Collected Bald Cypress

aframe said:
Hi Scott,
I can pinch soft wood or new growth during the growth season and reliably get ramification. I also prune into hardwood on vigorous branches and reliably the BC will push 2-5 new buds at and around the cut site. Many apical shoots will have small buds popping along the shoot - you can go ahead and pinch back to those buds and they will take off. However, I stopped trying to control the growth when the tree was in a grow pot because the growth was so vigorous and coarse. I found it much more productive to let the tree bud out all over the place and let those shoots elongate and grow through the season. Obviously you can slow or remove growth as needed in select areas. I then make some branch selection in late winter and the tree will still push new growth from the trunk in the spring. I then eliminate branches that are too large when new growth is emerging from a useful area near by. At this point, when I have ample branching all over the trunk I put the tree into a bonsai training pot. The tree is still pushing new growth all over the place this spring, but it's finer growth and seems to more balanced over all. Now I am pinching for ramification and further reducing larger branches in favor of smaller branches higher on the trunk line.
Back when I began development, the tree took a year+ to establish, then the growth really took off. Your tree is in great substrate, I bet it will 'go-off' much earlier.
I did not use any cut paste.
Click to expand...

To get reliable backbudding, prune into wood that is a year old or older. The older the wood, the more backbudding you can expect. Pruning new shoots doesn't do much, if anything. Also BC can produce growth that can fool you--some shoots less than a year old look like have ramified with secondary branches, but in the fall, the entire "shoot" is shed at the trunk or main branch where the stem of the original shoot began.
 
Anthony said:
Mark,

that was very educational, and hopefully, you will show in leaf.
Great boxes, very tidy/efficient !!!

Any advice on cuttings or airlayers for the swamp cypress?
We have a neglected one here and it's time to produce some young ones.
Strangely enough, this one from Louisiana, does not need winter.
It is self dormant and gives no problems, just neglected for years.
Thanks for any help.
Good Day
Anthony
Click to expand...
Anthony,
I've taken hardwood cuttings in February and stuck 'em in the pot with my BC, they rooted and are pushing out growth. Some I used hormone, others I did not. In either case they rooted. Bottom heat probably helps - I stuck some into a clay pot, home to my CA juniper. The pot holds warmth in the evening. No way to be sure, but I think this aided in striking the roots. The cuttings were vigorous branch tips with no other branching, about 12" long, 1/8" thick
 
rockm said:
To get reliable backbudding, prune into wood that is a year old or older. The older the wood, the more backbudding you can expect. Pruning new shoots doesn't do much, if anything. Also BC can produce growth that can fool you--some shoots less than a year old look like have ramified with secondary branches, but in the fall, the entire "shoot" is shed at the trunk or main branch where the stem of the original shoot began.
Click to expand...
This is correct.
I think if new growth is pinched early enough, the new shoots have time to thicken/harden sufficiently to make it. I've experimented with different pinching techs in attempts to control new growth. New spring growth has a proclivity to produce lateral buds, and I think there's a way to encourage those lateral buds early in the growth season.
I've tried an approach I read about for refining maples, and that was basically to pinch new growth as it appeared. Some made it, weaker lower branches did not.
As you said, and I've observed, cutting into hard wood the following year will result in a flush of new shoots in the spring. The problem with this is the shoots appear radially around the cut site, and emerge perpendicular to the direction of the primary branches growth. This makes it tough to get nice, natural looking branch division.
I haven't nailed down a technique, so cutting back into hardwood may be the best option.
Zach, you've emailed me some good info on BC trunk development. Could you share your insight on branch development as I understand you have much experience with BC.
Thanks!
 
This pic is from last summer. I've pruned it back a little hard this spring to make it tighter. The foliage is nowhere near this far along yet. We've got a frigid April that is slowing everything down considerably.

The lighter pot behind it is a forest of BC that I'm working on and behind that is my collected wisteriamonster.
 
rockm said:
This pic is from last summer. I've pruned it back a little hard this spring to make it tighter. The foliage is nowhere near this far along yet. We've got a frigid April that is slowing everything down considerably.

The lighter pot behind it is a forest of BC that I'm working on and behind that is my collected wisteriamonster.
Click to expand...
Yeah weather has been a bit funky even here in socal. Near summer temps in late winter to early spring and now we're getting on and off weeks of cooler weather! Some rain too which is nice.
 
rockm said:
I got this tree from Zach about 20 years ago as a limbless stump.
Click to expand...

I really like it a lot: it's different from most Taxodium we can see here and there with branches at a 60° angle down like a sequoia, or a spruce.

