Just bought a huge bald cypress!!! Cpl Q’s

[Adair M]

When are you going to take Zack’s advice and reduce/flatten the roots?

 

[Mayank]

Kind of a tangent but John Wall of Turnbull Bonsai (in TN?) has a really cool BC with a lot of naturally carved features that I really loved.

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[Zach Smith]

What do you think of the chop sight??

Any advise to keep swelling from causing inverse taper problems, or is it healing just fine?

Thanks for the help!!!

The site is healing fine, but you can already see the vigor of the callus tissue at the transition point. This is where the reverse taper occurs. Your best bet for preventing reverse taper is to chop the new leader to a length of 2-3 diameters measured at the base. It will produce a number of buds to try and regrow what you cut off. Remove all but one or two, then be prepared to chop that new leader in the next month or two. You may still end up with too much callus and a reverse taper, but this may help you control it.

 

[AaronThomas]

then be prepared to chop that new leader in the next month or tw

Hi Zach...
Is there a rule of thumb as to when a new leader should be chopped? Should a chop be done yearly or is there sign that would indicate, "hey chop me". I was thinking of letting mine go another year but not quite understand how the reverse taper may or may not occur... does it happen solely by the way the callus forms over the chop or are there other possible factors?
The pic below was started last year...
@Daniel son STL I apologize not trying to highjack your thread!

 

[Zach Smith]

Hi Zach...
Is there a rule of thumb as to when a new leader should be chopped? Should a chop be done yearly or is there sign that would indicate, "hey chop me". I was thinking of letting mine go another year but not quite understand how the reverse taper may or may not occur... does it happen solely by the way the callus forms over the chop or are there other possible factors?
The pic below was started last year...
@Daniel son STL I apologize not trying to highjack your thread!
View attachment 286385

It's something of a judgment call. Mostly you watch the thickening of the leader, and chop before you lose all of its taper. They grow with such vigor, with plenty of side branches, and all that growing energy tends to eventually eliminate any taper it exhibits early in its development. Then you're stuck with another section of fencepost you have to correct.

The reverse taper is all callus tissue. It keeps on swelling until you get something of a bulb right above that angle chop.

 

[AaronThomas]

Understood! Thank you @Zach Smith

 

[Daniel son STL]

The site is healing fine, but you can already see the vigor of the callus tissue at the transition point. This is where the reverse taper occurs. Your best bet for preventing reverse taper is to chop the new leader to a length of 2-3 diameters measured at the base. It will produce a number of buds to try and regrow what you cut off. Remove all but one or two, then be prepared to chop that new leader in the next month or two. You may still end up with too much callus and a reverse taper, but this may help you control it.

Well that’s not confusing. Trunk chopping a new leader in a month or two will only be pencil thick.

 

[Daniel son STL]

When are you going to take Zack’s advice and reduce/flatten the roots?

Not sure I’m going to. If I do though it’ll be a season or two. I just chopped this thing and tortured it last season. Or can a vigorously growing cypress be repotted every year??

 

[AaronThomas]

Well that’s not confusing. Trunk chopping a new leader in a month or two will only be pencil thick.

I think he means to chose your new leader below the chop and then angle chop the original once the new leader has grown for a month or two...

 

[Zach Smith]

Well that’s not confusing. Trunk chopping a new leader in a month or two will only be pencil thick.

That's the leader off your current leader, and pencil thick should work fine. You have a good bit of work ahead of you. The whole leader needs to thicken more slowly than you might otherwise manage it, because you angle chopped your trunk too soon. That's what started the whole conversation, as you wondered what could be done to prevent reverse taper. Sorry if that isn't the answer you were after.

 

[Zach Smith]

You may want to go read my blog from yesterday. It's not about Bald cypress, but it gives a pretty clear example of how to manage apical trunk chops for movement and taper.

 

[Adair M]

Not sure I’m going to. If I do though it’ll be a season or two. I just chopped this thing and tortured it last season. Or can a vigorously growing cypress be repotted every year??

If it’s vigorously growing, why do you think it might be harmful to repot it?

The sooner you get the roots flat (instead of down), the sooner the tree will develop even more flair the nebari. Getting the nebari going is the most difficult part of developing any bonsai, the sooner you start, the better off you’ll be.

