Bald cypress pre bonsai and nebari

[maymcguffins]

Hi! Very new to bonsai. I've got an established shohin Chinese elm that I've been working on. I ran across this bald cypress pre bonsai from someone locally that I'm thinking of picking up. Question: the roots at the bottom that are exposed, will that cause strong nebari? What can I do to help strengthen them? Any other suggestions? I was planning on picking up something easy to work on, but I just love this cypress. Thanks!

 

[Wulfskaar]

Welcome!

The roots at the bottom that are exposed, will that cause strong nebari?
I don't think that will help. I think the best way to get good nebari is by working the roots over time, meaning, spreading out laterally, removing downward pointing and ugly crossing roots. It might be better to bury them a little more, but that's up to you.

What can I do to help strengthen them?
I think just working the roots when you repot in spring as well as letting it grow over time. @Cajunrider , one of our BC aficionados, is experimenting with trunk splitting to get a wider base. Most of what I know about BC comes from him.

Any other suggestions?
Next spring, you should consider repotting and doing some root work. These bald cypress trees love water too, so make sure it gets plenty.

Btw, that's a nice tree!

 

[maymcguffins]

Ugh. I waited about 10 minutes and it sold. Here's the one I ended up picking up. Thanks again!

 

[Wulfskaar]

That's still a very nice tree.

 

[maymcguffins]

That's still a very nice tree.

Much appreciated! I can see why with the other one, burying it a little more would be good. With this one, would that be necessary? I know the thicker roots don't really absorb much, but I wonder if burying them a little would encourage lateral root growth?

 

[Wulfskaar]

I don't think the big roots are going to move at this point. It's more for younger roots I think.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

Ugh. I waited about 10 minutes and it sold. Here's the one I ended up picking up. Thanks again!

Even the base welcomes the viewer! I’m attracted to BC more and more lately

 

[rockm]

Whoever potted these has no idea what they're doing. The roots are far too high in the pot. That exposure (if these are recently collected) can cause the larger roots to dry out. The "soil" looks to be simply pea gravel?

Both are bad ideas. They need to be repotted into something a lot better. That can't be done until next year before bud break. I'd dump potting soil over what's there up to and over the surface of the roots.

FWIW, the nebari you have here is pretty much what you will have in ten years if these are kept in container. Nebari and trunk fluting in BC depends on how much room the roots have to run. Putting them in containers largely halts that expansion--which is why BC are mostly collected from the wild with nebari already developed.

 

[Cajunrider]

Ugh. I waited about 10 minutes and it sold. Here's the one I ended up picking up. Thanks again!

I think you got the better tree. Nicer trunk taper. Roots are defined and not messy like the first one.

 

[Cajunrider]

Whoever potted these has no idea what they're doing. The roots are far too high in the pot. That exposure (if these are recently collected) can cause the larger roots to dry out. The "soil" looks to be simply pea gravel?

Both are bad ideas. They need to be repotted into something a lot better. That can't be done until next year before bud break. I'd dump potting soil over what's there up to and over the surface of the roots.

FWIW, the nebari you have here is pretty much what you will have in ten years if these are kept in container. Nebari and trunk fluting in BC depends on how much room the roots have to run. Putting them in containers largely halts that expansion--which is why BC are mostly collected from the wild with nebari already developed.

Absolutely correct.

 

[maymcguffins]

Whoever potted these has no idea what they're doing. The roots are far too high in the pot. That exposure (if these are recently collected) can cause the larger roots to dry out. The "soil" looks to be simply pea gravel?

Both are bad ideas. They need to be repotted into something a lot better. That can't be done until next year before bud break. I'd dump potting soil over what's there up to and over the surface of the roots.

FWIW, the nebari you have here is pretty much what you will have in ten years if these are kept in container. Nebari and trunk fluting in BC depends on how much room the roots have to run. Putting them in containers largely halts that expansion--which is why BC are mostly collected from the wild with nebari already developed.

I see what you’re saying. That was my concern with the roots, especially the first one. I couldn’t figure out how to phrase the question. Is slip-potting an option? I think that’s the term. As in, just take everything and slide it into a larger container, then top off the soil? Or is that a spring sort of task? And out of curiosity, why potting soil to top off?