I mean, I do like those that are shaped that way, but I really enjoy seeing something differnet from time to time, especially when it looks natural...
 
aframe said:
This is correct.
I think if new growth is pinched early enough, the new shoots have time to thicken/harden sufficiently to make it. I've experimented with different pinching techs in attempts to control new growth. New spring growth has a proclivity to produce lateral buds, and I think there's a way to encourage those lateral buds early in the growth season.
I've tried an approach I read about for refining maples, and that was basically to pinch new growth as it appeared. Some made it, weaker lower branches did not.
As you said, and I've observed, cutting into hard wood the following year will result in a flush of new shoots in the spring. The problem with this is the shoots appear radially around the cut site, and emerge perpendicular to the direction of the primary branches growth. This makes it tough to get nice, natural looking branch division.
I haven't nailed down a technique, so cutting back into hardwood may be the best option.
Zach, you've emailed me some good info on BC trunk development. Could you share your insight on branch development as I understand you have much experience with BC.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
With BC branch development is a bit different in that you have to have thicker branches to support the sub-branching than for other deciduous species. That's why it's a bit tough to produce a believable shohin BC; you need thick branches to allow you to create good ramification. Anyway, you start the same way you would normally in year one, wire the extending shoots and put some movement into them. In year one the top-dominance is so strong that your lower branches won't thicken up as much as those higher in the tree. You compensate somewhat by pruning and pinching the higher branches, but you generally can't balance the energy as you want. But you persist. In year two you let those lower branches run to thicken, and keep on pruning and pinching the higher branches. Balance begins to set in, especially since you're now working back your apex and your containerized tree is filling its root zone with roots thus slowing growth somewhat. By year three you should have a good balance going, with the lower branches getting nice thickness on them to support the sub-branching. You won't ever kill off the apical dominance of BC, but you can manage it well. By about year four or five you should be in control.

I hope this helps.

Zach
 
Thanks all - this discussion has been very helpful for me. I think the approach I've been taking for development has followed what's been advised here, except I may not have been as persistent in checking the top growth as I should have. They are incredibly vigorous and, as Zach pointed out, the top growth can really take over if you stop looking for a minute.

Another thing Zach said that resonated with me was his point about thicker branches are necessary to support the sub-branching. Perhaps the branches I pruned back to over winter were simply not sufficiently mature to produce the back budding I was looking for, so the tree produced new shoots from the thicker branch rather than bud on the tertiary ramification.

I'll try to be more persistent about controlling the top growth and to let the side branches run further over the summer so they're more mature at the end of the growing season. Perhaps I'll have better luck that way.

aframe mentioned something about pinching softwood spring shoots and producing lateral buds. I've noticed this too I pinched some of the apical shoots to control the top growth a couple of weeks back. Today they look like this:

image.jpeg

I pinched them back just past the first set of leaves. The leaves developed into shoots that have now taken off. But no shoots below the leaves. I'm going to try and prune some of the apical shoots further - before the leaves - and see if they produce lateral buds.

The discussion is a good reminder and I appreciate hearing how others approach developing these trees.
 
Really nice BCs!

Here's a shot of mine as of last week. Things are going slowly this spring because of the cold. It's usually further along at this time of the year. I probably need to shorten some stuff and wire some branches down in the next few days...

bc3.jpg
 
Another question for the BC gurus out there. Every season, one of my trees gets a bit of leaf bronzing. Like this:

image.jpeg

Any thoughts on what might cause this. Root aphids?
 
Might also be eriophyid mite. I'd be interested to know if any of you have seen it and hold you manage it.

Thnx
 
markyscott said:
Another question for the BC gurus out there. Every season, one of my trees gets a bit of leaf bronzing. Like this:

View attachment 104298

Any thoughts on what might cause this. Root aphids?
Click to expand...
I've had this happen to mine any time they are in full sun for a whole day. I'm no guru but in new mexico they definitely need shade cloth.

Aaron
 
What Scott is showing is not leaf scorch...the entire leaf will eventually bronze but will stay on the tree all season.

Rust Aphids is what I believe causes this discoloration... Off season spraying is suppose to be the most effective...I am trying a systemic this year and so far so good.

I seem to remember Mark posting a link about this a couple years ago...
 
markyscott said:
Fun and rewarding work. Here's the process.

After collecting, I use packing stretch wrap to protect and hold together the rootball. With bald cypress, you can just leave the wrap on and set the rootball in water until you're ready to repot.

View attachment 94515 View attachment 94516

Cut the plastic off with a sharp knife to expose the rootball.

View attachment 94517

This is a cool tree - it has some movement and taper. Tough to find on bald cypress.

Scott
Click to expand...

Excellent, thanks for posting! I was planning to use stretch wrap on my next collecting trip, but hadn't heard of anyone else using it. Glad to see it works for you.
 
johng said:
What Scott is showing is not leaf scorch...the entire leaf will eventually bronze but will stay on the tree all season.

Rust Aphids is what I believe causes this discoloration... Off season spraying is suppose to be the most effective...I am trying a systemic this year and so far so good.

I seem to remember Mark posting a link about this a couple years ago...
Click to expand...

I agree - I don't think it's leaf scorch. I think that rust mites are probably the most likely culprit. I used a dormant oil spray this season and applied Merit a couple of times as I've seen this problem before on this tree. But it's back, unfortunately. Most of what I've read recommends not using an oil on Bald Cypress in leaf and several recommend a carbaryl-based insecticide like Sevin to control. Any recommendations?
 
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