can easily tell them apart as they push. The leaf buds never become branches; they just aren't made for it. But that's okay. The main thing with BC is to gain an understanding of their growth habit and learn when and how to prune, wire, defoliate, etc. I don't mean to over-simplify. You'll learn with time and practice. As with bonsai in general, get a few BC perhaps of varying size in order to accelerate your learning process. If you mess up one or two, all is not lost.

One critical design/care technique I suggest to everyone is late-spring defoliation. This can be done in June through July 4th or so. With the tree naked, you can do some design work and that will pay off as summer gets long in the tooth. It's especially useful if you plan to show the tree in fall, and also helps with fall color and attractiveness of the foliage.

 

[MACH5]

You get two types of buds with BC, leaf buds and branch (shoot) buds. With enough experience you can easily tell them apart as they push. The leaf buds never become branches; they just aren't made for it. But that's okay. The main thing with BC is to gain an understanding of their growth habit and learn when and how to prune, wire, defoliate, etc. I don't mean to over-simplify. You'll learn with time and practice. As with bonsai in general, get a few BC perhaps of varying size in order to accelerate your learning process. If you mess up one or two, all is not lost.

One critical design/care technique I suggest to everyone is late-spring defoliation. This can be done in June through July 4th or so. With the tree naked, you can do some design work and that will pay off as summer gets long in the tooth. It's especially useful if you plan to show the tree in fall, and also helps with fall color and attractiveness of the foliage.

Thank you Zach. This is all very helpful information!

 

[mcpesq817]

One critical design/care technique I suggest to everyone is late-spring defoliation. This can be done in June through July 4th or so. With the tree naked, you can do some design work and that will pay off as summer gets long in the tooth. It's especially useful if you plan to show the tree in fall, and also helps with fall color and attractiveness of the foliage.

Zach, just out of curiosity, does defoliation slow the tree down any, especially if you are trying to heal a chop? I've never defoliated my BC before, but I also have larger trees with chop sites that I'm trying to heal over. Thanks!

 

[Zach Smith]

Zach, just out of curiosity, does defoliation slow the tree down any, especially if you are trying to heal a chop? I've never defoliated my BC before, but I also have larger trees with chop sites that I'm trying to heal over. Thanks!

Not in my experience. In fact, the defoliation encourages a strong round of regrowth which includes (especially) the apex which is dominant anyway.

The only qualifier to defoliation is I don't do it in the first year after collection. Or on weak trees.

 

[mcpesq817]

Not in my experience. In fact, the defoliation encourages a strong round of regrowth which includes (especially) the apex which is dominant anyway.

The only qualifier to defoliation is I don't do it in the first year after collection. Or on weak trees.

Thanks Zach, that’s great to know.

 

[Martin Sweeney]

Hmmm, what is this pear you speaking of?????

Judy,

I sold it at the show. No picture's I am afraid.

Planning on digging a couple larger ones to tempt Sergio with next December....

Regards,
Martin

 

[BillsBayou]

You get two types of buds with BC, leaf buds and branch (shoot) buds. With enough experience you can easily tell them apart as they push.

To add, branch shoots have a reddish stem that turns to dun (a light brown) as the wood lignifies. They also start pushing their own leaves very early in the process.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

To add, branch shoots have a reddish stem that turns to dun (a light brown) as the wood lignifies. They also start pushing their own leaves very early in the process.

Do you pull the leaf buds to try to encourage the branch buds?

 

[BillsBayou]

Do you pull the leaf buds to try to encourage the branch buds?

I have never heard of doing this. Why would this work? I want all the fresh leaves I can get.

 

[Giga]

Do you pull the leaf buds to try to encourage the branch buds?

you want everything you can, you want leaves, aka solar panel, to power the tree as much as it can = more energy to be able to work the tree and it to be super healthy

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Sure, makes sense, I was just wondering with other people claiming they are having trouble getting branching, if you could redirect the energy to the branching buds....

 

[WNC Bonsai]

You get two types of buds with BC, leaf buds and branch (shoot) buds. With enough experience you can easily tell them apart as they push. The leaf buds never become branches; they just aren't made for it. But that's okay. The main thing with BC is to gain an understanding of their growth habit and learn when and how to prune, wire, defoliate, etc. I don't mean to over-simplify. You'll learn with time and practice. As with bonsai in general, get a few BC perhaps of varying size in order to accelerate your learning process. If you mess up one or two, all is not lost.

One critical design/care technique I suggest to everyone is late-spring defoliation. This can be done in June through July 4th or so. With the tree naked, you can do some design work and that will pay off as summer gets long in the tooth. It's especially useful if you plan to show the tree in fall, and also helps with fall color and attractiveness of the foliage.

Zach, have you considered doing a post on your website on your techniques and timing for developing BC? It would be a great resource for folks who want to work with this species. One on collecting and initial care would also be great. Looking forward to receivoing my new BC from you in May/June—Larry