Bought my first bonsai (Cypress), need advice

[mixnstir]

Hi there! This is my first post on a forum I’ve been browsing for months that I only just made an account for.

I have recently (within a week) purchased a new bonsai from a nursery for very cheap - a cypress that I believe based on photo comparisons online may be a Hinoki. The tree seems to be very healthy and to have had some styling and regular maintenance upkept over its life.

However, I have a few concerns that I was hoping a more trained eye could give some advice on.

1) The soil seems very organic, with some sand and fertilizer and rock mixed in but still very high organic. I say this not only due to the visual composition but the water retention. I watered it very generously 4 days ago and it is still moist on the top layer. The pot has the appropriate drainage holes and a bottom layer of pebbles. I called the nursery asking to speak to the caretaker of this bonsai and he told me something along the lines that “a great caretaker can learn to grow any plant in any composition” and that it’s too late in the spring to repot. This leads me to my first question… is he right? Or should I be looking to repot in a more inorganic soil now or say next early spring like April. I live in a roughly USDA hardiness zone 5 - Toronto, Canada for reference.

2) Why is the mounding on top of the pot so dramatic? Is there a reason this is likely done or just a stylistic thing? Could this cause problems for watering and growth? Further, will this cause issues in the winter when I attempt to winterize it and insulate the roots?

3) Should I remove some of the moss? It seems to be keeping the moisture content of the soil a little too high. It also is keeping the base of the tree potentially too moist which concerns me regarding rotting.

4) Does anyone have a rough age estimate on this little guy based on rough height/trunk thickness? I know it’s not going to be accurate just wondering.

My apologies for the long post - just a concerned beginner.

 

[Japonicus]

Your water log concerns and rot are warrented.
Most likely the hinoki was stuffed into a pot too small for the minimal amount of work done to the roots. Otherwise I would recommend removing all of the moss. We typically use unglazed pots for conifers. This pot is glazed. So somebody just used a quick pot because they had no other pot to use. There's only one good reason to have such a dramatic above soil nebari...root over rock. Try to pierce with an ice pick at soil level to check for rock.

Lose the humidity tray and only use it to protect furniture on rare occasions when you bring tree inside to display or work on.

Less than 10 yrs old my guess 7?
Next Spring repot. Zone 5 is tough when it comes to 2nd window of potting late Summer.
Use bonsai soil but leave the shin/crown mostly alone.
Tease out the roots radially and work out from bottom maybe 50% and inspect soil at nebari. Maybe nebari is deeper down but don't cut or damage roots at top till you are familiar with your root system.

How do you know there is

The pot has the appropriate drainage holes and a bottom layer of pebbles

Or are you looking in the humidity tray?

 

[RODERLO]

Very good thinking on your part. All valid concerns. You’ve clearly progressed to a point where you are able to anticipate potential issues.

I second japonicus remarks.

One thing I would add is: in case you do not repot now, you should leave the moss on as this prevents the soil from washing away and exposing the roots when watering.
If you can, put the tree somewhere where it receives minimal rain, so you have absolute control over how long the soil has time to dry before the next watering.

 

[rockm]

Strip the moss off. It was smooshed on top of the soil by some previous owner in some attempt to do something (known only to them). It's useless and a potential problem as you suspect. It is collected forest moss for the most part, (although there is a huge chunk of bryum moss which might be useful if broken down into sensible sections that actually cover the soil). Forest moss is not really great for bonsai purposes,. It's too coarse and it dies leaving heaps of dead material on the soil. At this point, all that moss piled on the surface (not actually growing on the surface) is doing nothing but keeping the soil too wet and getting in the way of proper watering.

The soil isn't the best, but I think it's serviceable until next spring. You just have to make sure it doesn't stay soggy and drains--get rid of the humidity tray. It's useless and another potential source of the soil staying too wet.

As for the seller's silly comment about "good" growers being able to grow trees in anything, that's an excuse for crappy soil that cuts corners. It's true with proper watering and care knowhow, you can grow a tree in marbles, but that doesn't make it common practice or a great thing to do. You want a soil that actually HELPS the tree grow instead of just allowing it to exist.

Plan on a repot next spring. The tree isn't all that old, as said, less than 10 years old. Additionally, read up on Hinoki cypress (which isn't a "true" cypress). It (Chamaecyparis) has some quirks. One of the biggest is its refusal to backbud on old wood when pruned. That means building branching can be a pain. Foliage also requires some extra attention when being trimmed and thinned.

Hinoki Cypress Bonsai

Learn everything there is to know about Hinoki Cypress Bonsai, their origin, care information, where you can purchase one of your own, and more.

bonsaimirai.com

 

[mixnstir]

Your water log concerns and rot are warrented.
Most likely the hinoki was stuffed into a pot too small for the minimal amount of work done to the roots. Otherwise I would recommend removing all of the moss. We typically use unglazed pots for conifers. This pot is glazed. So somebody just used a quick pot because they had no other pot to use. There's only one good reason to have such a dramatic above soil nebari...root over rock. Try to pierce with an ice pick at soil level to check for rock.

Lose the humidity tray and only use it to protect furniture on rare occasions when you bring tree inside to display or work on.

Less than 10 yrs old my guess 7?
Next Spring repot. Zone 5 is tough when it comes to 2nd window of potting late Summer.
Use bonsai soil but leave the shin/crown mostly alone.
Tease out the roots radially and work out from bottom maybe 50% and inspect soil at nebari. Maybe nebari is deeper down but don't cut or damage roots at top till you are familiar with your root system.

How do you know there is


Or are you looking in the humidity tray?

Thank you for your comments @Japonicus! I will remove the moss and humidity tray. Too bad it’s affecting moisture retention so much, the moss really is a cool feature to hide the mound.

As for your suggestions on repotting, I’ll take them into account and make notes alongside a reminder for next early spring repotting window.

I tried driving a knife through the mound at a couple locations and it hits a mass but pierces it slightly. Unlikely to be rock, but rather a large clump of root system. I am EXTREMELY tempted to dig for information, but this hobby is supposed to be imposing patience on me so I’ll resist until the repotting next year.

Lastly, I know the bottom of the pot has a layer of pebbles for draining because I burrowed a little hole in the corner of the pot to see down and poke around with a bamboo stick. I also can see from underneath through the holes in the pot.

 

[mixnstir]

Very good thinking on your part. All valid concerns. You’ve clearly progressed to a point where you are able to anticipate potential issues.

I second japonicus remarks.

One thing I would add is: in case you do not repot now, you should leave the moss on as this prevents the soil from washing away and exposing the roots when watering.
If you can, put the tree somewhere where it receives minimal rain, so you have absolute control over how long the soil has time to dry before the next watering.

@RODERLO @rockm Thank you for your comments! Particularly re: moss, I’ll likely remove as it is just too much of a moisture blanket for my already very moisture retaining organic soil.

I definitely plan on a proper repot next spring and look forward to some serious investigation into that “mound” and root system. For now, I will let it grow as it should and learn proper watering management! One skill at a time