help with fantastic Bald Cypress
- Thread starter Joe Dupre'
- Start date
Joe Dupre'
Omono
Like I said, it's basically a once-in-a-lifetime find for around these parts. I've scouted and walked at LEAST 50 miles in 2019 looking for trees. Great bonsai material costs you either much time or much money. I love the hunt. It's all worth it to find a "free" tree. Ha!
Joe Dupre'
Omono
A little update on this big guy. Collected in early January of this year, it really didn't bud out until mid to late Feb.......so about 4 months of real growth. It really was a slow starter, but has put on enough growth so that I felt comfortable pruning back double branches from the same spot, pruning really low branches and generally thinning out many branches I know I won't need. I also trimmed back some of the vigorous top branches to allow the bottom branches to catch up. I also massaged the branches down to a better angle. Bald cypress growers will know how BC branches want to grow straight up. A couple of days of GENTLY massaging them down and they pretty much stay there.
The final styling is still to be decided, but it's well on it's way. This is only half way through our long growing season here in South Louisiiana. I look forward to what it will look like late this summer.
The final styling is still to be decided, but it's well on it's way. This is only half way through our long growing season here in South Louisiiana. I look forward to what it will look like late this summer.
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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Looking Good
Joe Dupre'
Omono
Another update. I did a little thinning and pruning to balance out the growth between the apex and the base branches. Height from soil level---- 6 feet and a couple inches. Leader length -- 44" with a 3/4" base. Watering regime-- flooded to just above soil line for about 2 weeks and allowed to drain for 2-3 days with complete soaking on those days. Double strength Miracle Gro every 15 days. Soil is approx 80-90% organic.....mostly pine bark. Napa 8822 for the other 10%. She's happy! Not bad for 8 months growth from a stump.
In South Louisiana, we get a "second spring" of good growth for another month or two. I figure my "final" design will be about done by the end of the third year.
In South Louisiana, we get a "second spring" of good growth for another month or two. I figure my "final" design will be about done by the end of the third year.
