Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Example of development of a new tier of roots way above the base. This causes big design challenge. Picture found in BC FB group.
Species Study - Taxodium distichum
- Thread starter Cajunrider
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Joe Dupre'
Omono
I might be tempted, if the roots can take it, to cut out the middle trunk and make a see-through base. I'd chop it off a couple of inches below that bottom branch stub and let the top grow out. I'd then HEAVILY carve a hollow. I would be going for the look of a dying monarch on its last century of life......... with maybe a glimmer of a new life. Something like this, but with a see-through base.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
It isn’t my tree. Just an example to show what happens when a BC trunk is buried too deep. I see this often with BCs from Hone Depot and Lowes. The trees are usually up potted and some fertilizer thrown on top of the soil just before being sold. To reduce water loss fine bark were then put in top of the soil. This buries the trunk and eventually a new root tier forms.
Joe Dupre'
Omono
We get something similar in some of our swamps here. The water comes up for many months and a whole new skirt of roots develop. It does make for a challenging specimen.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
I really like this tree @Joe Dupre'
Joe Dupre'
Omono
Thanks, CR. This was a tree that only sprouted down low for some reason. It became a test mule for all sorts of experiments. I did a successful approach graft on it , with a branch coming from lower on the trunk and attaching up higher. All was going well until a blue jay landed on the branch and separated the graft.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
I have 4 BCs that only sprouted down low this year. All were in sunny spots in my yard. The trunk dried out up top even though I water them a lot. I now keep all newly collected BC in mostly shade for the first 6 weeks.
Those low BCs will be developed similar to the ancient BCs in the 3 sister swamp with hollow base and multiple trunks from the base. I think the multiple trunks are needed to keep all sides of the base alive.
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Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Sun light requirement for collected BC: Collected BCs respond best with 2-4 hours of morning sun for the first 12 weeks or so. If your collected BCs get too much sun the top of the trunk may dry out and not bud. If you see buds only at the bottom, give the tree a bit more shade. In some cases, the tree recovers but I have had to chop dried out tops.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Scars are rolling over and 5 out of 6 split bottom BCs are doing well. 1 sulked for 9 weeks and just now shows a single tiny bud.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
It's hard to see from these pictures but the base of this tree was expanded 30% from the trunk split. Whether the splits heal or not really doesn't matter to me. I can't wait to develop the top of these BCs. I think they will look fantastic in bonsai pots.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Bald cypress on a river bank
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Good discussion on knees.
www.bonsainut.com
Bald cypress - possible incipient knee?
For those of you with experience with bald cypress and in particular, cypress knees. I unpotted my bald cypress to work on the roots this week, and found an interesting knobby growth on the root system. A couple of pictures are below. Second one is blurry, sorry about that. Anyway, this single...
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
My take on knees is simple. My developing BC will be in high moisture, high organic soil in pots with side drains just below the soil surface. My refined BC will have more pumice and the pot will have bottom drains. The knees come when they come.Good discussion on knees.
Bald cypress - possible incipient knee?
For those of you with experience with bald cypress and in particular, cypress knees. I unpotted my bald cypress to work on the roots this week, and found an interesting knobby growth on the root system. A couple of pictures are below. Second one is blurry, sorry about that. Anyway, this single...
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Earnest question to BNutters.
If you are interested in buying a bald cypress for bonsai development, would you buy a split bottom BC like this one?
Now that I have developed the skills to do this, I'm not doing it for curiosity anymore. I have 3 small BCs that I can either sell quickly as starters or do the split bottom and set them on the path to be better BC bonsai in my opinion. However, doing this takes a lot of effort to create splits without harming the tree and then months of recovery. I don't want to do the work that takes quite a bit of effort and then nobody wants the trees. I know I can keep the trees and develop them into truly decent BC bonsai but I have many others that are vying for my time.
namnhi
Masterpiece
Good morning Uncle.
I would as I believe the split will eventually healed/fused. The question is... Will you he able to recoup you effort financially for all that time.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Well let's see.
A tree with a trunk of about 3" at soil line is sold at the nurseries in #10 container for about $180-$200. Of course, you can find smaller ones $120 for #5 BC or $80 for #3 or $35 at Lowes or Home Depot but those are not the size we are discussing here.
I've sold a few collected BCs as starters for actually lower than the nurseries' prices but they should be at least $200. Now if I split the trunk and change the taper substantially and increase the diameter at the trunk to 4". It takes me at least an hour to take the tree out, split the trunk, filled the splits with wooden wedges, seal the splits with tape and repot the tree. Then it takes about 4 months of care to get the tree out of the split trunk sulk. That is not without risk because so far my success rate is only 80-90%. Some trees never recover from the split or take a whole year or more to recover.
A 4" trunk collected BC is around $400 at the cheapest. Would I be able to get that split bottom tree for $400? Yes, the trunk is split but then the taper is really good.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
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Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
There are some low areas near me that have BCs which are too large to collect. The areas get flooded with 3-5 ft of water for weeks or months at a time. Few BCs survive and grow but then they do, the trees are majestic with flutes running 6-7 ft up the trunk. However, when they are younger, they are just straight sticks because the trees have to grow in height really quick to survive. When they see these majestic BCs near rivers and creeks, they try to go there and collect BCs. They find none that are suitable for bonsai. I find the best areas for collecting BCs for bonsai are areas with low and very stable water level.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
On collecting BCs.
In zone 7-10 it is safe to collect BC from late winter/very early spring to mid-summer. Keep your collected BCs in shade for 8 weeks, then morning sun only for the rest of the year. You can bring them to full sun the next year if you wish.
For my zone 9. This means I collect BCs from January all the way through July. BCs I collected in August/September struggle to get past winter because their new tender shoots often don't come back the next year. BC I collected in October/November often don't survive collection. BCs I collected in December bud out very late and lag behind trees collected in the spring.
Adjust the month appropriately for your zone.
I have no data to say anything about collecting in Zone 5. For Zone 6, the time window is short. I think March through May is the best time window. This is based on my time living in Ohio and talking to my fellow BC enthusiasts in the area.
In zone 7-10 it is safe to collect BC from late winter/very early spring to mid-summer. Keep your collected BCs in shade for 8 weeks, then morning sun only for the rest of the year. You can bring them to full sun the next year if you wish.
For my zone 9. This means I collect BCs from January all the way through July. BCs I collected in August/September struggle to get past winter because their new tender shoots often don't come back the next year. BC I collected in October/November often don't survive collection. BCs I collected in December bud out very late and lag behind trees collected in the spring.
Adjust the month appropriately for your zone.
I have no data to say anything about collecting in Zone 5. For Zone 6, the time window is short. I think March through May is the best time window. This is based on my time living in Ohio and talking to my fellow BC enthusiasts in the area.
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