Unidentified tree: Interesting bonsai?

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Cutting and trenching a tree in the wild, then coming back a year or two later to collect it is a crap shoot. Often, surrounding vegetation will out compete with the tree you chopped or trenched or both. You often come back to find a weaker tree, if not a dead tree.

Generally, best to just collect the tree, in the right season. Now is the wrong time of year to be collecting bald cypress.

Most bald cypress are collected while dormant. Leave it alone until end of winter. Then just collect it, it can grow a new root system.

Pre collection trenching sets more trees back than it helps.

 

[Matt B]

I think I should have started a new thread when we identified the Chinese Tallow.

 

[Matt B]

So as of yet, I just chopped it, and did not trench it. I could see how that could potentially hurt it competitively in this next year in relation to its neighbors, so I concede its a better strategy to save the trenching for collection. Do you think the chop is well-positioned in relation to existing branches and the shape of the base of the tree? Or should I determine the front of the tree by the shape of the base, and wait for backbudding to create new branches that work in relation to that front?

Since one side of the trunk has a good flare, and the other seems fairly straight, it seems leaning the tree towards the weak side at the time of the collection would be a good way to accentuate the positive aspects of the tree, and having the new leader growing in a convenient direction would shave some time off the development. With that said, does a potential front present itself to your more experienced eye?

 

[Trenthany]

I would not call myself “experienced by any means but I would hope to set the branch growing directly out the side with the flare as a leader unless the back budding limits you in some way. It would need to be aimed up before hardening off so it blends into the trunk but should give you a good front. Purely hypothetical based off images and my tiny amount of experience and tons of research!