Species Study - Taxodium distichum

[Cajunrider]

I figured this would be a good addition to this thread. It’s official, BC can be successfully rooted from thick cuttings. This cutting was taken from the trunk of a tree I topped a while back. I figured why waste it when I can experiment with it. I sealed all the cuts, heavily coated it in hormodin 3 (1% IBA) and potted it in a solo cup with pure pumice. The whole thing was then put in another solo cup to hold water and I kept it full to the brim. I kept it in dappled shade and let it do it’s thing. It took 2 months to strike.
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I would like to try this on a bigger trunk cutting but I don’t have anything bigger. Maybe next time you top a tree @Cajunrider you could try. I’m guessing it will work on a BIG trunk as long as all the cuts are sealed and it’s given enough time and water.

Fantastic work. I was able to strike roots on BC cuttings before but they die because of my poor upkeep. People in nursery told me they can do that in large quantities.
Like you said, one of these days I will try a big big cutting.

 

[Cajunrider]

A BC thread that has tons of information from years past.

First Bald Cypress Sep 2017

Picked up a bald cypress this weekend at a nursery in the sale section for 12$. It was 12 ft tall and looked pretty bad but i thought i would take a chance, even though it didn't have much to offer for pre-bonsai. No buttress, no trunk movement but i figured it would be one for me to start and...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[Cajunrider]

Split trunk for better flare

 

[Cajunrider]

Split trunk for better flare
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I know the wedges did not create much gaps. That will be done next year after the split trunk up top (to be done this week) has recovered from the serious wound. Right now the wedges introduce splits into the trunk. That is enough.

 

[Maiden69]

I think this technique works better on young trees that are growing super strong vs a tree that was collected and is on a container. You can be more aggressive with the younger tree and it will heal faster.

 

[Cajunrider]

I think this technique works better on young trees that are growing super strong vs a tree that was collected and is on a container. You can be more aggressive with the younger tree and it will heal faster.

True.
I potentially am sacrificing a collected BC for the sake of knowledge. I am banking a bit on my ability to keep BC alive and well to embark on this split top and bottom project. Part of the reason also comes from my roots. Where I came from stuff like this is done all the time. Granted the growing conditions are different and the species are different. I am hoping Louisiana is hot enough and BCs are strong enough.

 

[Cajunrider]

After a few batches of BC seedlings planting. I still have some seedlings up to 24" tall. This weekend I might go crazy and go into the swamp to do approach grafts on a few BC knees. Will post pictures if I do it.

 

[Cajunrider]

Split trunk for better flare
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Carving up top has begin. A way to go before it is done.

 

[Cajunrider]

Split trunk for better flare
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Top split and carved.

 

[Maiden69]

If you look closely at the pics of the other tree, he hollowed out the top portion and wired it in. Which I think it is what gives them the appearance of natural tree trunks.

 

[Cajunrider]

If you look closely at the pics of the other tree, he hollowed out the top portion and wired it in. Which I think it is what gives them the appearance of natural tree trunks.

Yes. I know that. My plan is to take my time and do that soon when things cool down a little. Normally when I do that to a tree, I usually leave it a bit dehydrated so the cells in the trunk are not so turgid and break when I bend them. I am a bit afraid that if I do it now, the heat will kill the tree. I am staging it it.

 

[Cajunrider]

If you look closely at the pics of the other tree, he hollowed out the top portion and wired it in. Which I think it is what gives them the appearance of natural tree trunks.

I also want to mention that I am not content with merely copying someone else's technique. I am planning to hollow out the trunks and collapse the bottoms for taper while twisting the tops to create twisting live veins. I am going to make this tree interesting!

 

[Cajunrider]

Here is the link to the split trunk BC I mentioned.

Twin Trunk Bald Cypress - Page 2

Jeremy, Thank You very much for your kind words. Jay, Thank You. The trunk was carved in 1998, it was a tree that was collected in 1994 or 1995 and was about 20

ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com

 

[Cajunrider]

If you look closely at the pics of the other tree, he hollowed out the top portion and wired it in. Which I think it is what gives them the appearance of natural tree trunks.

How thin do you think I should hollow it out? I've carved the trunk to just 1/2" thick and still have a hard time collapsing the trunk. I will have to set up a bunch of clamps.

 

[Maiden69]

Hard to say from the old pictures, I think you can try to roll it a little bit every day and see how much it budges. Don't want to remove all the wood though. I think also that it will start to look natural once the cambium starts to roll over

 

[Cajunrider]

Trunks carved and a rubber band constriction wrap done on the main trunk to squeeze it together. The constriction wrap will stay on for a month.

 

[Maiden69]

That's a lot of rubber bands... I would leave it longer than a month. Next time I think raffia would be a better choice. Better constriction power, will not degrade with the sun and will allow the wood beneath to breath.

This is a cheap one I bought from Amazon, not as long strands as the one that Mirai sell, but it's decent for what I paid for.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08T1YSHVB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Cajunrider]

That's a lot of rubber bands... I would leave it longer than a month. Next time I think raffia would be a better choice. Better constriction power, will not degrade with the sun and will allow the wood beneath to breath.

This is a cheap one I bought from Amazon, not as long strands as the one that Mirai sell, but it's decent for what I paid for.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08T1YSHVB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have raffia but didn’t use it. Raffia holds well but cannot pull in. I couldn’t collapse the trunk evenly with clamps. The trunk wants to split in one spot. Using rubber bands the trunk started wide but as more and more are applied the pressure builds and collapse the trunk the way I want. A month from now, the rubber bands will be removed and raffia applied.

 

[Cajunrider]

I have raffia but didn’t use it. Raffia holds well but cannot pull in. I couldn’t collapse the trunk evenly with clamps. The trunk wants to split in one spot. Using rubber bands the trunk started wide but as more and more are applied the pressure builds and collapse the trunk the way I want. A month from now, the rubber bands will be removed and raffia applied.

It was like the watermelon rubber band trick.

 

[Cajunrider]

Two grafts on a knee for collection in the future.
PS; I never thought I would have to water BCs in a swamp but there I was watering these little grafts.