Large Bald Cypress bonsai

[Sekibonsai]

Maybe its a compensation thing since I'm 5'3"... always been fascinated by big little trees in pots. Even as I get older I resist the urge to "go small"... "ain't getting any stronger..." "You're gonna hurt your back old man!" I continue to powerlift to be able to maneuver the biggest of these monsters. Still love the swamp and pulling out the big 'uns. I frequently fly solo on my digs now so I've got a few tricks for moving large masses of wood. I had been eyeballing this one (its on my land so no conservation issues) however it involves a 20' levee to get it up and down into the nursery. Probably weighed a solid 300+ pounds as I was not able to move it and that's where my deadlift max tends to be. Here's a bit of my collecting process.

The base is about 24" in diameter and the tree was ~30 feet tall. I leave the height until the very end for leverage to pull the tree over and pop the tap roots one at a time. No digging, only a sharp saw, a lopper and hand pruners used. Once out the ball is wrapped in drop cloths.

The trip up was slow- 6" at a time with the come-along... The trip down was much faster than desired and I ended up trashing the tendons and ligaments in my knee when the cart got away and took me with it.

The goal is to collect basically a big cutting- envision the final planting depth and take back all unneeded wood, leave whatever small roots you can and get the muck out so the tree can be in "good soil".

The tree had two lower branches that I assumed were dead that I left for possible dead wood features.

 

[Sekibonsai]

Rocking a damaged knee I had to wait a few days to finish up. This log was not going any further into the nursery than the base of the levy, so I built a holding bed with poly and cinderblocks. The roots will poke some holes in the poly to act as drainage but the whole contraption acts as a mini-swamp. Recycled bonsai soil is used and the whole mess is topped with bark mulch. Everything was watered in thoroughly and then the trunk and soil was drenched with liquid kelp- about 5 gallons worth.

 

[Sekibonsai]

Now the waiting game. Superstition says that you never show your collected trees until you know they will survive. About 10 days after collection we get hit with Flurricane Uri with 4 or 5 days of constant temps below 20F. Best I could do to shelter this was to water thoroughly and wrap in a black tarp. I kept the tarp on for an extra week as this is a trick to hold humidity the black grabs extra heat from the sun to encourage budding. I would open it ever few days to soak the trunk and each Saturday I watered in liquid kelp.

So all my other BC are popping. Nothing chaps me more than collecting firewood. Last week I see this! Look close and you'll see the little green bumps!! On my allegedly dead branches!

So moving forward the plan is to let these branches provide power to the trees and drive a strong recovery. This should drive bud pops on the trunk which will give me compositionally meaningful branches. It will be a large tree- mot as large as it is now at about 5 feet. Probably a formal upright. I have a few years to decide.

Meanwhile I'll need to build a bigger kiln...

 

[62veedub]

That thing looks heavy! Nice looking base though

 

[Sekibonsai]

That thing looks heavy! Nice looking base though

Yeah with the mud it was probably 300 pounds. A little better without the mud... maybe something less than 200.

 

[YamadoriJaeger]

How much you want for it?

 

[Sekibonsai]

How much you want for it?

It would be a mortgage payment just to transport it...

 

[YamadoriJaeger]

Really looking forward to seeing this in a proper pot. I love BC!

 

[Sekibonsai]

Really looking forward to seeing this in a proper pot. I love BC!

Right now I have 3 in that boat. Going to need some very large pots.

 

[BonsaiGnome]

Epic!

 

[YamadoriJaeger]

I

Right now I have 3 in that boat. Going to need some very large pots. View attachment 361401View attachment 361402

I would have to drive to you probably or pay a fortune in shipping, but maybe I could interest you in a trade one day of California juniper yamadori for one of these THICC BC

 

[Sekibonsai]

Well this was a nice thing to come home too! They are appearing all over the trunk! Signs that the roots are working and I will have something to work with!

 

[Cadillactaste]

All these large yamadori...any more finished styled trees in your collection? I know we have a handful of ones here with some beasts. Mellow Mullet has ones with knees all over the pot. I myself have a wee 10" one...which packs a big wallop in a small scale way. *I like to pretend anyways. Lol

 

[hinmo24t]

All these large yamadori...any more finished styled trees in your collection? I know we have a handful of ones here with some beasts. Mellow Mullet has ones with knees all over the pot. I myself have a wee 10" one...which packs a big wallop in a small scale way. *I like to pretend anyways. Lol

story of my life. jp.

@Sekibonsai those bc are no joke! i think a winch on 4x4 or atv would help, or a comealong!
cool you squat and deadlift...a set of benchpress with that thing would be fun (or a rotator )
my friend eric sounds like similar stature and likes to test his strength with tearing down dead fullsize trees, etc.

and to think my yamadori norway maple was a monster...

 

[Cadillactaste]

story of my life. jp.

@Sekibonsai those bc are no joke! i think a winch on 4x4 or atv would help, or a comealong!
cool you squat and deadlift...a set of benchpress with that thing would be fun (or a rotator )
my friend eric sounds like similar stature and likes to test his strength with tearing down dead fullsize trees, etc.

and to think my yamadori norway maple was a monster...

Man did I leave the door open for that one...without realizing it.

 

[Sekibonsai]

I think somebody is a little apically dominant? They way this is ripping I may think about this for the 5 year native contest...

 

[Colorado]

What a beast! Glad to see this one survived collection (and a very impressive collection at that!). Looking forward to seeing this progress...seems like a special tree in my humble opinion

 

[Cadillactaste]

With your ability to have such fine collected specimens. Do you have any further along...trained? I so am amazed at large bald cypress when they are styled. I know a handful here have shared theirs...can't think I've seen any of yours.

 

[Sweetyness]

Seriously cool trunk! What an effort. But it will be worth it!!

 

[Cajunrider]

I am going to attempt something very similar next February-March before bud break. The trees will be similar in height but slightly bigger base. They are now growing in a pond.
Any advice to improve the chance of survival of such BCs is appreciated. The trees will practically be once in a lifetime chance for me.