Really good question. My two BCs are much thicker than this one, however. Do you repot this one every three years?
BALD CYPRESS
- Thread starter MACH5
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MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Joe, the pot is quite shallow at perhaps 1.5" deep inside. Same here, and by the second year it raises up from the pot. The roots are remarkably aggressive.
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Russ, I usually repot it every two years. Cannot leave it beyond that as I am afraid bad things will happen specially in such a small pot.
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
Sergio, I keep coming back to this thread to look at this amazing tree you've created! It really is wonderful.
I've thought about trying to develop something in this weeping style. Originally I was planning to use weeping willow, and I got a bunch of cuttings from a club member and planted them. Of course they all rooted, but even though it is supposedly a dwarf cultivar (Rokkukado I believe) I think the growth is too coarse and would be too difficult to maintain - plus the foliage is large. So the tree would probably have to be pretty big (and I'm getting too old for that). I will have to go through my collection of project trees this spring and see if there is something else that might be suitable. Maybe dawn redwood would work well - similar type of foliage and also fairly bendable from what I've found. We'll see.
I've thought about trying to develop something in this weeping style. Originally I was planning to use weeping willow, and I got a bunch of cuttings from a club member and planted them. Of course they all rooted, but even though it is supposedly a dwarf cultivar (Rokkukado I believe) I think the growth is too coarse and would be too difficult to maintain - plus the foliage is large. So the tree would probably have to be pretty big (and I'm getting too old for that). I will have to go through my collection of project trees this spring and see if there is something else that might be suitable. Maybe dawn redwood would work well - similar type of foliage and also fairly bendable from what I've found. We'll see.
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Chris, I would recommend bald cypress over dawn redwood specially if you want to create a smaller tree. Bald cypress foliage is finer and more delicate. You probably are aware but just a heads up. This style requires constant wiring throughout the life of the tree if you want to achieve quality results.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
Incredible journey. Fantastic before and after in short order for a tree grown in the pot.
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Spectacular , my friend!
Could not agree more! What is the diameter of the trunk just above the base? Maybe 2-3"?
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MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
I think around 2"
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
That's what I thought. Mine are twice that but I will give this a shot in the spring...
Have fun with yours Russ. Not to limit your creativity or preferences (or anyone else's for that matter) but here are just a few watch outs when designing a weeping style bonsai. See sketch below.
1. In this example the lines are too long and boring. I have seen folks doing this when trying out this style.
2. In this one lines have way too much going on. It adds too much visual noise and ends up being too distracting. It makes the tree look like it stuck its finger in an electrical outlet! I have seen folks doing this as well and sometimes a combo of 1 and 2!
3. This example follows what I did on my tree. Lines are divided into additional segments much like a gentle waterfall. The lines are going straight down without adding any movement otherwise it creates unnecessary visual clutter. You may opt to put some additional movement but I suggest not to do too much.
I am sure you'll devise your own way of doing it, but wanted to give some general guidelines.
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pandacular
Masterpiece
I hope you don’t mind me adding to your explanation, Sergio, but I think this Tamarisk at the Pacific Bonsai Museum is an excellent of this design pattern. I recently spoke to Aarin Packard about this tree, and noted that I was surprised by the length of the vertical downward extensions. He mentioned that most of the length will be cut back, and the budding will provide another arc of ramification, which is then wired down.
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Sure, thanks for sharing. I am familiar with this tree at least from photos and it is very nice! I am guessing they intend to eventually make those weeping branches a lot longer?
Thanks for this. I always appreciate your input and ideas! This helps me sort through the branch structure...
pandacular
Masterpiece
Since I happened to get a picture today, I’d say the answer is yes, they do intend to extend the weeping form further down.
LittleDingus
Omono
Excellent tree Sergio...I am one of the many who have bookmarked this thread just to check back on it's progress! I also aspire to flatter your skill with my own copy of the form but with my own personal twist if I can get the right tree started.
The one critique I have...and remember, I'm a Mr. Nobody with no credibility in the bonsai world!...is that the branches weep "below ground level" as it were.
Is there a stylistic reason for this? Or a health of the tree reason? Or maybe practicality due to how fast these guys grow?
Personally, I find it takes me out of the visual. I would expect a real tree to stop just short or at the "ground" as extended from the plane of the pot's surface...if that makes any sense. But I can also see that if the branches stop at "ground" level but keep thickening over time that, too, would take me out of the visual.
Just curious your thoughts on this.
MACH5
Imperial Masterpiece
Thank you for your critique. I don't ever care where it comes from it is always good to get feedback
The move to brake the line of the pot was a highly considered design decision. Extending the lines gives the tree more elegance and a less constrained look. It's less predictable and different that what one might expect and I like that. A bit like coloring outside the lines. Every time one steps out it's subject to be called out. That's perfectly ok. It is what makes this world an interesting place.
With that said, I do believe that if it was a massive number of branches dragging down the entire visual weight of the tree, then yes I think that may take us out of the visual as you mentioned.
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