Bald Cypress yamadori

[Barbells and bonsai]

Hello again from South Florida, I collected a bald cypress today from swamp property a friend owns. I’m new to bonsai and only have one other tree so far, a black olive.
I watched videos regarding repotting after wild collection and tried to follow their examples.

My soil is a mix of 80/20 sphagnum peat moss and mushroom compost.

I cleaned up the root ball but didn’t bare root it as I was getting mixed info on that.

Excited to see how it does and hopeful it survives.
Any tips are appreciated!

 

[pandacular]

Here's a post I have saved with some sketches on how to transition the top of bald cypress.

Goliath BC

Really? This interests me! I just started growing them, up here... Testing the "bottom" of their hardiness range. 🤣 Is it very dry by you, or too hot.. or what? I'm intrigued. I am not as cold as Michigan but they have been found growing in NY and Pennsylvania.

www.bonsainut.com

The key takeaway for now is to sit back and relax for at least a year while new shoots develop up top.

 

[19Mateo83]

Here’s another good thread full of good bald cypress information

Species Study - Taxodium distichum

I've been fascinated with this particular species. If you do a search on BonsaiNut, there are so many threads and posts on this species. I found so much information on this thread: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/2019-season-bc-yamadori-mega-thread-d.36707/ And much inspiration from this...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

Thank you both!

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

Unrelated but I found this in the same swamp today while looking for moss. Anyone have only idea what it is?

 

[crab apple]

Unrelated but I found this in the same swamp today while looking for moss. Anyone have only idea what it is?

I saw one of those at the end of my drivway the other day but have no idea what it is.

 

[19Mateo83]

It’s a lichen, probably in the usnea family.

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

Was thinking it would add some character to the normal bonsai moss

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

So, after watching more videos I’m concerned I didn’t cut enough of the root ball back before repotting.
It’s only been a day, do you think pulling it out to trim the roots more is worth the shock?
I left a pretty big section originally, didn’t bare root it just trimmed the taproot and hosed it down. Will add a picture

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

^

 

[Maiden69]

I would just let this tree grow for a few years, feed it heavily and if tolerated keep it in water for as long as possible. I understand the urge to collect trees, but this was but a youngling and needed a few more years in the swamps before becoming something collectable. Check the thread that @19Mateo83 posted above, and the collection thread that @Cajunrider created as well to see the kind of material that makes it desirable to collect.

Here is also a bunch of threads from @Mellow Mullet about building BCs/

Search results for query: bald cypress

The most popular Bonsai Community in the WORLD!

www.bonsainut.com

 

[Cajunrider]

Hello again from South Florida, I collected a bald cypress today from swamp property a friend owns. I’m new to bonsai and only have one other tree so far, a black olive.
I watched videos regarding repotting after wild collection and tried to follow their examples.

My soil is a mix of 80/20 sphagnum peat moss and mushroom compost.

I cleaned up the root ball but didn’t bare root it as I was getting mixed info on that.

Excited to see how it does and hopeful it survives.
Any tips are appreciated!

You have collected a rather young tree. It has not had a chance to develop any buttresses. I am sure there are bigger trees in that property that you can collect, go back there and look for bigger ones.

If it were me, I would make the root ball of the tree a little shallower. I would whack at least 2" off the bottom. As it is right now, any root growth will result in a tree with at least a 7" high root ball. That is way too high for a BC bonsai of that size.

Keep the tree in an area where it only gets about 3 hours of morning sun for the next two months.

Good luck!

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

I would just let this tree grow for a few years, feed it heavily and if tolerated keep it in water for as long as possible. I understand the urge to collect trees, but this was but a youngling and needed a few more years in the swamps before becoming something collectable. Check the thread that @19Mateo83 posted above, and the collection thread that @Cajunrider created as well to see the kind of material that makes it desirable to collect.

Here is also a bunch of threads from @Mellow Mullet about building BCs/

Search results for query: bald cypress

The most popular Bonsai Community in the WORLD!

www.bonsainut.com

Thank you for the advice and link, I’m going to read though that tonight.
There are much bigger ones on the property but they weren’t submerged. Apparently I was also underestimating the sought after size, the bases of the larger tree are probably a foot or larger in diameter.

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

You have collected a rather young tree. It has not had a chance to develop any buttresses. I am sure there are bigger trees in that property that you can collect, go back there and look for bigger ones.

If it were me, I would make the root ball of the tree a little shallower. I would whack at least 2" off the bottom. As it is right now, any root growth will result in a tree with at least a 7" high root ball. That is way too high for a BC bonsai of that size.

Keep the tree in an area where it only gets about 3 hours of morning sun for the next two months.

Good luck!

Will do! Glad you told me because I had it in full sun today but did water it morning and afternoon.
I also plan to trim the root ball down just was concerned about shocking it again. Thank you

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

So I found and was granted access to collect another BC from a 2 acre private swamp property that is covered in trees.
I went today and scouted/took pictures of the best options I’ve found there so far. Do these look better @Cajunrider ?

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

I’m going back with a pair of muck boots and finding one with as much buttressing as possible.
How wide is a desirable base? There are hundreds of trees and some really cool/weird stuff like a double tree one large and one snaking around the larger to the point it’s become part of the main trunk.

I’d really appreciate a guide or opinions on desired sizing

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

One of the biggest ones on the property

 

[Cajunrider]

So I found and was granted access to collect another BC from a 2 acre private swamp property that is covered in trees.
I went today and scouted/took pictures of the best options I’ve found there so far. Do these look better @Cajunrider ?

So I found and was granted access to collect another BC from a 2 acre private swamp property that is covered in trees.
I went today and scouted/took pictures of the best options I’ve found there so far. Do these look better @Cajunrider ?

Much better but keep looking.

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

Much better but keep looking.

I’m in Southwest Florida, zone 9b. How much longer do you think I have to collect BC while they are still in dormancy?

 

[Barbells and bonsai]

Also a question regarding the trunk chop wound, I read in another post that people cover it with titebond 3 wood glue. Should I do this?