Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Nana Gracilis'-Hinoki Cypress Nana

Julio-Rufo

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I found this Hinoki Cypress nana at a nursery and decided to brought it home.
The weird bush has some nice trunk and has potential.

I just applied some basic wiring and guy wires to set it up a bit, but didn’t do much as it is not the best time of the year and did not remove much foliage. First step of a long run.

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two possible fronts here:

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Julio
 

penumbra

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It does have potential but is limited by virtue of its species. You should look in the archives to find out more about hinoki cypress before you get too carried away.
 

Julio-Rufo

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It does have potential but is limited by virtue of its species. You should look in the archives to find out more about hinoki cypress before you get too carried away.
Yes, I have read quite a lot about them, also looked at many videos, but this is the first time I work on one (I have worked on a thuja like 10 years ago thou).

I am aware of the limitations of the species so the plan now is quite straightforward, to put it in a growing container next spring and to let it gain strength & lots of feed and water, so I can hopefully get some budding (as much as the species allows, which is limited). if everything goes well and it’s strong enough it will be wired in summer
 

Julio-Rufo

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Update here:

the tree was repotted in spring a few months ago. The root reduction was quite severe so I will just leave it alone for at least 1 year. Depending on how it is doing next year I will probably style it in Autumn and I will address the foliage then.

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It is on an unglazed pot done by Peter Krebs:

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Best,
Julio
 

Hartinez

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This can be a great tree!! Are seeing active growth since repot? If so, you could def style it late august early September. Or at the very least set the primary branches at the angles you are looking for.
 

Julio-Rufo

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This can be a great tree!! Are seeing active growth since repot? If so, you could def style it late august early September. Or at the very least set the primary branches at the angles you are looking for.

thank you!
It has active growth, but not as a much as I would like to have. Therefore I was a bit hesitant to style it in fall.
 

Paradox

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thank you!
It has active growth, but not as a much as I would like to have. Therefore I was a bit hesitant to style it in fall.
I agree with leaving it a full year at least
Let it recover and get happy again
 

Paradox

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Looking good.

If the first picture in you last post is your front and I'd agree it is a good choice, I would consider cutting the leftmost branch that is half way up the left trunk in favor of the right one to be the main on that trunk.

The left one is kind of straight. The right has good movement that compliments the rest of the tree and has better taper plus it leans to the front. I'd bend the right one a bit to the left to get a little more separation from the right trunk.
 
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Julio-Rufo

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Looking good.

If the first picture in you last post is your front and I'd agree it is a good choice, I would consider cutting the leftmost branch that is half way up the left trunk in favor of the right one to be the main on that trunk.

The left one is kind of straight. The right has good movement that compliments the rest of the tree and has better taper plus it leans to the front. I'd bend the right one a bit to the left to get a little more separation from the right trunk.

Thanks for the comment, but I completely disagree. I think this three trunks is what makes this tree special.

Cutting any of them will create any typical two trunk confiner which will have no additional interest.

It is better to exploit the features of a tree using them but not altering them trying to achieve the profile of a tree we are used to see everywhere.

The multi apex is what makes this tree special, for now these tree trunks must stay in the tree.


Best regards
Julio
 

ERClover

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Very nice looking. What are some of the pitfalls usually associated with this species? I have seen some great specimens, particularly this shohin tree at the national arboretum which I found incredibly interesting and beautiful since it is not what I would consider a typical juniper-like shape. It is almost like the Keebler elf tree.
 

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Hartinez

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I really like the tree. I’m a big fan of multi Apex trees and I think you’ve handled this one well. My only comment would be to eventually get to the point where each Apex varies in height. In my opinion, it would add more depth to the overall composition, and create more of a dynamic image.

Edit. Looks like I already made this comment. Lol. take my opinion as you wish.
 

Paradox

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Thanks for the comment, but I completely disagree. I think this three trunks is what makes this tree special.

Cutting any of them will create any typical two trunk confiner which will have no additional interest.

It is better to exploit the features of a tree using them but not altering them trying to achieve the profile of a tree we are used to see everywhere.

The multi apex is what makes this tree special, for now these tree trunks must stay in the tree.


Best regards
Julio

It was just a suggestion. It's your tree, of course you can do what you want with it.

I think over time you'll find the 2 on the left will be competing with each other for space and sun and will just be too busy overall.
 

WNC Bonsai

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Nice tree with a lot of potential, the pads will fill in quickly. You can get 2 flushes of growth by pruning once in late May and again in late August-early September. Don’t overdo it, just remove some of the new light green growth and it will induce the surrounding foliage to push out new growth.
 

Julio-Rufo

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It was just a suggestion. It's your tree, of course you can do what you want with it.

I think over time you'll find the 2 on the left will be competing with each other for space and sun and will just be too busy overall.

Sure, thanks for your feedback, it is always helpful. That might happen, let’s see!
 

bwaynef

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I don't hate the multiple apex form, but I wouldn't mind seeing a difference in height among them on this tree.
 
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