I had a feeling that this guy was setting up to make quick sales. I live in Texas in a north-facing apartment with a decent balcony and wasn’t raised to be very outdoorsy (largely a cultural thing). I would’ve loved to have collected from the field, but figured that can wait for when I have access to the tools and someone to teach me. I would absolutely love to find something old and imperfect that I collected personally. Huge fantasy of mine. Anyone in Houston open to a collecting buddy?

 

[maymcguffins]

This is all great feedback. Much appreciated!

 

[rockm]

I see what you’re saying. That was my concern with the roots, especially the first one. I couldn’t figure out how to phrase the question. Is slip-potting an option? I think that’s the term. As in, just take everything and slide it into a larger container, then top off the soil? Or is that a spring sort of task? And out of curiosity, why potting soil to top off?

I had a feeling that this guy was setting up to make quick sales. I live in Texas in a north-facing apartment with a decent balcony and wasn’t raised to be very outdoorsy (largely a cultural thing). I would’ve loved to have collected from the field, but figured that can wait for when I have access to the tools and someone to teach me. I would absolutely love to find something old and imperfect that I collected personally. Huge fantasy of mine. Anyone in Houston open to a collecting buddy?

i suggested the potting soil because it stays soggy if you water it every day. Pea gravel in a shallow pot is in danger of drying out quickly. You can probably just pull the tree gently out of whatever it is and place it in a deeper wider pot on top of a pile of potting soil and backfill with potting soil as well. MAKE SURE root disturbance is as minimal as possible--which probably isn't going to be an issue given what these are in. I'd bet he had them placed in a pan of water to cover the pot up to the base of the tree (submerged rootball), Alternatively you can submerge the roots as well, but add some soil on top of the roots up to the trunk, but don't fill the water container over the soil. Those big roots shouldn't be exposed to sun at this point.

 

[maymcguffins]

i suggested the potting soil because it stays soggy if you water it every day. Pea gravel in a shallow pot is in danger of drying out quickly. You can probably just pull the tree gently out of whatever it is and place it in a deeper wider pot on top of a pile of potting soil and backfill with potting soil as well. MAKE SURE root disturbance is as minimal as possible--which probably isn't going to be an issue given what these are in. I'd bet he had them placed in a pan of water to cover the pot up to the base of the tree (submerged rootball), Alternatively you can submerge the roots as well, but add some soil on top of the roots up to the trunk, but don't fill the water container over the soil. Those big roots shouldn't be exposed to sun at this point.

You were absolutely right. It's pea gravel. The pot looks like a simple plastic one with one hole the size of the diameter of a pencil eraser at the bottom. So I'm thinking a pot deep enough to at least cover those roots up, put the tree in bonsai soil, then the pot in a pan of water, so it can essentially water from the bottom. Is that about right? If that's the case, that'd be great. I live in Houston, and I work 3 12 hr dayshifts from 7a-7p weekly. It's a tempting idea to not have to rely on my 14 yr-old girl or my husband (who I've learned neither of whom share my excitement for learning about the percentage of water a tree actually spends on metabolism...) to water my friend during the day.

I ran across a post somewhere here discussing names. Someone had a fantastic list. I'm borrowing Treeanu Leaves. And Kate Branchlet for the Chinese Elm. Whoever you are- Thank you, and I applaud your genius.

 

[Srt8madness]

You were absolutely right. It's pea gravel. The pot looks like a simple plastic one with one hole the size of the diameter of a pencil eraser at the bottom. So I'm thinking a pot deep enough to at least cover those roots up, put the tree in bonsai soil, then the pot in a pan of water, so it can essentially water from the bottom. Is that about right? If that's the case, that'd be great. I live in Houston, and I work 3 12 hr dayshifts from 7a-7p weekly. It's a tempting idea to not have to rely on my 14 yr-old girl or my husband (who I've learned neither of whom share my excitement for learning about the percentage of water a tree actually spends on metabolism...) to water my friend during the day.

I ran across a post somewhere here discussing names. Someone had a fantastic list. I'm borrowing Treeanu Leaves. And Kate Branchlet for the Chinese Elm. Whoever you are- Thank you, and I applaud your genius.

Potting soil, not bonsai soil. You can change to bonsai soil (if you wanted to) in the Spring.

 

[gooeytek]

As CJR said, you got the nicer tree!