Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
I can’t wait to unwrap the trunk this summer.
Species Study - Taxodium distichum
- Thread starter Cajunrider
- Start date
19Mateo83
Masterpiece
I’m adding this to your thread if you don’t mind. I am trying my hand at thread grafting a seedling to a knee.
We will see how this works. This will be a multistep process.
1. Thread graft seedling.
2. Once graft takes separate knee from root tip, forcing it to grow feeders.
3. Once feeders have grown separate it from parent tree and leave until feeders grow from new cut.
4. Dig up and plant with graft and graft roots still attached.
5. Once established separate doner Roots.
We will see how this works. This will be a multistep process.
1. Thread graft seedling.
2. Once graft takes separate knee from root tip, forcing it to grow feeders.
3. Once feeders have grown separate it from parent tree and leave until feeders grow from new cut.
4. Dig up and plant with graft and graft roots still attached.
5. Once established separate doner Roots.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Bottom trunk split to improve root spread.
www.bonsainut.com
trunk splitting - lets give it a go...
Do it! I guess we'll never know unless somebody tries. Too bad we have to wait till next spring... I still have one month of growth :D
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
This tree is budding out nicely. I am going to do a trunk split for base flare on this one similar to what I have done on a few BCs.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Yet another bottom trunk split. It appears all my study project BCs will get their butts wedged. This one received a bottom root spread treatment last year. Now comes the wedgie job.
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
Great stuff. Took me two days to read the whole thread, and I learned years worth of experience. Well done and waiting for more. 
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Frankenstein BC
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Live vein on bald cypress?
I've been thinking about creating live veins on bald cypress. The concern that I have is the rotting of the exposed wood in the humid growing environment of BC. I have carved multiple BCs and know how to make them look decent. However, that is not what I am going after.
I know technically I am creating veins of dead wood leaving the live tissue behind but still we call them live veins, don't we.
I've been thinking about creating live veins on bald cypress. The concern that I have is the rotting of the exposed wood in the humid growing environment of BC. I have carved multiple BCs and know how to make them look decent. However, that is not what I am going after.
I know technically I am creating veins of dead wood leaving the live tissue behind but still we call them live veins, don't we.
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Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
This tree has been splitted and bent in almost all places except for a short section of the trunk. I can't wait to unwrap the top in late summer to see whether one growing season under wrap is enough to heal the top trunk split.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
My friend collected this tree in 2022 and nearly killed it. I am nursing it back to health. It is an uninteresting tree with a hunky 7” trunk with little taper and no flutes. I am contemplating drastic torture for this BC with big time top carving and bottom split 50 ways to Sunday. What do you suggest I do?
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Joe Dupre'
Omono
In my area, the really old, hollow, broken top bald cypress are mostly like this........no taper and no buttressing. What I do in this case is to carve a long v down the front and hollow it out as far into the center as possible. I normally drill into a few of the branch scars 3/8" or so. I then paint the hollow and the holes with ground charcoal and water. This gives the illusion that the whole tree is hollow.
Joe Dupre'
Omono
Sort of like this.
19Mateo83
Masterpiece
50 shades of Bald Cypress?
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
There are more holes plugged in the bottom of that BC than that of 50 shades.50 shades of Bald Cypress?
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Thanks @Joe Dupre'
I am thinking the same on the top. However, I am also going to split the bottom hard. Your tree in picture still has some taper, mine has precious little so I am going make it flare. This tree is gonna have gaping holes in the bottom. I want to spread the bottom out 2"! The plan is coming together. I am going to do the bottom first and let the buds on top grow to start the repair on the roots. Once the top harden and brings a lot of energy, I will carve the trunk. It will be a 6 month project.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
The roots were poorly developed as I suspected. That set me in the kill it pr make it a bonsai mood. Trunk was split with a sawzall and 5 big wedges were slammed in to increase the base by 2” in diameter. Tree put in a high spot with fast draining soil to stimulate root growth. We will deal with the top later if the tree gets healthy.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
It's interesting how a change in the flare line of the trunk can lead your eye. I can now see the carving line for the tree in the future.
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Cajunrider
Imperial Masterpiece
Time will tell how the bottom trunk split will fare. Right now I have a dozen BCs with bottom splits that are as wide as 1.5" gaps at the base. I figure it will take at least two growing seasons to close those if at all. I will report the progress after this season.
