Bald Cypress, Styling Advice

[zachkent29]

This is my first and, for now, only BC. I bought it because it was the biggest at the nursery I was at a few years ago. I recently noticed that is pretty unremarkable.

I started training it to be a flat top, but it just seems boring. Right now it just over 3' from the top of the soil.

I'm starting to think that I should chop it down to about 1' and do some carving. What do you all think?

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[vaibatron]

If the trunk is at your desired thickness I would begin pruning the top to balance out the energy and encourage back budding on the lower branches...

A chop could work too...

 

[markyscott]

Well, it's telephone pole straight and lacks taper. It will always be boring without a chop.

Or

forests are often made using material that would have difficulty standing on its own. Have you considered assembling some other similar bald cypress and creating a grove?

Scott

 

[zachkent29]

Thanks for the input.

Vaibatron-- Yeah, most of the lower branches were removed to go to the flat top style I mentioned. Are you thinking I should regrow them and go for more of a formal upright?

Scott--I had not considered a grove. It would be a large grove, this is a 3' tree with a 5" base (hidden under soil).

 

[markyscott]

Thanks for the input.

Vaibatron-- Yeah, most of the lower branches were removed to go to the flat top style I mentioned. Are you thinking I should regrow them and go for more of a formal upright?

Scott--I had not considered a grove. It would be a large grove, this is a 3' tree with a 5" base (hidden under soil).

It would be impressive. Goshin, for instance, is comprised of stick straight trees about that size without a lot of taper.

Scott

 

[zachkent29]

I'm definitely intrigued, I'll keep this in mind for sure.

 

[Giga]

make sure that soil dosn't dry out, looks pretty inorganic?

 

[zachkent29]

Giga--100%, all of my trees are in the same. Requires daily watering in summer.

 

[markyscott]

Mine are in 100% inorganic too.

Scott

 

[Giga]

I use pumice and rough peat with very smll drainage holes,Just don't let them dry out at all, bald cypress grow in swamps or just straight water. You could kill the top roots if they dry out, maybe it's just me but I get WAY better roots with a 50/50 mix. I also got 2 knees starting to form on my older bald cypress. I'm not sure if its an age thing or its becusae of the growing medium.

The reason i'm leary with inorganic and BC, what if there is a time where you forget to water? one 100 degee day where you miss a water, cuz of something, you can set the tree back or kill the tree. I don't know but im paranoid lol

 

[markyscott]

I use pumice and rough peat with very smll drainage holes,Just don't let them dry out at all, bald cypress grow in swamps or just straight water. You could kill the top roots if they dry out, maybe it's just me but I get WAY better roots with a 50/50 mix. I also got 2 knees starting to form on my older bald cypress. I'm not sure if its an age thing or its becusae of the growing medium.

The reason i'm leary with inorganic and BC, what if there is a time where you forget to water? one 100 degee day where you miss a water, cuz of something, you can set the tree back or kill the tree. I don't know but im paranoid lol

I've been growing them for years in inorganic soil. They grow great. It's true that they are not drought tolerant, but with proper watering they are fine.

Scott

 

[zachkent29]

Giga--you're absolutely right. I'd love one with knees.

I like my mix because it keeps me from overwatering any of my trees. If I'm ever gone over night, I take other precautions. Side note, I'll be setting up an automatic system in a month or so.

 

[Giga]

the good thing about BC is you cant over water them. When I first collect them I have no drainage on the tub i put them in.


On styling, that tree is a bean pole so you gonna want to chop it and plant in the ground or a large container and let it grow. At least thats what I would do.

 

[jk_lewis]

Chopping this tree won't really help much (and Goshin did NOT start as a bunch of stick cuttings plopped into a pot, either).

You should plant this in a sunny spot in your garden. Ignore it for two years, then lift it. You will find that the base has grown under the soil. Then you can chop if you want and put it into a grow box while you develop the top and let the base expand.

 

[markyscott]

Goshin 1969. Look past the composition and the centerpiece in the front. You'll see several lesser trees that are straight and lacking taper. Focus on the tree just to the left of the centerpiece and the far rightmost tree - straight and no taper whatsoever. Even the centerpiece doesn't really have much taper - that illusion is achieved by the top jin. It does have movement in the lower trunk that picks up the subtle movement at the base secondary tree and the contrast between this movement and the straightness of the tertiary trees sets up a nice tension in composition. But none of these trees would be as impressive on their own as an individual specimen. It's only in composition that they are more - and this is a great composition.

I'm not saying that this tree will ever be part of a goshin-like assembly - just that a group planting is often more than the sum of its parts. Sometimes far more. Defects in lesser material can often be overcome in composition. In fact a great individual specimen can take away from the composition the artist intends for the group.



Scott

 

[jk_lewis]

Yup. Jackie and I in MUCH better days:

 

[markyscott]

Yup. Jackie and I in MUCH better days:

Nice picture. And it's true - beautiful in picture and much better in person. Been too long since I visited the pavilion.

Scott

 

[markyscott]

Yup. Jackie and I in MUCH better days:

And another interesting thing is how much the composition has changed since that 1969 picture. I knew that some of the trees had died and were replaced, but I'd never really studied an old picture and a new in juxtaposition before.

Scott

 

[jk_lewis]

And another interesting thing is how much the composition has changed since that 1969 picture. I knew that some of the trees had died and were replaced, but I'd never really studied an old picture and a new in juxtaposition before.

Scott

Well, MY picture was taken 20 years ago, so it -- like the two of us -- ain't so new, anymore. It was a bit overgrown at the time.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Yup. Jackie and I in MUCH better days:

Ha! I had that same IBC '99 shirt!