Too late to defoliate bald cypress?

[_thinkaboutit]

I picked up this bald cypress pre bonsai in May this year. Reasonable price but by far the most I’ve spent on a single tree. The nursery is well respected and the owner gave me a tub to keep the roots submerged in. It stays mostly full and I dump and freshen the water about once a week. He told me I could defoliate sometime in late June - I didn’t. I did prune it back a bit and it has put out new, healthy growth. Now the older leaves are ragged and browning. Is it too late to defoliate and encourage new foliage growth?

 

[sorce]

I want a BMW!

Could be that rust thing they get. I had it.
Ask @Mellow Mullet !

Sorce

 

[_thinkaboutit]

The BMW is a blast, it’s an ‘03 and still feels brand new. Currently down with a failed starter but it’s 92F and 80% humidity here so I’m not in a hurry to get on it. I should get to that soon with fall on the way...

Is the rust thing anything to worry about it? My only pesticide program is an occasional neem oil application.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

It could be rust mites, neem oil won't work, you need a miticide. I use Avid and Forbid and spray Avid in the Spring before it leafs out and Forbid at the beginning of summer, so far, no mites. As for defoliating, if the tree is otherwise healthy, I think that you should be OK in central Florida. I live in Mobile, Alabama and just defoliated mine a few weeks back. It has already started growing new ones, they are about 1/4-1/2 now. Should be fully clothed in another couple of weeks.

John

 

[_thinkaboutit]

Thanks for the feedback, I’ll be doing some research over the next couple months to get a good preventative plan together for this spring.

 

[Coooltan]

I picked up this bald cypress pre bonsai in May this year. Reasonable price but by far the most I’ve spent on a single tree. The nursery is well respected and the owner gave me a tub to keep the roots submerged in. It stays mostly full and I dump and freshen the water about once a week. He told me I could defoliate sometime in late June - I didn’t. I did prune it back a bit and it has put out new, healthy growth. Now the older leaves are ragged and browning. Is it too late to defoliate and encourage new foliage growth?

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Any update on this tree? I also live in central Florida and had a similar issue with a BC. I transported it in the back of my truck and it got pretty bad wind burn. After it stabilized, the leaves started to “rust” and it spread throughout the tree. I do have some budding but 4 months later the tree is mostly brown and it is only November so our Bc here should still have leaves.

I was wondering if it was rust mites but I was convinced it was wind burn. I’m not sure what to look for if it is a rust mite issue.