 

[Daniel son STL]

I’m really trying to grasp what your saying zack. Still confused though.

Would you mind re emailing me that bc development procedure if your already did. I never found it. And how would I go about watching your or reading your blog??

 

[Daniel son STL]

If it’s vigorously growing, why do you think it might be harmful to repot it?

The sooner you get the roots flat (instead of down), the sooner the tree will develop even more flair the nebari. Getting the nebari going is the most difficult part of developing any bonsai, the sooner you start, the better off you’ll be.

That I do not know that answer I’ll admit. It was vigorously growing 2 months after the chop and root work so...

I’ve always read repotting sets a tree back at least a little and the general time frame was like 2 years minimum. Could probably get away with tropicals twice a year!

 

[Acer palNATEum]

I’m really trying to grasp what your saying zack. Still confused though.

Would you mind re emailing me that bc development procedure if your already did. I never found it. And how would I go about watching your or reading your blog??

water elm development work - Bonsai South

If you work on very large trees, you will invariably have to make and deal with large pruning chops. Here's how to manage them on the first pass.

bonsai-south.com

 

[Adair M]

That I do not know that answer I’ll admit. It was vigorously growing 2 months after the chop and root work so...

I’ve always read repotting sets a tree back at least a little and the general time frame was like 2 years minimum. Could probably get away with tropicals twice a year!

The thing is, repotting this tree to create a root structure in a shape that will eventually fit into a bonsai pot is better done now, while it is development than waiting until later. If need be, this process can take several repotting over the years. The earlier in the development process, the better.

Mind you, bald cypress replace their roots more readily than other species, and are known to recover quickly from severe root work.

There simply isn’t a valid reason to delay doing the root work.

Way back in the beginning of this thread, Zack told you to remove 75% of the old root ball. You did not. You stated you maybe removed 40%. It looks like less, quite frankly. You’ve already wasted a year. Don’t waste another.

 

[Zach Smith]

I’m really trying to grasp what your saying zack. Still confused though.

Would you mind re emailing me that bc development procedure if your already did. I never found it. And how would I go about watching your or reading your blog??

I will send you my guide. If I don't already have your email I'll PM you for it. Just click on the link to my website and scroll down. You'll see the link to the blog. It's basically about the flat chop, what happens after and next steps in getting that apex built. Bottom line is you always want to chop those deciduous trees flat. BC more than all the others.

 

[Daniel son STL]

The thing is, repotting this tree to create a root structure in a shape that will eventually fit into a bonsai pot is better done now, while it is development than waiting until later. If need be, this process can take several repotting over the years. The earlier in the development process, the better.

Mind you, bald cypress replace their roots more readily than other species, and are known to recover quickly from severe root work.

There simply isn’t a valid reason to delay doing the root work.

Way back in the beginning of this thread, Zack told you to remove 75% of the old root ball. You did not. You stated you maybe removed 40%. It looks like less, quite frankly. You’ve already wasted a year. Don’t waste another.

Can’t disagree. I understand what your saying. In a month or so when it’s time I’ll hack the shit out of it and get a better look at the root system as a whole and maybe I’ll loose the top roots in hopes of something better underneath. Like stated before, I like the roots and they are actually the reason I choose this bc out of the bunch, lmao that’s probably the newb in me.

 

[Daniel son STL]

I will send you my guide. If I don't already have your email I'll PM you for it. Just click on the link to my website and scroll down. You'll see the link to the blog. It's basically about the flat chop, what happens after and next steps in getting that apex built. Bottom line is you always want to chop those deciduous trees flat. BC more than all the others.

I probably should have flattened it out last spring after i angle cut it to a new leader. That would have created a stump though so oh well.
Thanks again for the advise and I’ll be looking for the bc development guide

 

[Adair M]

Can’t disagree. I understand what your saying. In a month or so when it’s time I’ll hack the shit out of it and get a better look at the root system as a whole and maybe I’ll loose the top roots in hopes of something better underneath. Like stated before, I like the roots and they are actually the reason I choose this bc out of the bunch, lmao that’s probably the newb in me.

Uh, no. With Bsld Cypress, you want to keep the flairing, buttress roots. It’s the ones underneath, going straight down, that you want to eliminate.